Game Description

Arcade veteran Q*bert gets a three-dimensional facelift for the Dreamcast in this release from Majesco. Although the gameplay is very similar to the essentially 2D action of the original, the boards of stacked cubes are now displayed in a rainbow of colors and are finely shaded to add to the sense of depth. Slick, Sam, Coily the snake and those annoying blobs are all back in this version, along with some new characters to make Q*bert's work even more challenging. As in the original game, the object is to hop on the cubes in order to change them to a certain color. When all the cubes are the correct color, the game moves on to the next stage. In advanced stages, multiple hops may be required to get a block to change to the desired color. In addition to the familiar pyramid-shaped puzzles of the original, this version features levels laid out in various other shapes and designs, all requiring thoughful planning and quick hopping. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

Sure, it's not that complex, and it certainly gets frustrating when you can't tell where you're jumping next, but there's still a simple pleasure in jumping the little orange fuzzball around the pyramids, switching colors, stomping spheres, and running away from the snake. If it ain't broke... ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Executive Producer: David Elmekies

Assistant Producer: Dan Kitchen

Additional Programming: David Parrot, David Romig, Jr., Jessica Raiten

Creative Director: Joseph Sutton

Lead Programmer: Paul Mazurek

Additional Art: Adam Hreha ~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

In an era when videogame characters were either block-shaped vehicles or bizarre creatures whose curious shapes were not representative of any real beast, Q*bert took the cake for perhaps the strangest of game heroes. With his squat little body, long orange snout, and penchant for talking like the saltiest of sailors, Q*bert was a weird little guy, but not so weird in the context of his cubist world, where rainbow disks shuttled him about and purple snakes prowled around after him as he struggled to change the surface of those pyramids from one color to another. Q*bert comes from a day when gaming was more of a twitch experience, and now, like many of his predecessors, he's been brought into the present with the full 3D treatment. This, of course, begs the question: was it really worth it for Q*bert?

And the answer to that pointed little question? Sure, why not. Q*bert's gameplay was simplistic, but it also rang as a timeless homage to the wonders of jumping. No, wait, that was Frogger. Q*bert was about changing the color of cubes, which, when you think about it, is much the same thing. The original game, released in the hazy, smoke-filled arcade days of 1982, was pseudo 3D, so it is no surprise that it now translates to the third dimension quite nicely. The perspective is similar, and anyone who's ever played Q*bert will find it immediately familiar. Unlike other updated classics, Q*bert stays very close to its original roots. Too often, other games miss the mark with supposedly new, improved gameplay. But by holding to nearly the same eighteen-year-old style, mixed with some modern trappings, Q*bert manages to be both fresh and nostalgic at the same time.

There is, of course, the Classic mode, which isn't exactly the original game, but an accurate 3D representation of its tried and true formula. And while memory lane is always sweet for a while, one often comes to realize that they needn't spend too much time upon it. To that end, the Adventure mode works out quite nicely, bringing the same essential basics to the table and then adding generous dollops of twisted new level designs, nasty monsters, and nifty power-ups. Even as you progress through the different zones, the action is fast, furious, and occasionally maddening, but it rarely crosses over into the realm of tedium. It's frustrating, perhaps, but not tedious.

The Adventure mode is fairly lengthy, with multiple game zones that unfold with new and slightly progressive challenges. It will keep those who enjoy the gameplay busy for a while, and when you throw in a two-player competitive mode, you have a recipe for good times that blend the old with the new.

The game's graphics aren't exactly brilliant, but then, they don't need to be. They are colorful and crisp, an exercise in simplicity that works for the retro-modern nature of the title. Likewise, sound is scaled back and simple, with the most colorful noises uttered by poor Q*bert himself, whenever he meets an unfortunate end at the hands of one of the many in-game enemies. Q*bert doesn't look or sound great, but that never really detracts from the experience.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the game is the perspective and control. Especially in the later stages, when the levels get bigger and more abstract in design, the control becomes tricky on the control pad, as Q*bert doesn't move in the direction you push on screen, but rather in the direction relative to him. Add to that the fact you sometimes can't tell if you're jumping on a cube or off of the game board, and you have a needlessly high frustration factor.

In the end, Q*bert can't compete as an exciting, new experience. Rather, it is a very pleasant diversion that does not offend, especially in short bursts. There isn't a lot of substance to the game, but it serves the original classic well, and is a great title for those with fond Q*bert memories. And we know there must be a couple of them left. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Simple but crisp, Q*bert's graphics are inoffensive and colorful, certainly not pushing any boundaries but still paying decent 3D homage to the original. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Very little variety in music and sound effects, but again, the simplicity of the design is not really a detraction, although it probably could have stood to have a more pleasing and complicated aesthetic design. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

The game is best digested in small amounts, as any extended play will show its weaknesses and relative shallowness. But it is a game that allows for short bursts, time and time again. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The manual is just fine, but it's sort of hard to explain Q*bert in a textual setting. Seriously. Come on, try it! ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide