Developer: Probe Publisher: Sega Release: 1994 Genre: Rail Shooter
The Sega Menacer is among the least supported peripherals of all time. It is the epitome of a copycat as it was a clear attempt to one up the Super Scope 6. Unfortunately it lacks the library to do so with only a handful of titles supporting the stupid gun. Body Count received a lot of magazine coverage at the time and I was interested in it for a number of reasons. As a comic book fan the box art caught my eye immediately and looks cool. The screenshots paint a picture of a game that would not look out of place in the arcade too. But it was only on the Sega Channel in the US. Playing it now it has its good and bad points and overall I can see why Sega of America did not bother with a retail release.
The plot in Body Count is simple. Aliens have invaded Earth and as a lone soldier you decide to take the fight to the enemy. I remember Sega Visions magazine promoting the hell out of this game and it is easy to see why. The art is fantastic and the action quota is high. But the Menacer never caught on in the US so it was doomed to obscurity over here. It saw a full release in Europe however and is dirt cheap too. But for the hassle you would go through to get it to work on a US console it is not worth it.
Body Count offers a number of control options that make the game accessible to all players. Ideally you will use the Menacer as it is the most accurate. Surprisingly Body Count is compatible with the rare Mega Mouse which works almost as well as the Menacer. If none of these options are available the game works with a standard controller and is playable. Of course you trade accuracy and speed for convenience but it is perfectly manageable to beat the game with a Genesis pad. You will have a hell of a time doing so but it works.
As a rail shooter Body Count has more action than you can imagine. Waves of enemies come from all corners and never, ever let up. Body Count rivals and surpasses similar arcade games in terms of how many sprite based enemies it throws around. Normally this type of adrenaline soaked action would be a god send for the genre. But here it feels unbalanced. Your default machine gun is weak and not worth a damn meaning even the simplest enemies require multiple shots to kill. Considering you constantly face as many as 8 or 9 you can see how ridiculous it gets. The game gives you an abundance of grenades to even the odds but even that barely helps. When you pick up the temporary damage booster the game feels “right”. I will say this; at least you are resilient. But better gameplay balance would have made this exceptional.
Body Count is difficult as a result for all the reasons. There is rarely a moment when you are not taking gunfire. I was not joking about the hero’s resilience; it takes multiple hits before you start to lose a heart. The levels are long and your weak weapons mean the pacing is slow. It is especially noticeable during the long drawn out boss battles. As you slowly take them apart piece by piece you will wonder why no one noticed. Pray you have plenty of grenades. Whenever you are at full power you can see the game it could have been. But these moments are fleeting and you are left with a game that does not live up to its potential.
Part of what put Body Count on my radar was its presentation. Technically Body Count is nothing special; artistically it looks fantastic and every bit the late generation title it is. The art is slick with a comic book style and highly detailed. The game throws around a massive number of sprites and explosions and only slows down a little with minimal flicker. Large parts of the environment are destructible and leave bullet holes in its wake. Bosses are massive mechanical monstrosities that you take apart piece meal and look impressive which is apt as you are going to be staring at them for a while. I wish I could remember the music to comment on it but alas. I guess that speaks volumes as to its quality or lack thereof.
In Closing
My feelings on Body Count are mixed. As an action game it has more than you could possibly want. But it is also frustrating and a bit of a slog. Some tweaks to pacing and balance would go a long way toward making it live up to its potential. As it is Body Count is an interesting game that will not hold your attention long term.
