Game Info
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Developer: Game Refuge
Publisher: Midway
Year of Release: 1997

Game Review & Impressions
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Released in 1986, Rampage was a breath of fresh air as far as arcade releases went. The premise for the original game was deceptively simple: three Kaiju-inspired monsters destroy countless cityscapes by clambering over buildings, knocking the stuffing out of skyscrapers, high-rises, and each other in the process. Police and soldiers would emerge from windows in the buildings to take pot-shots at the monsters, only to have their sanctuary obliterated by a hairy fist the size of bulldozer. The piece de resistance was undoubtedly plucking these hapless civilians from their hiding places, devouring them for bonus health.

Just over a decade later, the game finally got a sequel in the form of Rampage World Tour. It's an absolute corker of game, at least in my opinion, taking everything which made the original game so great, then applying current generation technology to bring it bang up to date. RWT sticks closely to the formula of the original game, but fleshes things out with new bad guys, new fighting moves, plus multi-screen levels with full 8-way scrolling.

As with the original, players assume control of George, Lizzie and Ralph once again, turning cities to rubble and chowing down on anything that moves. The main difference this time around is the monsters aren't confined to just the good ol' U.S of A, instead sowing death and destruction across the globe in an adventure of epically intercontinental proportions. While most cities generally look alike, the capitols feature unique buildings and landmarks synonymous with those locations, which invariably get obliterated in the ensuing feeding frenzy. With a total of 129 levels on offer, RWT is going to take some serious dedication to beat, as this 3-hour longplay will attest.

Aside from feeding your face and causing havoc, the real purpose of the game is to knock out the Scumlabs laboratories operating out of each territory. Responsible for the mutation of our hapless heroes, its fittingly appropriate that this toxic conglomerate is brought down by the very creatures it created.

The new graphics -- a combination of CGI and pixel art -- look great, but perhaps the best thing about Rampage World Tour is actually the sound design. The rock and metal soundtrack compliments the outrageous antics unfolding on screen, but it's the sound effects which deserve special mention. From the guttural grunts of lip-smacking approval whenever you eat some poor civilian, to the cracking of concrete and endless explosions, the audio in Rampage World Tour is exquisite.

Unfortunately, the gaming press was rather critical of the game on release. They derided the use of sprites over polygons, although I would argue that decision set the game in better stead for the long term; go check out the visuals of the Rampage: Total Destruction and you'll see what I mean.

Personally, I think Rampage World Tour is a great example of a sequel done right. It avoids changing things unnecessarily, instead building on the core game loop of its predecessor, just bringing everything up to date. The game really hasn't aged a bit, and, if you have some friends along for the ride, this is a brilliant coin-op.

Information & Trivia
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Video Notes
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Related Longplays & Videos
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Chapters
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0:00:00 Credits, intro and developer bios
0:02:00 Gameplay
3:08:29 Lunar Tech
3:10:22 Ending