My review of Midnight Madness...

[gorfcadet]

Hope everyone is getting ready for a great holiday season! I've been playing through Midnight Mutants and just finished my review. What really surprised me wasn't how expensive this one has gotten, but how few there are floating around.

 

[gorfcadet]

Mutants! Doh. Oh well. Long weekend. Some days I'm less functional than others.

[DracIsBack]

Wow ... do I ever completely and utterly disagree with this review ...

[King Atari]

I wouldn't say Atari was being too cheap by only licensing Al Lewis' likeness instead of The Munsters as a whole. Atari licensing anything during that time was a welcome sight, but more importantly, Lewis was going through something of a career resurgence in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Besides the ongoing Munsters reruns and scattered film appearances, he also hosted movies not only for TBS every weekend but also for uber-budget VHS label Amvest Video, and even had his own NYC restaurant during the period, and for much of all that, he was billed simply as "Grampa." Sure, it was a necessity to get around paying for the Munster moniker, but the point is that he was already pretty well-known by that simple title. Lewis basically had his "solo act" down to a science by then and was also, arguably, the most-recognizable face of The Munsters anyway, so why should Atari pay more when it wasn't really necessary? As easy as it is to be critical of the Tramiel's penny-pinching, they really weren't in the wrong here. The decision to go that extra step added a fun, quirky flavor to what would have already been a unique 7800 title even without it. (And truth be told, I'm not sure a full Munsters game would have sold appreciably more in the U.S. anyway; it was in reruns, but it's not like the property would have made for a killer-app for the system, at least not by then. Would they have even been able to recoup the cost of licensing the property?)

 

All that said, like Drac above, yeah, gotta (respectfully) disagree with almost the entire review. It's all subjective, but to me, MM is a standout 7800 game that not only succeeds at what it's trying to do, but also really demonstrates what the console was capable of. It's the kind of game that should have been coming out 2-3 years earlier, but better late than never.

(Also, I hadn't realized prices for it had risen so considerably. As recently as about 2 years ago, you could get sealed NTSC copies on eBay for about $50-$60, and my cart with manual and map only cost, IIRC, around $30 a year or two before that.)

Edited November 3, 2018 by King Atari

[gorfcadet]

I'm sorry you guys didn't like my review. I did notice many Atari critics had been positive towards this game in the past, but I have to talk from my experience. And I did say that I enjoyed playing it, but I didn't think it was a good enough experience to pay over a hundred dollars for. If I'm just now getting into collecting for the 7800 and I have 100 dollars to spend I can get 10 to 20 great 7800 games instead of just one and feel better about starting my collection.

 

That is just my point of view on it. I certainly wouldn't argue against yours and I can see why people like it. As a critic though I have to share my experience.

 

My question looking at it that I didn't mention in the video, was why not let the player play AS Grampa? It seemed an odd choice to only utilize him as a static menu picture rather than the primary player character.

 

LOL. This is also why I'm avoiding my Ikari Warriors review. Whereas I have problems with Midnight Mutants but I feel the sum is more than the parts, I have problems with Ikari Warriors that to me make the sum less than the parts. Also, I won't review it until I beat it, and that game is too damn hard.

[RushJet1]

The big bosses really are disappointing... it's like "oh neat, it's more detailed and big than most stuff you see" immediately followed by "wait, there's zero animation on any of this." Even tiny things like slightly different facial expressions on the final boss when you hit it, or having points on it explode or something as targets would have gone a long way. That and the false difficulty of hitting most enemies so many times kinda sucks. This is one of those games that, with a few tweaks, could be amazing.

 

You could fix this with a quick romhack:

1) make the controls correctly overhead- most isometric games do this, or have a fully 45 degree tilted mode like zaxxon. Maybe make this optional because I can totally see why they did this the way they did- if you're playing with the original joystick, moving diagonally can be annoying.

2) lower enemy health to reasonable levels, and also lower the player's health to compensate. This would make the game feel more directly challenging without making it feel like a slog to get through.

 

The sprites range from "pretty good" to "generic" like he said in the review, but the backgrounds are nice, and the scrolling is nice. Maybe edit the music if possible?

 

Some TIA music is surprisingly atmospheric:

 

[+DrVenkman]

So many of the rarer titles on the 7800 have gotten stupid in prices these last few years. Very glad I grabbed one of the run of "Multicart #2" that tep392 did about 18 months ago. Midnight Mutants, Ikari Warriors, Ninja Golf, Scrapyard Dog, TM Pro Wrestling and Water Ski all together and playable on real hardware at a very affordable price.

[Jinks]

I can say I have more time in almost every 7800 game except the sports titles.

The kazillion hits to kill the bad guys and the controls for moving around are for sure a major downer. Also the music sucks bigtime.

A midnight mutants 2 would have been cool with enough improvements.

This seemed more like a concept game.

Edited November 3, 2018 by Jinks

[John Stamos Mullet]

I bought a complete in box used copy of Midnight Mutants on Epay a few months ago for $49. Not sure where $100 comes into it unless you're just really not willing to wait for a deal.

Edited November 4, 2018 by John Stamos Mullet

[gorfcadet]

I bought a complete in box used copy of Midnight Mutants on Epay a few months ago for $49. Not sure where $100 comes into it unless you're just really not willing to wait for a deal.

 

Last five on ebay sold between 70 to 125. Just checked again. Those are the results going back to August anyway.

[Trebor]

There are other games out there that are considered great, but need proper maps, directions, guides, etc. A player could possibly be very lost or frustrated, if they were never either in possession of such things or/and shown how to play the game (with success) previously.

Understandably, there is relatively not much in the way of write-ups or walkthroughs for Midnight Mutants. Try leveraging the maps and guide supplement that was put together. It may change a person's perspective and viewpoint of the game.

Helpful hints and quick guide are in the spoiler below.

Scattered throughout the game, there are 13 Diamonds which increase max health level and simultaneously heal health completely. At least half of those diamonds are in areas that require only 1-2 Axe hits to kill enemies.

The Axe should be obtained early in the game after acquiring a Knife, Cross, and Lantern. Obtaining the Knife is easy. In the beginning, avoid all creatures along the way, while picking up the Knife first. After its acquisition, don't try killing anything more than a bat or raven with it.

With Knife in hand, head straight to the church for the Cross (A very fair to achieve objective). Select the Cross as the weapon held, and the the player is immune to bats and ravens which cause (blood) damage (They do not diminish health). Go for the Lantern, and then get the Axe while avoiding any battles.

After the Axe is acquired and equipped, then tackling creatures above bats and ravens is a much more leveled battlefield.

6 bottles that fully restore health are available in the game. 4 of the 6 health bottles are in areas that again require only 1-2 Axe hits. There is a 'Well of Wellness' (Within the same region as the Lantern and Axe), that fully restores health and also an 'Enchanted Tunnel' transport warp that takes the player from one area of the game to another.

Tackle the first boss (Ram) with Axe in hand. Facing the boss with an extra bottle of blood and health, after acquiring some Diamonds, is more than enough to take out that boss relatively easily.

After that, acquire the Crypt Key and the Blaster. Having the Blaster (Which fires very rapidly) is a sufficient upgrade to make most 'regular' enemies a simple kill.

The Mega Blaster is relatively easy to acquire after possessing the Blaster. It allows quick plowing through most enemies with extremely fast and powerful shots. This will also ensure simplicity in obtaining the remaining Diamonds and extra health bottle(s). Picking up the Necklace, then Heart, provides immunity to any blood contamination.

Avoid contact with the ghosts in the Cemetery and Ship. While not difficult to subvert, they are the most dangerous of 'regular' enemies as they drain not just current health, but max health level as well.

Do not rapidly press the fire button when engaging any of the bosses - especially Doctor Evil - just hold down the button and move at the same time. Continuous and rapid attacks are automatic when the fire button is held down. The player still has the ability to move when engaged.

Here is a capture of one successful playthrough of the game that does not even pick up all health and diamonds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94-pWVgZNys

No game is worth $100 to play (IMHO). The current market price of the media and packaging shouldn't impact the review of the game itself though.

On a personal note, the only time I came close to spending something in that ballpark was when Street Fighter II Championship Edition was released for the Genesis. I paid $60 for the game and $20 for each of the two 6-button controllers I upgraded to at the time.

[phattyboombatty]

Terribly critical review.

 

Ive enjoyed a few other productions/reviews of yours, but with this one, a) you seem to have forgotten who your audience is, and b) you have discounted the capabilities and history of the machine.

 

You focus on what frustrates you, rather than being objective about the quality of the game with respect to the support that it had during the time it was marketed. It was never on par with the NES, even though they were sold contemporaneously.

 

The 7800 was dropped by one company (Atari, Inc.) and picked up by another company (Atari Corp.) nearly two years later. I would suggest taking things like this into consideration.

 

Or, are you simply trying to downplay the games current market value due to it not being as fun for you?

 

This is an excellent adventure game that is perhaps the shiniest original release to the 7800 during its actively marketed timeframe.

[Shawn]

I liked Midnight Mutants enough but I agree the last boss fight is a tedious pain. The rest of the game is pretty good. The other horizontal shooting skeleton head boss is pretty fun. Why they didn't go with something like that with the last boss I'm not sure. Not being able to shoot the monsters coming out of his ears sucks too. The play area is just too short for what they where trying to do with that layout. Change out the vertical Doctor Evil & His Magical Ears fight with a second round of the horizontal shooting Skeleton fight but now with Doctor Evil sprites instead and you would have a much better game experience. As it is? A great game with a crappy end fight.

[gorfcadet]

Terribly critical review.

 

Ive enjoyed a few other productions/reviews of yours, but with this one, a) you seem to have forgotten who your audience is, and b) you have discounted the capabilities and history of the machine.

 

You focus on what frustrates you, rather than being objective about the quality of the game with respect to the support that it had during the time it was marketed. It was never on par with the NES, even though they were sold contemporaneously.

 

The 7800 was dropped by one company (Atari, Inc.) and picked up by another company (Atari Corp.) nearly two years later. I would suggest taking things like this into consideration.

 

Or, are you simply trying to downplay the games current market value due to it not being as fun for you?

 

This is an excellent adventure game that is perhaps the shiniest original release to the 7800 during its actively marketed timeframe.

 

I know this game has fans in the community. I don't hate it myself, but it has flaws in my opinion. I can't review a game based on its circumstances or history; I have to speak on its merits as a game. The 7800 had one of the most interesting life stories of any game system ever; that doesn't mean I can give every game that got to market a free pass because it exists. People don't spend money based on a game's circumstances; they buy it because its fun. I appreciate that it was trying to do something different on a platform that had yet to attempt this kind of game, but I also thought it had plenty of examples to look at by this point on other rival systems to avoid certain design pitfalls. The programmers were probably rushed and understaffed. I still have to be honest about my experience with the game and not just echo chamber what I know other 7800 fans want to hear. The 7800 sadly was just as capable of great games as the Master System and NES; I say sadly because the business end got in the way of that. I haven't reviewed Bentley Bear yet (I love it), but I would still love that game whether it came out now or 30 years ago.

Look at Ikari Warriors for proof of that. The ONLY thing that holds that game back is the insane difficulty that forces the gamer to approach it as a chess match rather than a run and gun. That issue could have been solved by implementing the ABBA code or allowing gamers to in game continue. It is still more playable and smoother and prettier than its NES counterpart. To this day I wish we lived in a world where the 7800 had gotten its own Zelda killer in the form of a Gauntlet with rpg elements or Adventure II that went toe to toe with Phantasy Star.

 

I do hate that some of you take issue with my views on the game, but they would still be my opinions of the game if we were just hanging out playing it. Maybe you'll like my next one better. Any excuse to play Centipede!

 

And I do appreciate the feedback.

[Trebor]

Last five on ebay sold between 70 to 125. Just checked again. Those are the results going back to August anyway.

 

The one for $48.74 + $2.66 shipping, that sold on October 22, was overlooked (?)

[gorfcadet]

 

The one for $48.74 + $2.66 shipping, that sold on October 22, was overlooked (?)

 

Didn't see it. I just did a search for completed listings. Staff of one; doing my best, but it is just me. Of course, now that you mentioned it, I went back and searched again and there it was. Good price though. Even though I mention price it really has nothing to do with my reaction to the game only a brief mention at the end when I give my recommendation when I also said that is was worth playing. The good points are still there as are the bad points. I did say it was worth playing, and maybe I should have sold its ambitious points like the size of the map and the uniqueness of it in the 7800 library, but I still have problems with this game.

 

I will try to be more fair to games even if I don't personally love them going forward. (I do like the game, but it is still and oddball to me.)

[Trebor]

Didn't see it. I just did a search for completed listings. Staff of one; doing my best, but it is just me. Of course, now that you mentioned it, I went back and searched again and there it was. Good price though. Even though I mention price it really has nothing to do with my reaction to the game only a brief mention at the end when I give my recommendation when I also said that is was worth playing. The good points are still there as are the bad points. I did say it was worth playing, and maybe I should have sold its ambitious points like the size of the map and the uniqueness of it in the 7800 library, but I still have problems with this game.

 

I will try to be more fair to games even if I don't personally love them going forward. (I do like the game, but it is still and oddball to me.)

 

Eh, so you missed it. No biggie. I'm a staff of one myself. Completely understand how some things can be missed or overlooked; especially when focused one way or another. Good luck with your video series.

[Jinks]

I think it is great you review games based on your personal preference.

You do not need to change how you feel about something because someone tells you to.

Going against popular opinion is never easy but the idea to review something is not solely based on joining a fanclub or gaining brownie points with people.

It seems that is what was missed here by the responses I have read not your feeling of the game.

Keep up the great work! I think your format and presentation looks really good.

What game I would really like to see is the one you are making as it looks amazing.

[gorfcadet]

I think it is great you review games based on your personal preference.

You do not need to change how you feel about something because someone tells you to.

Going against popular opinion is never easy but the idea to review something is not solely based on joining a fanclub or gaining brownie points with people.

It seems that is what was missed here by the responses I have read not your feeling of the game.

Keep up the great work! I think your format and presentation looks really good.

What game I would really like to see is the one you are making as it looks amazing.

 

 

Thanks! I'm hoping the planets align soon for that project as well. Getting there. Thank you for the kind words as well.

[Shawn]

Your review is your review. It's not about echoing what others have already said about the game. That is the whole point and you are sticking to it. Your take on the game isn't something that can be debated as being right or wrong.