Suggested Play #1 Comix Zone

Abman's Suggested Play #1


Comix Zone for the Sega Genesis


Hi, first of all thanks for looking into a reading my article. I have decided to start my Abman's Suggested play's here on Retro Junk. This is not weekly or anything. Just when I feel like writing about a game I just write. Who knows I might write two in one week or maybe one a month. Well anyway hope you enjoy Abman's Suggested Play!

The Comix Zone is without a doubt one of my favorite Genesis games. It was not a deep Genesis game either. Actually the game only a few moves you can pull off. A strait punch, a uppercut, and a flying kick. Of course you could make some pretty cool combos out of these. The game has a basic, but very fun combo system. Also those are not the only moves you can pull off. You can also hang from pipes and kick other things hanging on the pipes or kick downward. Pipes and other things you can hang on added strategy to the games rather basic combo system. Also if you hold the punch button you can make a paper air plane and throw it. This is like a special move and really hurts your opponents. But your health drains when you make it so you should not try that often.

Another thing the game used to enhance the fighting system was items. These include a knife, a bomb, a health drink, and even your pet rat. Items don't appear very often in the game but when they do they are a real help. You can only carry three items at a time so you will have to choose carefully what you need and don't need.




The plot line is pretty odd and simple but pretty interesting. You are Sketch Turner. You are a comic book creator. While you are working on one of you comics a mysterious person, or what ever he is forces you into your own comic. You must find a way to escape you comic. Because if you would die in your comic the being would receive a body and be able unleash terror into the real world.

There is one thing that separates Comix Zone from the rest of the 2-D fighter crowd and that is the style. Yes it really does look like you are in a comic book. Everything down to the smallest detail looks like a part to the comic book. You jump from frame to frame fighting the monsters of the comic. Also all voices are done is speech bubbles. While you are beating the crap out of a monster you can actually read the trash talk that Sketch is saying. Things like that make you feel like you are in the comic. There are other things like that. Such as, sometimes when you drop down from one panel it will say, "and suddenly." in a little bar in the top corner. Just like in a comic.

Another thing about the game is the challenge it provides. You have one life to complete the whole chapter. If you die once you have to start all over again. This can get frustrating when you are in the later levels. The best thing to do is always try to keep a health drink in your inventory. The game is not super long so it is not that big of deal even if you have to start over a lot. If you die twice on the same chapter you have to start the game over again.



Even though it is not much, the music is also good. Comix Zone has probably my favorite menu theme of all time. I use to put the cartridge into my Genesis just so I could hear the menu theme for a little while. All the music in the game is nice and solid though.

The Comix Zone actually has good replay value. Most of the replay value comes from alternate paths. Sometimes when you get past one room two arrows will appear. For example one could be pointing down or one could be pointing right. If you choose to go right you will be taken to a different set of panels. Same thing goes for if you go down. Each page of the comic book has different ways you can go. So you can play through the game a few times looking for all the paths.

The Comix Zone is above the average 2-D side scrolling beat em' up. Because of the style and solid gameplay. I would highly recommend any Genesis owner to check out Comix Zone. I am so glad that I got another copy of the game just today. I played it a good bit when I was a kid and it was great re-living the memories. Also I am a fan of comic books so that just makes the Comix Zone even neater to me.