|
Who hasn’t seen a comic strip or cartoon featuring
Popeye the Sailor Man. He’s the ideal role model, a mild mannered
man until his woman gets hit on by a burly rival which causes Popeye to
fly into a rage, take a strength supplement, and finally pummel said
rival. Hmm, that actually sounds a
bit like roid rage to me.
Regardless, a spinach  swilling sailor is probably a better role
model than a beer swilling sailor.
Well Popeye the game continues the rivalry between Bluto/Brutus
and Popeye. Apparently this game
contains Brutus rather than Bluto.
If you look online you are sure to find stories about the
emergence of Brutus due to copyright issues, but that is beside the
point. I had never heard of Brutus
before and was wondering why Popeye’s
rival sashes around in a purple suit.
The goal of this game is to save
your gal pal, Olive Oil. Possibly
the skinniest woman ever and surely the inspiration for many super models
since. There are three stages in
which Olive Oil tosses some object down and Popeye must retrieve them all
before he is able to save her. The
first stage features hearts, the second musical notes, and  the third letters spelling help. Not only do you have to retrieve them
all, but you must get them before they reach they disappear. In reality you have ample time to get
them as they can remain on the bottom of the screen for quite a while
before they disappear. Each level
has at least three different tiers that you can maneuver around on to
avoid Brutus. However, be careful
he can both look up and punch you from one tier below and leap down and
crush you from one or even two tiers above. Brutus may be large but he is nimble
and crafty. While Brutus can use
the stairs for some reason his
immense weight does not allow him to used the ladders in levels 1 and
2. In order to help you save Olive
Oil, the game provides you with one can of spinach for each life. Whenever you feel the need, punch the
spinach and then go pop Brutus on the chin. He flies into the water on the bottom
and you get some precious relief from his onslaughts.
This is a port of an arcade
classic that also appeared on many other systems including the Atari 2600
and Atari 5200. I played it quite
a bit on the Atari 5200 as a child but am not sure how it compares,
others have claimed that the NES version is much better. Regardless, the NES version is excellent. The controls are excellent and the
gameplay is smooth as butter.
However, since there are only 3 levels the game is repetitive to
some degree. But not so much that
you want to gouge your eyes out as is the case with many other older
arcade classics. Each time you
beat the 3 levels you get to hear that old classic, Popeye the Sailor Man
song, and nothing beats that.
After the first cycle of levels, the levels begin again only more
difficult. The next time around
there is a sea hag that tosses skulls at you, talk about
intimidation! Bottom line, this is
an entertaining game for short bursts.
This is not the type of game you will be pulling out every
weekend, but it is still a fun game.
Positives:
Excellent graphics, control, and
sound. You get to be Popeye!
Glaring
Negatives:
The only real negative is that
there are only 3 different levels.
However, this is a fault with all arcade classics, not just
Popeye. Otherwise there are no
major problems.
Graphics
and Sound: Great
For an older arcade classic the
graphics are very good. The
screens are fairly simple but look great.
Even the sound is enjoyable.
Normally I either mute games or ignore the sound but I found
myself enjoying this one. I must
warn you though, that Popeye theme song will get stuck in your head and
you may find yourself annoying loved ones and neighbors.
Gameplay
and Controls: Great
The controls are perfect. There aren’t many ways to screw up these simple
controls but some arcade ports such as Burger Time have managed to do
so. Not so for Popeye everything
is as it should be. A word of
warning though once you commit to going up or down a ladder you have to
see it all the way through.
Features:
Minimal
 There aren’t too many features but the ones present are
interesting. Spinach is available
for whomping on Brutus, which is niiiice.
Also, on the first level there is a barrel that you can release by
hitting the punching bag. If you
manage to lodge it on Brutus’
head you will have some time without him chasing you. Also, in addition to running you can
punch anything but Brutus. Punch
bottles, birds, and skulls for bonus points. There are also two versions of the
game, A and B. Basically game B is
the same as game A but starting out on level 4 (going through all the
levels once.)
Fun?:
Yes
Though this isn’t one of the greatest games on the NES it
is very fun in short bursts.
Challenge:
Medium
This game is difficult until you
start seeing some patterns. But
even then as you beat more levels there are more obstacles and enemies to
avoid. It’s not impossible, but not easy either.
Replay:
Some
You can’t technically beat the game so your goal
is to keep getting farther or more points. The gameplay will keep you coming back
for a while.
2
Player: Yes
It is the standard takes turns,
nothing special.
Online
Manual?: Sure
Go to Nintendo Age, they have
nearly every manual scanned in.
Bottom
Line: Sure
If you like arcade classics or
are a big fan of Popeye you will enjoy this game greatly. If you just like NES games you will
probably find this game enjoyable for short periods. Either way it is worth playing at least
once or twice.
|
