Game Debate #111: Comix Zone

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

[Gloves | 11,785]

4. I never liked this game, despite trying to like it multiple times. 

[Tanooki | 4,934]

I'm with Gloves, gave it +1 (5/10) but what he said, entirely.  I've tried to like it probably a half dozen times since the late 90s, the last copy I still have but I have it up for sale.  Rating it on the whole I give it a five as the style, art, audio, they're great.  But when you come down to the gameplay, mechanics, how the enemies work vs how you move...it largely just sucks.  Had it felt more like a Capcom or Konami brawler it would be awesome, hell if it worked even as nicely as the Jaleco stuff (Rival Turf, Brawl Brothers and Peace Keepers) it would be still pretty great.  But as is, a pretty hard pass other than some reminder every few years or so.

[spacepup | 2,404]

I actually gave this game an 8 (probably should have chosen 7, but oh well too late haha).  Perhaps there is a nostalgia-driven component to it, but I got it when I was a kid, and I just thought it was really cool and unique at the time.  I hadn't played any game like it, where you progressed through a comic book while 'playing' the game.  

I really liked the music, and overall just thought it was a super fun action type game.  I think I just liked how different it was, even though I'm typically a fan of more broad-level type platformer / action games.  

For me, it's a classic game that I have lots of awesome memories playing with my brothers when I was younger, so I know that influenced my score here.  

[Californication | 1,477]

I played the first level and enjoyed it although there was a lot of trial or error. Looking forward to playing it again, but don't know it well enough to vote.

[Webhead123 | 678]

I really like the unique ideas behind the design of this game. I also think the graphics and animations are pretty noteworthy for their time on the Genesis. The music ain't bad either.

I think the biggest thing that hurts this game is that it makes itself look like a simple pick-up-and-play type of brawler but it's secretly a lot more complicated than that and the learning curve is deceptively steep. This can lead to players (myself included the first time I played) getting stuck and frustrated before ever even finishing the first level.

I still haven't really put the serious time and effort to learn the thing...but the fact that I want to at some point says something about the overall appeal and promise of potential.

I gave it a 6/10 but that could go as high as an 8/10 once I've finally decided to take the game seriously.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

Maybe like a 4. A cool and unique concept but the gameplay kinda blows.

[JamesRobot | 5,803]

Man, I had a Genesis and rented this game a few times.  I remember... it was cool.

But I don't think I've played it since the 90s. Maybe briefly on a compilation.  I wanna say it's pretty good but I've never really gone outta my way to play it.  

5 by the book.

Edited July 22, 2022 by JamesRobot

[docile tapeworm | 4,199]

I had a copy and sold it. As a kid it was so cool. When I played it again as an adult it was still cool. I think what @Webhead123 said has some truth it’s not a pick up and play beat um up. I had a rat and some bombs? The enemies seem tough right off the rip as well. I remember thinking this first enemy is like a round in street fighter 2. 

[Lynda Monica | 350]

Always hated this game. Gave it a 2. The concept gives this game a free pass more often than it deserves, but it's always been awful.

[AstralSoul | 502]

I loved this game growing up, love it now, literally the only thing keeping it from being a 10/10 for me is the lack of saves/passwords and only having one life. This games difficulty is brutal. But otherwise I think it's fantastic! Highly recommended but use save states! 9/10

[Tanooki | 4,934]

I'm seeing more similar comments to what I dodged around but was thinking.  Didn't want to come off as complaining about the challenge, but that is the problem.  It's a mix of it being hard immediately, no cupcakes to start to get comfy, but also you get all these street fighter lite style moves and combos, an inventory that is very fiddly to use including the non-intuitive pet rat.  When you mix non fast and fluid control with enemies that more so are, enemies that have fairly cheap(and as such hard) AI routines, a fiddly inventory and use of the items from it too...it makes for a great concept with terrible execution only saved by the unique taste of the comic book art and humor, but it doesn't save it for long.

[RH | 4,907]

I've played this game for only about 5 minutes and it seems like such a cool concept.  I'm actually surprised this hasn't been "reimagined", where a new game (or the same one) was built off of the same visual concept but completely refined.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I've seen any other game where you get sucked into a comic book and you play through it.  I think we all agree that's a great idea.  I'd be nice to see a proper execution of the concept.

[DefaultGen | 5,407]

11 minutes ago, RH said:

I've played this game for only about 5 minutes and it seems like such a cool concept.  I'm actually surprised this hasn't been "reimagined", where a new game (or the same one) was built off of the same visual concept but completely refined.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I've seen any other game where you get sucked into a comic book and you play through it.  I think we all agree that's a great idea.  I'd be nice to see a proper execution of the concept.

Batman: The Caped Crusader goes for this style too but Comix Zone's presentation is way flashier.

 

[sp1nz | 612]

Pretty surprised by the low reception but taste is always taste. I never felt the game didn't work on a technical level as a kid or as an adult. Anyway onto the praise:

Lent it from a friend and beat it pretty quickly when I was a kid, and have played it randomly over the years and always enjoyed my time with it. Great sense of style, amazing art, simple and effective story, some branching paths and secrets, utility pet rat, decent and unique rock music for the system. Also has inventory management, instant death potential, it's pretty difficult, there is a variety of combat moves you can utilize but spamming can work just fine. So there are pros and "cons" but I happen to like difficult enough games and most things people seem to complain about are nonissues for me and turn into pros most of the time. I like how you can tear a part of the comic page and throw it as a strong paper plane projectile but it costs a decent chunk of your health, I like how you can make your rat find secret items, I like the speech bubbles that pop up and meaty sound effects, I like the traps and residual damage from hitting hard objects, I like learning where to get items and when to best use them - so needless to say there's a lot of attention to detail.

Whether you love it or hate it, I'm not sure if there is another game in the "same" style of panel hopping and baddie smacking. Not a perfect game but a damn good game that any action game fan or high concept fan should at least check for themselves, if they can take on the challenge - definitely a must have Genesis game in my book and somewhere in the top 25-50 of the system for me.

9/10

[Sumez | 2,963]

4/10

Not a terrible game, but holy crap is this game overrated.
It has a really cool concept and overall style, it just looks super cool. But it's not very fun to play.

[G-type | 2,482]

Awesome concept... but just not that fun.

[Silent Hill | 276]

Got it for my 9th birthday along with Earthworm Jim. The style/presentation at the time was amazing but it's hard AF and I had enough trouble with EJ at the time to even bother getting better at CZ. In short, it's something I may play from time to time for nostalgic reasons but wouldn't consider it one of the best Genesis games. 6/10

Edited July 22, 2022 by Silent Hill

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Seemed like a cool idea, but not that great of a game. 5/10.

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

6/10. It's such a cool idea, but it's nothing special at the end of the day.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

I'm another one who's played it here and there throughout the years, but didn't get far enough to where I'd be confident giving it a score.

[mbd39 | 2,024]

6/10

Great graphics, great concept, but I never got into it because of the high initial difficulty. You start with only one life. It might get better but I never got that far.

 

[twiztor | 851]

i can't go higher than a 6 for this one. 

I love the concept, the graphics, the sound, and the whole vibe of the game.

but it's *just* awkward enough to play, and brutally difficult. It never really lives up to its potential.  I'm in agreement with @RHthat this could really shine in a remastered version.

[fox | 1,667]

Great art and presentation with a banging soundtrack.

The combat is fun and inventory management is easy with the 6 button pad.

The dirty secret is this is secretly a puzzle platformer, with a lot of secrets and thoughtful design.  So knowing which paths are easier, how to deal with certain traps, and the best times to use your items is key.  It kind of boils down to trial, it’s easy to end up with low health or getting yourself killed, and you have very few continues so a costly mistake or two means game over.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

No offense but that's a few too many IFs basically on how to find a way to make this game well thought out fun.  Even reading the manual doesn't even give you the idea of it being played out as a puzzle of sorts. It is though a puzzle box of sorts, far far too many attempts, restarts and backtracks(dead to the title screen) to inch a bit further following a very methodical way to solve the puzzle box otherwise you lose.  For a game passing off as like a comic book final fight style brawler, it seems to be a problem.