Zoom!

[Melf]

The Genesis launch had a pretty good line up of games that tried to cover as wide a range of genres as possible. Zoom! made a valiant attempt to fill the maze game niche, and while it demonstrated some serious potential, it was ultimately undone by repetitive gameplay and extreme simplicity. Our full review (http://www.sega-16.com/2007/02/zoom/) tells all.

[CRV]

This was a port of a computer game, BTW.

[Rusty Venture]

Go home boy!

Or at least I think thats what he says. I've always wondered why this game and "Toejam & Earl" has clear voice samples while a lot of other games didn't.

[Benjamin]

I like Zoom except when the sprites make it difficult to see what line they're on off in the distance or obscure other enemy sprites. I always mix up this game's title with Zool.

[Mr Smith]

Zoom is an average game and a 5 is all its worth. Good review.

[David J.]

I like this game, but I'm not huge on it.

Funny fact. I bought this used, at a second hand shop, and it was sold by EB games before I got it from the store I usually get most of my Genesis games from, and it was in mint condition. Very odd, as most 16bit games ever sold there where almost always in crap condition.

[CRV]

Go home boy!

Or at least I think thats what he says.

It's "Come On, Boy!" The sample is named "Come On" in the "Music Mode" (which can be accessed through the secret debug menu).

[Jesse813]

Don't care what he's saying this game totally sucks! :yuck:

[goldenband]

I know there's a second, more difficult loop after you beat this game the first time. Is there a third, even more difficult loop, or does the difficulty increase stop with two loops? I'd like to beat the second loop, but want to know what I'm in for before I take it on.

Not the greatest game -- like the reviewer, I beat the first loop on my first try, with plenty of margin -- but at least it's vaguely relaxing.

[St Louie Bee]

Not a bad game, but not really much fun to play either. I have owned the game since it first came out, played it a bunch of times, but never finished. Not because of the difficulty, just because it is so boring.

Good review!

[Aarzak]

Seems like the gaming media BITD agreed with you guys.....I think this was the worst-rated first-gen Genesis game going by EGM's review of it. Yet the little Zoom! guy was still part of the Sega Genesis cavalry along with Ax Battler, Joe Musashi, Arthur, and Unknown Soldier from "Forgotten Worlds" against the "Legendary Axe" guy and his TG-16 forces in the legendary EGM #8 cover!:
4017

[goldenband]

I know there's a second, more difficult loop after you beat this game the first time. Is there a third, even more difficult loop, or does the difficulty increase stop with two loops? I'd like to beat the second loop, but want to know what I'm in for before I take it on.

Not the greatest game -- like the reviewer, I beat the first loop on my first try, with plenty of margin -- but at least it's vaguely relaxing.

For the record, I finally played through the second loop (which was only a little bit tougher than the first -- I was able to 1cc the whole thing easily), and got the same ending as after the first loop. The third loop starts out with the same board shape & enemies that you get when you first start the game, so I'd say that's it.

Also, I think I'm willing to downgrade my stance from "not the greatest...but vaguely relaxing" to "no, this is just a lousy game". I guess it might have some value for little kids, and I haven't tried the 2-player mode, but there's just hardly anything to it. Thanks to all the extra lives you get, it's a super-easy game, and yet it manages to be aggravating since the awkward perspective, and the heat-seeking enemies, make it frustrating to build high-scoring chains.