Review
Release Date: 1993
Platform:
Sega CDDeveloper:
Core Design Ltd.Publisher:
Virgin GamesReviewed by
Brian J. Balsan on 4.21.2003
The Sega CD saw a sad existence.
It started off slow, only to reach popularity by Sewer Shark, and then got bombarded with FMV game after FMV game until Sega eventually pulled the plug due to failing sales (they claimed it was to stop confusion when the Saturn came out; those who believe that say "I"....Anyone?.....Thought so).
However, thanks to Sewer Shark, the Sega CD officially became the first 'successful' CD-ROM console system (The Turbografx CD was the first real console CD-ROM system, for those into useless videogame trivia), and because of that, there was actually a line of companies willing to take a shot at the new gaming media. With the endless wave of FMV titles being produced by Sega, there were a few shining diamonds that made the Sega CD worth every penny of the super-expensive $250-some it cost to buy the Genesis add-on. Chuck Rock 2 usually isn't on many people's lists, though it should be.
Chuck Rock 2 is the sequel to the slightly more popular Chuck Rock, a Mario-style platformer featuring a simple-minded caveman and his adventures, and was developed by Core Entertainment, the folks behind the Tomb Raider series.
While Chuck saw ports on the SNES, Genesis and Sega CD, Chuck 2 was more of a Sega-exclusive affair, appearing only on the Genesis and Sega CD. The game is better than it's "daddy," but one can't shake the fact that it feels like a Mario game. But that's a bad thing really.
The game opens up with a smooth digital cel-animation created exclusively for the system. That means they worked with the color limitations to reduce any of that blasted FMV 'graininess' that plagued so many other Sega CD titles.
The game really isn't enhanced too much from it's Genesis version. The intro, the endgame scene, the soundtrack, some sound effects and rotation effects for the boulders were added, but the gameplay remains the same.
Each stage design is pretty imaginary. Just when it seems like the game is going to get mundane and repetitive, the scene changes. You'll find yourself on the back of a giant brontosaur, escaping lava by climbing a burning tree, and exploring dark caves with little else but the immediate light surrounding you. Chuck2 doesn't seem to push the envelope with the color limitations, but it doesn't really seem necessary.
The soundtrack is the real shining point to Chuck 2. Totally new, there's not a single track from the Genesis version to be found here. You have nice, bouncy tracks, one with a bit of Jamaican flavor, catchy Jazz tunes...and the best part is that you can put it in a normal CD player and you can listen to them. Certainly worth taking on long trips.
So Chuck 2 isn't as memorable a Sega CD title as, say, Lunar: Eternal Blue or Snatcher. But when you consider the flood of FMV games that plagued and shortened the life of a very potential-ridden system, any real form of a 2D title is worth mentioning. Granted, the game hasn't aged very well, but at least the soundtrack's timeless.
