Welcome dudes and dudettes to another edition of 16-bit beach, where we look at the best and worst of the two greatest consoles of the 16-bit era. The Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo are staples of the 90’s, perhaps two of the most memorable names of that particular era. But when I think of other legendary names from the 90’s, two names come to mind with little effort. I’m of course talking about Beavis and Butt-Head. And, like any popular franchise, these two fartknockers also got their own video games on multiple consoles. Let’s see if they fared well on the console that does what Nintendon’t as we look at the Sega Genesis port of Beavis and Butt-Head.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1994
PUBLISHER: Viacom New Media
DEVELOPER: Radical Interactive
GENRE: Action Platformer
Remember when MTV was something special? A music network that helped define popular culture as well as define generations from the 80’s, 90’s, and beyond. You know, before it played little to no music videos, and became a dumping ground for awful reality programming that encouraged stuff like teen pregnancy and spoiled, ungrateful 16-year-olds.
By the 1990’s, MTV was starting to look for more variety in their programming, as well as trying to fit animation into the network. In 1989, they debuted Liquid Television, which featured a series of animated shorts from different animators. One that gained popularity in particular was Frog Baseball, a 1992 short from Mike Judge in which two chuckling teenage delinquents by the names of Beavis and Butt-Head would bash around a frog with a baseball bat
The popularity of the short would spin Beavis and Butt-Head off into their own animated series which premiered on March 8th, 1993 to massive success. However, despite the massive popularity of the show, it would constantly come under fire for supposedly promoting dangerous behavior, from the destructive nature of the duo, to an infamous situation involving Beavis’ uttering of “Fire! Fire!”, which was blamed for the death of a two year old in Moraine, Ohio, after a 5-year old burned down his family’s mobile home, supposedly influenced by Beavis’ catchphrase.
Still, the show was a success, and like all successes, there would inevitably be a licensed game or two based on it. There would be multiple games released on all major platforms in 1994, and every one of them would actually be something different. However, in the case of the Super Nintendo version, it would be a bland platformer. However, the Sega Genesis got a far different game altogether. Would it be good, or would it suck?
COVER STORY
The cover is kinda bland to be honest. Just Beavis and Butt-head in circles. It still works to attract anyone interested in buying the game, but it could honestly have had more effort put into it. Though I guess it’s honestly better than the Megadrive cover.
From its odd choice of pic for the duo, to the doodles that look like they were done on a paint program, with random stuff that mostly doesn’t even appear in the actual game. It looks cluttered in crap, and is an occasion where the more minimalist Genesis cover wins out in this comparison.
STORY
Beavis and Butt-head are watching TV, when they see an ad for an upcoming concert by the thrash metal band GWAR. The boys race to pick up a pair of tickets for the show. However, fate kicks them in the nads as Tom Anderson’s dog snatches the tickets and eats them. They get vomited back up, but before the boys can get the tickets back, they get shredded up by Anderson’s mower. It’s now up to Beavis and Butt-Head to search throughout Highland to find the missing ticket pieces.
GAMEPLAY
Beavis and Butt-head is a 1-2 player action platformer. You control both Beavis and Butt-head as you must travel through Highland finding the scattered pieces of your GWAR tickets. You move Beavis and Butthead with the d-pad, holding the A button will run, B will jump, and C will either use the weapon you currently have selected, or pick up any item you run into. You can switch between Beavis and Butt-head by pausing the game and pressing switch.
Since Beavis and Butt-head is a cartoon based around crude humor, it is only logical that the main attacks of our heroes be bodily functions. Beavis has a burp attack, which works the best in getting rid of enemies. However, Butt-head has a fart attack, which is a bit more annoying as you have to turn around first, then you can attack, often leaving you prone to be hit. As you advance in the game, you’ll find other items that can be used as weapons. A frog baseball bat, a spitball straw, and a toy dart gun. However, despite some cool items to use, the basic burp attack is the best in my opinion.
So, how do you get the tickets in the game? Well, unlike the SNES version, this isn’t just a start-to-finish style platformer. You’ll have to find certain items in each level that will help you advance further in getting the tickets needed. Everything from pants under your bed, to a rat in the dumpster behind Burger World. Once you find the right way to use certain items, you’ll be able to pick up a piece of ticket.
Beavis and Butt-head each have their own health bar, however, if one of them dies, it’s game over. Which can mean that you have to beat the game in one go. It’s not as impossible as it sounds though since you have plenty of health items like burritos and hot dogs present to restore your health. It doesn’t help that the hit detection is spotty at times when you attack though, and the jump in certain areas does seem like it fails to get you over a hazard perfectly. Despite that, it controls rather well.
So, since I’ve managed to beat this game, and know what items do what, I’ll do a quick walkthrough of the game to help you out.
Grab the remote and get in front of the couch to start selecting levels. Start on the street level, since it’s the hardest stage in the game honestly. Avoid Earl and the random skateboards and enter the sewer with the C button. Learn how to time your jumps in the sewer, and when you exit, grab the bird in the left before entering the junkyard. Grab the dart gun with either Beavis or Butt-head, and avoid rats, eagles, and spilled waste, while defeating Todd to make it to the end of the area, where you’ll grab a bone. Don’t bother with the boot. When you get back to the start of the level, go into Anderson’s front yard, and shoot him with the dart gun. Once he’s down, get the key, then throw the bone in front of his dog to get rid of it. Use the key to get in the shack, and take the chainsaw and fishing rod. Use the chainsaw on the tree, knocking it down, and grabbing the ticket piece. Then just exit from the start of the level.
Next up, go to Burger World, and grab the rat in the dumpster, as well as the straw if you want it. Before leaving the dumpster, grab the green burger, which will make Beavis and Butt-head sick, draining their health slowly. Get to the employee door of Burger World and press the numbers 28884323 (Butthead) to enter. Grab the fries, and drop the rat and the fries into the fryer. Take the rat-fries, and give them to Stewart’s dad, who’ll vomit them back up. Grab the ticket, exit the level, put your ticket pieces on the poster in your bedroom, and head to the hospital.
If you haven’t lost much health, you can just avoid the guards and get to the door. Enter the nurses office to get healed up, then grab the scissors on the medicine cabinet. Use the dart gun to get rid of the guy in front of the scooter, and steal it. You’ll be in a chase scene with the fat Texan guy. Drive the scooter to the end while avoiding the medical equipment that will slow down your scooter. If you go too slow, you’ll get squashed by the fat Texan, and it’s game over. Make it to the end, fall down the stairs, and grab the ticket piece from the beaten down fat guy before leaving the level.
Grab the pants, the bird, and the headphones, and head to Turbo Mall 2000, where there’s plenty of ticket pieces to nab. First, get to the pet shop, and grab the snake. Give it to the shop owner to have him wrap it up, and nab the key while he’s distracted. Grab the snake, and use the key on the bird cage to get a ticket. Next, grab motor oil from the auto parts store, and a bar of soap in the washroom of the yogurt store. Use them at the laundromat, and open all the washing machine doors. Use the oil on the last washer on the left for ticket piece 2. Sell the bird and headphones on the next floor, then enter the army recruit office. Take the bomb from the shelf, and scare the recruiter with the snake box. Grab the document on the desk, and the ticket piece under it. You can then get rid of the document, and leave the mall.
Grab the camera in your room after putting the ticket pieces on the poster. With three dollars from selling the items, you can enter the drive-in. Use the bomb at the refreshment stand, and head to the parking lot. You don’t really need the binoculars, but pick them up if the need be. Use the camera on the rocking van, and start running from the fat lady who chases you. Get into the refreshment stand, get her to slip on the soda, and take the ticket.
Last stage is Highland High school. Destroy earl every chance you get to recover your health. Enter the science class, and use Beavis’ burps on Coach Buzzcut to keep him down long enough to grab the A and B formulas, mixing them together. When you get to Van Driessen’s class, grab the gum under the desk. Then make it to the end of the area, and wait until the ticket piece falls on top of Principal McVicar, and use the formula to knock him out, taking the ticket piece.
So, now you’ve done every area you can enter, but you still don’t have the last piece. That’s where the fishing pole comes in, which is easily the most annoying part of the game. You need to have either super fast finger speed, a turbo button, or just a nice flat surface for easier button tapping. If you have the correct bait, you’ll grab a certain item. First, grab the pizza under the couch. Fish with it to grab the cat. Don’t bother with anything else in the couch. The Walkman just gets you Stuart, and the donut lands you a cop. So, take the gum, and fish for the last piece of ticket. go to the poster, and put it on. You’ll now have two tickets to nab for the Gwar concert.
There are two endings you can get in this game. First is going into the crowd if you enter through the normal entrance. Though if you want to be a bigger part of the action, once you pass the post, immediately throw the cat to get rid of the dog, or it’s an instant game over. If your health is high, you can try to run and jump past the security to the back door. Use the scissors on the rope, grab the bondage gear, and congrats. You’re a part of the GWAR concert for the best game ending.
GRAPHICS
This game has some excellent graphics for a Sega Genesis game. It uses the color palette to its fullest potential, never feeling dull in quality. The character sprites feel ripped right out of the cartoon, and the backgrounds all feel like they were taken directly from the cartoon as well. Nothing feels like it doesn’t belong, and really helps you feel like you’re playing as Beavis and Butt-head through their adventures in the town of Highland, Texas.
SOUND
I love the soundtrack to this game. A good mix of rock tracks, including a Genesis version of the GWAR song “Jack the World”, which I love, even if sounds like it’s a bunch of old disk drives making a song. Other areas like the pet shop, and the yogurt shop also have some creative songs that fit the comedic tone of the show as well, making for a soundtrack that never feels out of place. But what really makes this game awesome is the sound effects. Tons of laughing and quotes from Beavis and Butt-head themselves. It again is such a little thing in hindsight, but really helps add to the feel of the actual cartoon, and it works great.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I love this game. It captures the look and feel of the show, has solid controls, some great humor, and some interesting gameplay options considering that you need to use certain items in certain situations in order to succeed. You can tell that the developers at Radical Entertainment were fans of the show and wanted to do their best to bring the closest representation of the series to the Sega Genesis, compared to the awful SNES game that felt like any run of the mill platform title with Beavis and Butt-head thrown in. It just goes to show that if you give a license to a company that loves the product, and wants to do something epic with it, you can get some real classics. And Beavis and Butt-head for the Genesis is living proof. Definitely a highly recommended hidden gem on the Genesis.
RATING: Thumbs Up