Cadillacs and Dinosaurs - The Second Cataclysm for Sega CD

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Cadillacs and Dinosaurs - The Second Cataclysm

Not the Capcom beat-em-up

Genre: fmv - n/a

Publisher: Rocket Science Games

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

I've categorized this as an FMV game, but it's more like a visual comic book with gallery shooter segments that play like Sewer Shark in a car. There's slightly more interactivity than Sewer Shark since you control both the car and your aiming reticle with the d-pad. This is both a curse and a blessing, however. Your car takes damage when you hit things on the ground that can be shot, but you'll die if you run into solid obstacles like dinosaurs and fallen trees, so moving your car is generally the priority. This means that gameplay amounts to moving the reticle just in front of your car and low on screen to hit things just in front of you. Then you just have to mash the A button and steer every now and then. If that sounds monotonous, you absolutely should not play this game. There are a couple of other wrinkles, like the ability to hold A to fire a powered up shot, but there's honestly nothing much to do here. I wish I could give this a 0.5 on the gameplay side, since there is more interactivity than many FMV games, but I have to round up to 1.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

Zero level design whatsoever. I played the first three "stages" which were identical. There are half a dozen small obstacles that can all be shot with your gun. And then there are the dinosaurs, of which there are three kinds. Every now and then there's a branch in the road that gives you two options. Terrible

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

The setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth where humans have returned to the surface after living underground for 450 years. Dinosaurs inexplicably now roam the land. The plot is central to the game but makes absolutely no sense. There's no proper introduction to the protagonists or antagonists. The cutscenes between levels provide only visual clues about what is happening and they also don't line up with the in-game, jungle setting.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

90's comic book theme. The artwork itself is well done, but the cutscenes are single-frame images with a panning camera. I think you'd be better off reading the source comic books. The in-game graphics are grainy but colorful enough to see what's going on. If only there was more variety.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Unremarkable music which is drowned out by the constant sound effects of shooting and ambient jungle noises.

Overall Score: 20

Review ID: 12016