Difference between revisions of "Altered Beast"

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[[Image:Altered Beast - ARC - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet.]]
 
[[Image:Altered Beast - ARC - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet.]]
  
'''''Altered Beast''''' is an action platform beat-em-up developed and published by [[Sega]] for the [[arcade]] in 1988-08-??. It was later ported to about a dozen platforms.
+
'''''Altered Beast''''' is an action platform [[beat 'em up]] developed and published by [[Sega]] for the [[arcade]] in August 1988. It was later ported to about a dozen platforms.
  
The game is set in ancient Greece. Zeus' daughter Athena has been kidnapped by Neff. Zeus resurrects you, a dead centurion, to fight your way through Neff's henchmen and rescue Athena. In each stage, if you defeat two-headed white wolves, they will leave behind a power orb which will make you stronger. If you collect a third orb, you will transform into a powerful beast like a werewolf or dragon and gain special attacks.
+
The game is set in ancient Greece. Zeus' daughter Athena has been kidnapped by an evil magician named Neff. Zeus resurrects you, a dead centurion, to fight your way through Neff's henchmen and rescue Athena. In each stage, if you defeat two-headed white wolves, they will leave behind a power orb which will make you stronger. If you collect a third orb, you will transform into a powerful beast like a werewolf or dragon and gain special attacks.
  
I saw first saw this game in the arcade room of Lakeland Arena in the late 1980s, when I though the game was called "Alter Beast." Although I never played it at the time, I loved to watch other people play the game, and I remember seeing kids get as far as stage 3. I was really impressed by the graphics and the idea of turning into a werewolf seemed so cool. Years later, I found a System 16 emulator online and played the game all the way through. The process took tons of credits, and the last stage was so hard I wasn't even able to get enough orbs to transform before having to fight Neff. This kind of disenfranchised me to the game.
+
==Personal==
 +
I saw first saw this game in the arcade room of Lakeland Arena in the late 1980s, and I initially thought the game was called "Alter Beast." Although I never played it at the time, I loved to watch other people play the game, and I remember seeing kids get as far as stage 3. I was really impressed by the graphics and the idea of turning into a werewolf seemed so cool. Years later, I found a System 16 emulator online and played the game all the way through. The process took tons of credits, and the last stage was so hard I wasn't even able to get enough orbs to transform before having to fight Neff. This kind of disenfranchised me to the game.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
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==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 3/10
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{{Video Game Review|5|3|7|7|4|Arcade}}
* '''Best Version:''' Arcade
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
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* The entire game is very creative. Being able to morph into fireball-throwing werewolves, electricity slinging dragons, and the rest is fantastic. Enemies like the skull-holding skeletons, head leeches, and rattlesnake dragons are all really interesting and beautifully rendered, and the bosses are especially impressive. Aggar, the head-hurling dead body boss of stage 1, is one of my favorite bosses in video game history.
 
* The entire game is very creative. Being able to morph into fireball-throwing werewolves, electricity slinging dragons, and the rest is fantastic. Enemies like the skull-holding skeletons, head leeches, and rattlesnake dragons are all really interesting and beautifully rendered, and the bosses are especially impressive. Aggar, the head-hurling dead body boss of stage 1, is one of my favorite bosses in video game history.
 
* The graphic effect where body parts of slain enemies expand toward the screen is really cool.
 
* The graphic effect where body parts of slain enemies expand toward the screen is really cool.
* The game's music and sound effects are good, and digital speech was still impressive in 1988.
+
* The game's music composed by [[Toru Nakabayashi]] and sound effects are good, and digital speech was still impressive in 1988.
 
* The arcade game has a wonderful attract demo.
 
* The arcade game has a wonderful attract demo.
 
* The ending is pretty cool.
 
* The ending is pretty cool.
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* The morphing animation is only drawn for the wolf. All other morphs just flash between the two rapidly.
 
* The morphing animation is only drawn for the wolf. All other morphs just flash between the two rapidly.
 
* The foreground bodies in the final stage look great, but the artist ruined the seriousness by adding the The Thinker and The Scream into the mix.
 
* The foreground bodies in the final stage look great, but the artist ruined the seriousness by adding the The Thinker and The Scream into the mix.
* The "rise from your grave," intro sound sounds a bit... off.
+
* The "rise from your grave," intro speech sound sounds a bit... off.
 
* A rescue the princess story line, how original.
 
* A rescue the princess story line, how original.
 
* None of the boxes have very good art work.
 
* None of the boxes have very good art work.
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===Box Art===
 
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Altered Beast - ARC - USA.jpg|Arcade cabinet<br /><br />Decent look, but the bezel and control panel are pretty bland.
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Altered Beast - ARC - USA.jpg|Arcade cabinet<br /><br />Decent look, but the bezel and control panel are pretty bland. I love the Altered Beast text.
 
Altered Beast - ARC - USA - Marquee.jpg|Arcade marquee<br /><br />I like the idea, but why use a reptile eye when the primary transformation is a werewolf? Also, the dude's eye isn't very manly.
 
Altered Beast - ARC - USA - Marquee.jpg|Arcade marquee<br /><br />I like the idea, but why use a reptile eye when the primary transformation is a werewolf? Also, the dude's eye isn't very manly.
 
Altered Beast - ARC - USA - Cabinet Art.jpg|Arcade cabinet side<br /><br />Again, good idea, bad execution. The transformations just look like men wearing masks.
 
Altered Beast - ARC - USA - Cabinet Art.jpg|Arcade cabinet side<br /><br />Again, good idea, bad execution. The transformations just look like men wearing masks.
Altered Beast - GEN - EU.jpg|Genesis (USA / Europe)<br /><br />The wolf head looks pretty bad, but I like the ochre palette. Great lettering.
+
Altered Beast - GEN - EU.jpg|Genesis (USA / Europe)<br /><br />The wolf head looks pretty bad, but I like the ochre palette. The lettering comes from the arcade, but it has been made to look more ragged, which I love.
 
Altered Beast - GEN - Japan.jpg|Mega Drive (Japan)<br /><br />Uses the complete art on the back with more of the creepy enemies, and adds a nice blue to compliment the ochre. Also great lettering.
 
Altered Beast - GEN - Japan.jpg|Mega Drive (Japan)<br /><br />Uses the complete art on the back with more of the creepy enemies, and adds a nice blue to compliment the ochre. Also great lettering.
 
Altered Beast - GEN - Poster.jpg|A poster of the art.
 
Altered Beast - GEN - Poster.jpg|A poster of the art.
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Altered Beast - ZXS - Maps - Sinclair User.jpg|ZX Spectrum, from Sinclair User.
 
Altered Beast - ZXS - Maps - Sinclair User.jpg|ZX Spectrum, from Sinclair User.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Graphic Sheets===
 +
* [http://spritedatabase.net/game/2590 Arcade]
 +
* [http://spritedatabase.net/game/99 Genesis]
  
 
===Collectibles===
 
===Collectibles===
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Altered Beast - Fan Art - Daniel Vendrell Oduber.jpg|Fan art by Daniel Vendrell Oduber.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - Daniel Vendrell Oduber.jpg|Fan art by Daniel Vendrell Oduber.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - Santi Ikari.jpg|Fan art by Santi Ikari.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - Santi Ikari.jpg|Fan art by Santi Ikari.
 +
Altered Beast - Comic - At the Gym - Lindha Dotrem.jpg|Comic by Lindha Dotrem.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - JordiLupo and BrotherOstavia.jpg|Fan art by JordiLupo and BrotherOstavia.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - JordiLupo and BrotherOstavia.jpg|Fan art by JordiLupo and BrotherOstavia.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - Peetcooper.jpg|Fan art by Peetcooper.
 
Altered Beast - Fan Art - Peetcooper.jpg|Fan art by Peetcooper.
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===Videos===
 
===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icuWM-SRvW0 youtube.com/watch?v=icuWM-SRvW0] - Japanese Mega Drive Commercial with Altered Beast.
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{{#ev:youtube|icuWM-SRvW0|256|inline|Commercial, Japanese Mega Drive.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqHpyHR1P0I youtube.com/watch?v=DqHpyHR1P0I] - Arcade longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|DqHpyHR1P0I|256|inline|Longplay, arcade.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K80hfSdsZiI youtube.com/watch?v=K80hfSdsZiI] - Amiga longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|K80hfSdsZiI|256|inline|Longplay, Amiga.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoCaMHwAInY youtube.com/watch?v=MoCaMHwAInY] - Amstrad CPC longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|MoCaMHwAInY|256|inline|Longplay, Amstrad CPC.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UG5hOfttm8 youtube.com/watch?v=8UG5hOfttm8] - Atari ST longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|8UG5hOfttm8|256|inline|Longplay, Atari ST.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFiTLTSwAgw youtube.com/watch?v=jFiTLTSwAgw] - Genesis longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|jFiTLTSwAgw|256|inline|Longplay, Genesis.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0_qMA4Cj8 youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0_qMA4Cj8] - Master System longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|Tv0_qMA4Cj8|256|inline|Longplay, Master System.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCW2u-sGq7M youtube.com/watch?v=aCW2u-sGq7M] - MS-DOS longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|aCW2u-sGq7M|256|inline|Longplay, MS-DOS.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU61OqyH2wg youtube.com/watch?v=VU61OqyH2wg] - TurboGrafx-16 longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|VU61OqyH2wg|256|inline|Longplay, TurboGrafx-16.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psRJHOx1MDU youtube.com/watch?v=psRJHOx1MDU] - ZX Spectrum longplay.
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{{#ev:youtube|psRJHOx1MDU|256|inline|Longplay, ZX Spectrum.|frame}}
  
 
==Titles==
 
==Titles==
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==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/altered-beast mobygames.com/game/altered-beast] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/altered-beast}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Beast en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Beast] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Beast}}
 +
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Altered_Beast}}
 +
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Altered_Beast_(ARC)}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Altered_Beast}}
 +
 
 
* [https://segaretro.org/Altered_Beast segaretro.org/Altered_Beast] - Sega Retro.
 
* [https://segaretro.org/Altered_Beast segaretro.org/Altered_Beast] - Sega Retro.
* [http://spritedatabase.net/game/2590 spritedatabase.net/game/2590] - Arcade sprites.
 
* [http://spritedatabase.net/game/99 spritedatabase.net/game/99] - Genesis sprites.
 
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Altered_Beast_(ARC) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Altered_Beast_(ARC)] - Arcade music.
 
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 +
[[Category: 1988 Video Games]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Action]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Beat 'Em Up]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platformer]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Fantasy]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Mythology]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
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[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: TurboGrafx-16 Games]]
 
[[Category: TurboGrafx-16 Games]]
[[Category: TurboGrafx CD Games]]
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[[Category: TurboGrafx-CD Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
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[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
[[Category: Beat-Em-Up]]
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[[Category: Trope - Women As Reward]]
[[Category: Fantasy]]
 
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 +
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 +
[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]
 +
[[Category: Video Games I Haven't Beaten]]

Revision as of 12:02, 15 December 2020

Arcade cabinet.

Altered Beast is an action platform beat 'em up developed and published by Sega for the arcade in August 1988. It was later ported to about a dozen platforms.

The game is set in ancient Greece. Zeus' daughter Athena has been kidnapped by an evil magician named Neff. Zeus resurrects you, a dead centurion, to fight your way through Neff's henchmen and rescue Athena. In each stage, if you defeat two-headed white wolves, they will leave behind a power orb which will make you stronger. If you collect a third orb, you will transform into a powerful beast like a werewolf or dragon and gain special attacks.

Personal

I saw first saw this game in the arcade room of Lakeland Arena in the late 1980s, and I initially thought the game was called "Alter Beast." Although I never played it at the time, I loved to watch other people play the game, and I remember seeing kids get as far as stage 3. I was really impressed by the graphics and the idea of turning into a werewolf seemed so cool. Years later, I found a System 16 emulator online and played the game all the way through. The process took tons of credits, and the last stage was so hard I wasn't even able to get enough orbs to transform before having to fight Neff. This kind of disenfranchised me to the game.

Status

I do not own the game, and have never beaten it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
5 3 7 7 4

Best Version: Arcade

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • For the time, the game was very impressive. It used top of the line hardware both in audio and video.
  • The entire game is very creative. Being able to morph into fireball-throwing werewolves, electricity slinging dragons, and the rest is fantastic. Enemies like the skull-holding skeletons, head leeches, and rattlesnake dragons are all really interesting and beautifully rendered, and the bosses are especially impressive. Aggar, the head-hurling dead body boss of stage 1, is one of my favorite bosses in video game history.
  • The graphic effect where body parts of slain enemies expand toward the screen is really cool.
  • The game's music composed by Toru Nakabayashi and sound effects are good, and digital speech was still impressive in 1988.
  • The arcade game has a wonderful attract demo.
  • The ending is pretty cool.
  • The NES port, though horrible looking, adds two new stages to the game where you change into a shark and a phoenix.

Bad

  • The game punishes mistakes brutally, especially in later levels. It seems like Sega designed the game, not so much to be fun, but to drain quarters.
  • The game is really short. When playing at an expert level, the entire game takes less than 15 minutes to finish.
  • The player's body grows with power orbs, but his head doesn't, which looks ridiculous.
  • The attacks in the later transformations are kind of silly. A bubblegum blowing bear? I bouncing ball throwing tiger? WTF?
  • In the last stage, you're short-changed by transforming into a werewolf again rather than a new beast, but the game tries to play it off as a new transformation by calling it a "gold werewolf." Nice try!
  • The morphing animation is only drawn for the wolf. All other morphs just flash between the two rapidly.
  • The foreground bodies in the final stage look great, but the artist ruined the seriousness by adding the The Thinker and The Scream into the mix.
  • The "rise from your grave," intro speech sound sounds a bit... off.
  • A rescue the princess story line, how original.
  • None of the boxes have very good art work.

Ugly

  • The game's controls are terrible. The player's attacks are sluggish, and jumping is especially bad. I always feel like I'm struggling with my player more than the monsters.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Graphic Sheets

Collectibles

Fan Art

Videos

Commercial, Japanese Mega Drive.
Longplay, arcade.
Longplay, Amiga.
Longplay, Amstrad CPC.
Longplay, Atari ST.
Longplay, Genesis.
Longplay, Master System.
Longplay, MS-DOS.
Longplay, TurboGrafx-16.
Longplay, ZX Spectrum.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Altered Beast
Japanese 獣王記 Juuouki Beast King's Chronicle

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-TCRF.png