CV and Gambit's Retro Rad Review - Renegade
Back in the 80's and early 90's, you could throw a rock in any direction and hit a movie about some muscle-bound guy, who goes up against street gangs. Well, sometimes it was terrorists. Sometimes it was thieves. But, the theme was always there--one dude against hundreds. It wouldn't take long, before this genre would cross into video games. Enter the “Beat 'Em Up”.
Fought along a pseudo-3d plain, the Beat 'Em Up let you move up and down the street, as well as, right and left. As enemies enter, you punch and kick their faces, until they fall to the ground dead. When you make it far enough, a boss comes in and you punch and kick him, or her.
Over the years, there have been some truly classic Beat 'Em Ups. Games like
Battletoads,
Double Dragon and
Streets of Rage will remain in our hearts, as some of the greatest games of all time. But, those games owe everything they did to a single game from 1986--
Renegade.
Wait... wrong video. That's the early 1990's TV show,
Renegade, starring Lorenzo Lamas. Unfortunately, this game has nothing to do with that TV show. I say it's unfortunate, because I would totally play that game. I mean, he's a cop, and good at his job. But he committed the ultimate sin, and testified against other cops gone bad. Cops that tried to kill him, but got the woman he loved instead. Framed for murder, now he prowls the badlands. An outlaw hunting outlaws, a bounty hunter, a Renegade. That would be boss.
No, this is the game we're talking about. Alright, let's get something out of the way. This game is not great. In fact, it's really not that good. But, it is considered one of the most influential games of all time, and we really have to give it props for that. But, on the whole, it's really not a terrific game.
For one thing, the game's story is not nearly as awesome as the TV show. You play an unnamed vigilante (named Renegade in the sequel), who's girlfriend has been kidnapped by street gangs. You've got to fight through the gangs and rescue her.
The control is where things really start to break down. It's not that they aren't responsive, they're just really confusing. One button punches in front of you, the other kicks behind you. The confusing part is that what button does what switches, depending on what direction you're facing. And since Beat 'Em Ups involve guys coming at you from both directions, this happens a lot.
Now, to be fair, if you can keep your bearings, attacking enemies on both side of you can work really, really well. It's just when you switch directions, it takes a second to remember to switch buttons.
The graphics are decent for the time. It, of course, looked a lot better in the Arcades, but the NES version is pretty smooth. The levels are pretty limited, featuring only two screens a piece. When you beat enough guys, a door opens at the top of the screen, and you move on to the next section. This is quite separate from later Beat 'Em Ups, with their scrolling levels.
The music and sound effects are pretty meh. Nothing to write home about. But, not quite as mind-numbing as other games from the era, so I'll give it a pass.
I can't honestly imagine myself playing this game more than once. It's a fun little departure into history, but the frustration builds up and eventually the fun factor goes out the windows.
Now,
Renegade basically created the Beat 'Em Up genre. The things we take for granted—four-way control, punching and kicking, enemies falling down, and then getting up for more torture from your fists of fury—did not exist before
Renegade. So, the next time you're playing
Final Fight, remember your roots. Remember
Renegade. Unfortunately, I can't recommend you do much more than remember it. Go play Final Fight instead. That game is way better.
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Renegade's scores:
Graphics =
Sound/Music =
Gameplay =
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Overall Fun Factor =
Total score = 2.8
