Here, have a review. (B.O.B.)

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I quite enjoyed throwing together those big-ol' review compilations, but I thought it time to get back to the old review formula. I'm sick of reviewing godawful games quite frankly, and although I'm still picking out interesting protos I'm tempted to write about, I decided I'd post about something which was both released AND playable today- B.O.B.

Developed by Gray Matter in 1993, and released on Snes and Megadrive, B.O.B uses the same game engine used for “Wayne's World” believe it or not. Don't be put off though- This game's actually pretty fun, despite it spawning from something oh so horrific. You play as an edgy teenage robot who borrows his father's hover-car to pick up his girlfriend. However, along the way, the kid crashes into an asteroid, and finds himself stranded on a strange planet filled with conveniently hostile creatures (Tut, just Typical).

A run-and-gun game, it sees you exploring maze-like levels, blasting a variety of enemies with one of your six weapons, such as a flame thrower, a rocket launcher and a wave gun, all of which are fired with the “Y” button. You can change between the weapons using the “L” button. You're given limited ammo and have to find more as you explore the stages, so I'd recommend punching weaker enemies with the “A” button rather than shooting them, so as to save up ammo. When you're weapons are limited, every little helps.

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As well as your weapons, you can pick up a selection of Remote Items (REMOs) along the way, which you can use to launch yourself into the air, shield yourself from damage, or perhaps just to blow up any on-screen enemies which may be annoying you. These items can be activated by pressing the “X” button, and are selected by pressing the “R” button. Although they're usually mainly for your convenience, the game sometimes throws traps at you which will require a REMO to escape, such as those pesky death pits which'll sap your energy, while being impossible to escape without either using the launchpad or Helicopter REMOs. Traps are all over the place and fall damage is a common pest, so remember; When in doubt, have a REMO About.
There're also parts of the game where you simply will not be able to progress without a certain REMO, so make sure to keep some spare. This'll become more common as you progress through the game.
I really like the REMO system B.O.B. adopts. So many Run-N-Gun games just turn into mindless shooting button-mashing frenzies, with little to no obstacles other than “ENEMIES ARE RUNNING AT YOU- SHOOT THEM”. But thanks to the REMO system, B.O.B. has been give a little more depth than that. Some parts of the game even require some thinking for you to come up with a good way to tackle the problem provided.

B.O.B. takes you through three giant worlds, all introducing new enemies with unique behaviours, such as those weird-as monks which can summon thunder, and bloody crabs and scorpions which'll quickly sap your power (And bloody hell, are those scorpions which lurk below ladders irritating. How on Earth are you supposed to avoid loosing power while climbing down?) There's a fair amount of variety throughout the game, as it'll take you from an alien planet, through other-worldly temples, to phoenix filled volcanoes.
And it must be said, after the first world, the heat truly gets switched on. The game's full of challenge, and you'll likely be tantrum-ing like a toddler once you reach those temples. Unfortunately, there're plenty of leaps of faiths, though most of the time the consequences can be avoided simply by preparing your good 'ol REMOs. Nonetheless, the game is certainly challenging, and Will leave you feeling somewhat frustrated from time to time.
Nonetheless, the game is filled with charm, especially with its enjoyable animations. After each level, B.O.B will do a dumb little dance, while saying a cheesy-as-cheese phrase like “Yo! Can Do!” or “Psyche!” before moving onto the next level. You've got to love the way he climbs along wires, using naught but his fingers. And generally, the levels are colourful and characterful. I wish there was more variety within each world in terms of graphics, but the design of the levels are often varied enough to take away from the repetitiveness.

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As I've already mentioned, the levels are often set out in a similar way to a maze, with plenty of dead-ends and traps. The ammo and REMOs are often hidden around the maze-like level, and so you may find yourself tempted to explore the map. However, take caution young grasshopper- There is a time limit, and as soon as the counter hits zero, your power will start to slowly drain away until you eventually just explode, and provided you have another life spare, will spawn you all the way back at the start of the level So try not to get too lost.

The game's reasonably long so it's unlikely you'll finish it in one sitting. Luckily though, there's a password system which is pretty quick to use, because it only uses Six digits. Just make sure to keep a notepad handy because as soon as you Game-Over, you'll be returned to the Title Screen without getting another chance to copy it down- Meaning you may have to just start from where ever you last recorded your password. You'll be given your password after every few levels, but if you miss it, it'll also be available on the Pause menu any time throughout the game.

This is probably one of my favourite Run-N-Gun games from the 16-bit era. It's full of character, its controls are gold, and there are some parts in the game that really do make you consider how to tackle the problem, preventing it just becoming a mindless alien-killing frenzy. It can become pretty damn challenging from time to time, and the game is far from forgiving, but that just makes the success all the sweeter.

8/10