Zzap


The Running Man
By Unique
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #75

The Running Man

It's 2019 and because everyone has started wearing turquoise the world hasn't ended. There are still some evil-doers though and a special TV show has been created to deal with non-turquoise wearing criminals. No, it's not the Big Break, but The Running Man: a game show where unarmed contestants are hunted down by four stalkers armed with bizarre weapons. A bit extreme perhaps, but it beats Bob's Your Uncle, that's for sure.

And our star contestant tonight is... Arnold Schwarzenegger! No, he hasn't been arrested for his wooden acting: Arnie's a cop who's been convicted (wrongfully, of course) of police brutality and has been sent to face almsot certain death on prime-time TV.

Each horizontally scrolling level has Arnie fighting against one of the four deadly stalkers. First is Subzero, an ice hockey player who shoots exploding pucks, then the chainsaw-armed Buzzsaw, followed by lightning bolt-throwing Dynamo and the flamethrowing Fireball. The fifth and final level is set in the TV studio where Arnie must fight his way through an armed guard to get to the smug TV host. Basic weapons can be picked up to help Arnie, as well as medical kits to replenish his health.

In Issue 53, the game got a mere 44%. Both reviewers thought the graphics dull and sluggish, and Phil found the gameplay little better "consisting of repetitive beat-'em-up action with very few moves for you to choose from. Admittedly the enemies are varied but still don't make up for the all-round lack of content."

That about sums it up really. A mediocre, plod-along game almost two years ago, The Running Man is still too slow to win any races even on budget.