Demolition Man  is a pair of action video games based on the film of the same name. Acclaim Entertainment published the 16-bit version, which features run and gun gameplay, for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Virgin Interactive released a completely different game for the 3DO that combined several distinct gameplay styles. In both games, the player controls John Spartan, the main character from the film, as he attempts to find and defeat his nemesis, Simon Phoenix.

SNES, Sega Genesis

The first level is displayed in side view platform type, the health bar is displayed in the bottom left. John Spartan enters the stage by jumping with a cable from a helicopter, a scene taken from the movie

The 16-bit game is primarily a platform game, with two overhead top-down shooter segments; in either gameplay type the player character can fire in eight directions. Stages are filled with many enemies, mostly gunmen. Enemy characters and the player character can take a number of hits before dying. Power ups can be found around the stages that increase the characters health or ammunition. The game gives the player limited continues and very few lives. The first stage is set in 1996 and all stages after in 2032, following a simplified plot of the movie. In the two overhead view stages the player must find and rescue hostages in order to unlock doors elsewhere in the level.

Reception

Reviewing the Genesis version, Scary Larry of GamePro found some problems with the game, in particular the generally “dreary, dark” graphics, but found it overall effective in every respect. He described it as “the kind of game that brings a smile to the faces of 16-bit vets who appreciate a good solid platform/action game.”^[1] Captain Squideo reviewed the Super NES version for GamePro, and commented that it “parallels the recent Genesis game: it’s fast, fun, and explosive.” He remarked that though veteran gamers may find the game too simplistic, it is intense and fun overall, and that unlike the Genesis version the graphics are colorful and effectively convey the postapocalyptic settings.^[2]

Entertainment Weekly gave the game an A.^[3]

Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that “Ultimately Demolition Man is another Acclaim movie game, and if you own one, there’s no need for any of the others.”^[4]

Reception

GamePro gave the game a positive review. While they criticized the fighting game sections for the delayed attacks and limited number of moves, they overall approved of the variety of gameplay styles and applauded the digitized graphics, high quality audio, and the realism invoked by the game’s deep level of detail.^[10]

Next Generation rated it two stars out of five, and stated that “if any of the individual stages were crafted very well it might have worked. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”^[11]

The game received the 1994 “Movie Translation Game of the Year” Award from Die Hard Game Fan magazine.^[12]

References

1. ^ “ProReview: Demolition Man”. GamePro. No. 85. IDG. October 1995. p. 58.
2. ^ “ProReview: Demolition Man”. GamePro. No. 86. IDG. November 1995. p. 90.
3. ^ “Demolition Man”. EW.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
4. ^ “Finals”. Next Generation. No. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. p. 102.
5. ^ “Demolition Man”. GamePro. No. 76. IDG. January 1995. p. 192.