A truly unique side-scroller that offers excellent visuals, a kickass soundtrack and the ability to play with a friend.

User Rating: 7.6 | Crying: Aseimei Sensou GEN
By SageFrenchkiss | Review Date:
Bio-Hazard Battle, originally for the Sega Genesis, was one of the most original titles to come out for that platform. Unfortunately it didn't get noticed by the majority of gamers out there. Now it's finally getting a chance to shine through the Wii's Virtual Console. First and foremost, this game is a side scrolling shoot-em-up. The core gameplay is quite similar to the majority of the classic shooters out there: Dodge bullets and hazards, shoot enemies and snag the powerups that they drop. Beyond that, however, Bio-Hazard Battle breaks out of the usual constraints of side-scrollers to bring the player a unique experience. Much like the "option" powerups in games like Lifeforce or Gradius, a small orb is constantly following the player's ship, shooting in the opposite direction of the ship's movement. This orb has 4 different weapon types, which change depending on the powerups the player picks up. The 4 weapon types each have 2 additional variations, depending on which of the 4 selectable ships the player chooses to pilot at the start of the game. The main attack of the ship is constantly shooting forward (to the right). Holding down the fire button will charge a special attack that unleashes multiple shots in a pre-set pattern, which also differs depending on the ship type.

The soundtrack is one of the game's real strengths. Instead of being an annoyance or an unwanted distraction, each track adds a whole new layer of immersion and atmosphere to the levels. The music in this game is simply awesome, especially when considering the cartridge-based platform it is played on, and the fact that it was released in the earlier years of the Genesis' lifespan.

Sound effects are average: not all that special but not all that bad, either. As the player progresses through the game, the enemies and environments get nastier and weirder-looking, the sorts of bugs, worms and slimy things that a person might find if they walked into the woods and lifted up a huge rock. The game's artists really put a lot of work into making the enemies and levels fit together cohesively. Overall the emphasis is on natural, organic lifeforms. Even the 4 selectable ships are all different types of flying organisms.

The game still retains that old-school shooter difficulty. Repetition is the key to advancing and eventually conquering it's 8 levels. There are 3 difficulty levels so it can be enjoyed by the more casual gamers out there. However, the last 3 levels of the game can't be accessed on easy mode.

The game also allows two people to play simultaneously, which increases both the fun factor and the replay value.

Bio-Hazard Battle was the first game I ever played on the Genesis, and it helped convince me to go with SEGA instead of Nintendo during the 16-bit system wars. I highly recommend it to fans of the shooter genre, and anyone else who might be interested in an experience that's old-school and out of the ordinary.

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