The Wonder Years 4.17.08: Week 51 - Vectorman

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 04.17.2008

A robotic toxic avenger... a bit like Wall-E, but with more guns.

Welcome to the column where all gamers of a certain age come to wallow in 16-bit nostalgia. I'm your host, Owain J. Brimfield, and I'll be discussing some of the hidden gems and instant classics of gaming's golden era. Some of these games may crop up on the Wii's Virtual Console at some point, some may be consigned to the annals of history. Either way, they're worth tracking down if you missed them first time round, or replaying if you were lucky enough to catch them. Let's take a trip to:

VECTORMAN

(Sega, Genesis, 1995)

You know, sometimes when looking back at games of 16-bit origin you're reminded of the technical feats that the Genesis and Super NES were both capable of turning out on occasion, and you do get the rare title that plays impressively well even by today's standards. Vectorman is one such game, developed by Blue Sky (they of Shadowrun fame) and representing one of the more obviously standout graphical titles on Sega's console. But before we get to the boring technical gubbins, let's take a moment to reconstruct the game's plot, which is, as the tagline hinted, very reminiscent of a certain soon-to-be-upon-us Disney/Pixar blockbuster. Coincidence, or something more sinister?

Anyway, for those of you not up on a) your pre-rendered 16-bit games or b) your upcoming animated blockbuster movies, the story goes that the human race, having made a vast garbage pile of the planet we call home, heads off into space in search of other planets to colonize and rape. Left behind are an army of mechanical "orbots" (hey, that's an anagram of robot!) who supervise the cleanup of the swathes of pollution that wrack the planet. In charge is Raster, controller of the gameworld's equivalent of Skynet and possessor of an in-joke name that very few gamers "got" and even fewer found amusing. One day, natch, he goes insane, adopts the more suitably villainous moniker of Warhead, and sets about destroying any humans who come back to check up on ol' Big Blue. Of course, it's at this point that any good story requires a protagonist, so along comes Vectorman, a bipedal orbot who's just gotten back from disposing of some toxic waste in the heart of the sun, and is understandably miffed to discover that the remainder of his kind have gone mad due to their control by Warhead. Cue side-scrolling platform-based shooter.

Naturally, all one's attention tends to be focused on Vectorman's graphical prowess, and with good reason. The best way to describe it (other than to say "look at the screenshots") is to mention that the game employs a similar style of pre-rendered, quasi-3D graphics to the Super NES's Donkey Kong Country. While Vectorman isn't as much of an "event" game as that title (and its impact was slightly dulled given that it came out over a year after Rare's Kong-fest), it's arguably the most visually impressive game on the console, with both the character and background models taking on a life of their own due to some impeccable design choices. It all moves fabulously smoothly, too, with nary hint of slowdown - well, alright, there is a hint during boss encounters, but it's entirely forgivable given that the game looks like an early PSX title (the following year's inevitable sequel, incidentally, wasn't much improved but still looked great). For once, too, we have a techno-flavored soundtrack that actually complements the game rather than sitting in juxtaposition. Because, as we all know, robots make music with synthesizers and little else.

As for gameplay, well, it's pretty typical but implemented satisfactorily. Taking place across the course of sixteen days, our hero has to run, jump and shoot his way through the army of opposing orbots in an effort to reach and destroy Warhead, with the occasional diversion into a top-down setting for a bit of equally shooty action. There's all the requisite weapon upgrades and robotic baddie-types that you'd expect - not startlingly original, but it's all done competently, and the game does on occasion display flashes of brilliance, such as seeing Vectorman himself transform into a frog or battle a boss inside a robot disco. It's moderately challenging, but once beaten doesn't hold extensive replay value. In fact, if you strip away the graphical prowess of Vectorman, there's little here that can't be called average for the genre, but it's definitely the "decent" kind of average as opposed to the "mediocre" kind. Thankfully for the game's critics though, you actually can't strip away the manifestly impressive package from the game it surrounds.

Vectorman the game is pretty easy to come by these days, having been available in Europe on the Virtual Console for almost a year and due out in the US within the next few months; it's also available in watered-down form as part of the Genesis Collection on the PS2 and PSP. The cartridge is also readily available on eBay for prices under a tenner, for all you completist collectors (and I know there are plenty of you out there). It's perhaps no surprise that game as technically competent and as much of a system showcase as this is in good supply (see also similar titles like Starfox), as despite the title having generally been overlooked on release these types of game tend to stick around in the retro gaming consciousness. It's one of the smoothest blasting platform experiences you can find on the console, and out-performs a heck of a lot of its companion titles; well worth picking up, even if you do find the somewhat ham-fisted attempt at an environmentally friendly plotline to be more of a distraction than of any relevance.


Vectorman trivia

• The game is also featured on Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PS2 as an unlockable extra.
  
• Sega launched a truly bizarre "play-to-win" competition, in which random copies of the cartridge, when beaten, revealed a bonus code that entitled the lucky gamer to a whopping $25,000 prize.
  
• A 3D remake was planned for the PS2, but soon cancelled when it came up in competition with Metroid Prime.
  

The Videosphere

Let's take a look at this week's video highlight. I won't endorse this guy's reviews (mainly because I have a far too pronounced superiority complex), but this video of Vectorman in action does a great job of showing off the top quality smooth graphics the game had to offer.




Reactions and interactions

Unsurprisingly, there were a few comebacks to my epic attempt last week to list the best 16-bit games of the alphabet. We'll start with the complimentary ones, because hell, my ego needs feeding once in a while, and its favorite meal is praise.

Posted by: Porfirio Diaz
"This list is a flawless victory. Good work."
Posted by: 411Derek
"Earthbound.

Oh man. I love you so much."

I love you all, too. Not the emotional kind of love; more like the affection a fat man feels for a large cheeseburger. It's a healthy relationship.

Anyway, constructive criticism too:

Posted by: Pippin
"I wholeheartedly protest the exclusion of Super Game Boy on this list, seeing as how it made Link's Awakening the greatest game ever.

Aw hell, Sonic 2 slayed everything anyway. Never understood the appeal of Mario anyway (but I kinda liked Mario Sunshine)."

Hmm, tricky one, the Super Game Boy. I tend to stay away from it, not because it wasn't great, but because there are enough games on the Super NES and Genesis for me to focus on. We run a specialized business here at the Wonder Years. Anyway, I'm really unsure as to whether it would have elevated Link's Awakening above Link to the Past... One for further pondering methinks.

Posted by: Skillgore
"Ummm....Super Metroid?

You should of at least mentioned the greatest action adventure game of all-time. No, actually you should've replaced SMW with it as the S's top game."
Posted by: Jared
"Super Metroid has to AT LEAST be mentioned in the S category"

Yeah, yeah, so I didn't mention Super Metroid. And shame on me - it was (and still is) a truly awesome action game, although there's no way it's better than Mario World. But let's take a moment to consider just how many 16-bit games beginning with the letter 'S' could have a legitimate claim to be the game on the system, let alone the best game beginning with 'S'...

Secret of Mana, Starfox, Street Fighter 2, SF2 Turbo, SF Alpha, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls n' Ghosts, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario World, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid...

That's just off the top of my head, and since I was only choosing three honorable mentions I picked my three favorite. So sue me! No actually please don't, I'm very poor.

You know, come to think of it, the 'Super' prefix was ridiculously overused in the 90s.


General indulgences

Every week in this section I'll endeavor to provide you, the faithful readers, with a fascinating insight into the various forms of entertainment currently dominating my spare time.

This week, I have been mostly enjoying:

NBA Jam Tournament Edition, mainly because I finally got a replacement joypad for the system and fancied a quick dash of basketball. I'm reminded of both how good the game is, and how hard it is to steal the ball from the AI team.

American Dad!, the second season of which I sat and watched through on Sunday to break in my new sofa. Best gag of the season: Stan can't afford the valet parking. Looking forward to season three making it to region two release.

Professor Satchafunkilus, the new record from Joe Satriani. I'm a sucker for instrumental rock, and this hits the nail on the head after Satriani's previous, more chilled out album.

and, yes, the new sofa. It seats eight, and I really can't accentuate its brilliance without inviting you to perch your bottom on its cushiony delights. Make sure your pants are clean first, though.


And finally…

As always, reader feedback and suggestions are welcome, I respond to everything so just drop me a line or leave a comment. You can also check out my science fiction column "The Flux Capacitor" over at 411 Movies. Next week in "The Wonder Years" - we take a trip to another world. Until then - keep it real, keep it retro.