Timecop (SNES) - Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)

Quick Overview

The Angry Video Game Nerd reviews the SNES game Timecop, concluding that the game is terrible due to its poor controls, unforgiving time limits across levels like the 1944 German lake, and baffling level design, ultimately recommending players avoid it despite its unique inclusion of live-action cutscenes featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Key Points: The SNES Timecop game features live-action cutscenes featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which were unusual for the time but did not save the game from poor design. The game features unforgiving time limits in every stage, such as the 1944 Dortmund's Lake level, where players must constantly rush to avoid disintegration. The controls are criticized as poor, particularly the jump mechanics and the inability to easily hit enemies or avoid projectiles like the ducking enemies in the 1929 New York level. The game utilizes photo-realistic digitized sprites overlaid onto 16-bit backgrounds, which the Nerd found jarring and often poorly integrated. The Nerd points out several spelling errors in the game's intro text, such as 'weapononly' and 'conceive' instead of 'deceive'. The game features varied levels, including an underwater section with giant octopuses and a futuristic Los Angeles level involving a jetpack. The Nerd ultimately declares the game sucks and wishes he had never played it, especially after the final confrontation with Professor Kleindast.

Context: The video is a review by James Rolfe, the Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN), focusing on the 1995 SNES video game adaptation of the film Timecop. The Nerd analyzes the game's features, including its use of digitized actors for cutscenes, its frustrating level mechanics (like strict time limits and awkward controls), and its overall quality, contrasting it with the action movie it is based on.

Detailed Analysis

The AVGN review of the SNES Timecop game reveals a poorly executed title that relies heavily on digitized graphics and live-action cutscenes featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, but fails due to fundamental design flaws. The Nerd immediately faults the game for its unforgiving time limits in every stage, citing the 1944 Dortmund's Lake level where rushing is mandatory to avoid instant disintegration (04:41). He criticizes the controls, noting that simple actions like jumping and shooting feel unresponsive, leading to constant accidental damage from enemies who shoot before the player can react (08:15). The game’s visual style mixes poorly integrated digitized sprites over 16-bit backgrounds, which the Nerd finds jarring, especially in the New York 1929 level featuring 1920s-era enemies and vehicles (11:15). Furthermore, the opening text crawl is littered with typographical errors, such as 'weapononly' and 'conceive' instead of 'deceive' (04:43). The levels themselves are critiqued for poor layout, such as the final level in futuristic Los Angeles where the jetpack mechanics lead to unavoidable enemy fire (14:28). Despite the ambitious inclusion of movie footage, including a bizarre sequence where Professor Kleindast explodes after delivering a line (15:35), the Nerd concludes the game sucks and wishes he had never played it (16:12).