| Platform Reviewed | Sega Saturn |
| Genre | 3D Arcade Platform Game |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| Multiplayer Value | None |
| Length | Long |
| Difficulty | Moderate to Hard |
| Skills Required | Hand-Eye Coordination |
| Interface Devices | Sega Saturn Joypad |
| Interface Design | Excellent |
| Programming | Excellent |
| Game Design and Playability | Good, but somewhat repetitive |
| Type Of Fun | Walk, Jump, Collect, and Spit. |
| Replay Value | Low |
| Overall Value | High |
| Quality | High |
| The Best | Essentially a 3D Sonic or Mario. Good Vocal Effects. Unique game viewpoint. Interesting Boss fights. Twisty M.C. Escher-like levels. |
| The Worst | Can be repetitive. Can only save at the end of a World, World levels are very long and sometimes difficult. |
| How much would I be willing to pay for this | 45 Bucks |
Description:
Bug! Is essentially a 3D Sonic The Hedgehog or Mario starring an insect in the title role. Game play consists of jumping on enemies, spitting on them, and leaping from place to place, riding bubbles or jumping on springs, and collecting gems and powerups. Boss fights complete each game World.
Story:
Bug, a cartoon insect movie star, must complete his latest picture. The plot revolves around a black widow spider named Queen Cadavra, who has stolen away Bug's entire village of insects, it is up to the clownish Bug to save the town and whup the Queen.
Review:
Bug! Is a mixed bag. On one hand, a marvelous 3D viewpoint, unique to the genre is used, excellent use of voice and some clever level designs, combined with amazing Boss fights, make Bug! a playable wonderment. On the other hand, the inability to save at any level makes play tedious, and not all levels are clever, so that the annoyance of repetition sets in.
Bug! Is a blend of brilliance and boredom, and with a little more effort, could have been truly great. As my faithful readers have come to know, missing greatness by a small margin tends to gall me. So often all that separates a classic from obscurity is a few extra weeks of design or effort.
The greatest failing of Bug! is simply that it starts out stunningly wonderful, but becomes routine. The levels are slightly too large, and the ability to save the game is too rare. The levels tend to repeat basic puzzles too often in new guises. This combination of flaws, keeps Bug! From the acclaim I wish I could give it. Bug! Is a good game, nearly great….and it is a shame that such greatness was not actually reached.
I can recommend Bug!, with the caveats previously mentioned. It is amazing, and very fun, to a point. But, alas, tedium does set in after a while. Close, but not quite perfect. Definitely worth it on budget, snatch it up at once! At full price, well, think twice - probably worth it, but consider if there is something you might want more, first.
Mostly Recommended.
Jennifer Diane Reitz is a Game Designer and Computer Artist, and one of the founders of Happy Puppy. She is the creator of numerous games and software products, including Boppin' , Shark Chums, Elsewhere, and many others. She has worked for such companies as Activision, Sculptured Software, Epyx, SRI, and Electronic Arts, and founded Accursed Toys. She has been active in the computer gaming industry since it's earliest days. She considers games to be works of artistic merit and achievement, and views computer entertainment as the most important media of our era.