How the hell this cruddy game ever came into my possession as a child, I will never know. I can say for damn sure I never asked for it. I'm pretty confident my mom found it in some sort of Blockbuster discount bin and figured it would make a good cheap gift at the time. Revolution X was one of those many weird, obscure licensed games that would get churned out back in the 90s, so it's not really all that unique; but it is still a bit of an oddity, and I can't help but wonder why in the hell did this game ever even get created, and how in the world did it become associated with Aerosmith?? I know I could probably find out with a simple Google search, but I'd rather it remain a comedic mystery for me. Other than the chuckle I get from thinking about Revolution X, I can't help but feel disappointed that I spent any time amount of time playing this when there are so many heralded Genesis titles that I missed out on at the time.
Played on June 19th, 2023
Cleared on July 7th, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 17/160)
Revolution X is an Arcade On-Rail shooter where you go on a mission to lead the Revolution against the New Order and rescue... The Aerosmith band...
Honestly, I'm not really sure what Aerosmith and On-Rail Shooter have to do with each other. Is there some kind of in-joke that I'm not getting? I've heard a few Aerosmith songs; I'm sure you have without even realizing it, but I haven't actively looked into the band itself.
The game is good pick for an arcade round. As an on-rail shooter, there's nothing particularly out of the ordinary here. You just shoot what you can. Shoot glass to collect CDs, shoot enemies, fling CDs at enemies for an extra projectile, and shoot hostages to free them somehow.
What makes this game really stand out is the aesthetic. The game takes place in a dystopian future where this tyrannical school teacher has taken over the world and had kidnapped Aerosmith, and it's up to you to save them. And this game has you doing wild things like shooting a slime monster to prevent mind control, shooting a school bus to save kids from being reprogrammed, and just shooting a bunch of roller skate weirdos in masks. It's bizarre.
If I have to guess why it's the way it is, it's because of the time period it came from. The 90s, from what I hear, is the era where the kid/teen rebellion was a major trend, so the idea of making a shooter game that paints the teacher as the bad guy while saving a band they most likely listen to, as ridiculous as it may sound, did appeal to that trend and from what I've researched, it was a critical and commercial success... well, the Arcade version is, anyway.
Now I don't have access to the Arcade version and have only played the Genesis version so far, but I'll just say that if you can access the Arcade version, it would be the ideal version because of the visuals and music, and with the emulator, you can have as many chances as you need compared to the console versions forcing only 20 chances. But the Genesis isn't terrible. Granted, the d-pad/joystick aiming can be seen as detrimental, but given the game released at all on the system, it is possible to beat the game.
July 7th Update: Well, even for somebody like me, it actually is do-able. Once you realize what's at stake, start actively shooting glass to find shields and health pick-ups, and spam CDs at the enemy, you can play a lot better and be able to conserve your continues to be able to take on the final boss. Even though you would still die on occasions, the fact that it doesn't feel impossible is enough to bump it up in score from 3 stars to 3.5.
Cleared on July 7th, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 17/160)
Revolution X is an Arcade On-Rail shooter where you go on a mission to lead the Revolution against the New Order and rescue... The Aerosmith band...
Honestly, I'm not really sure what Aerosmith and On-Rail Shooter have to do with each other. Is there some kind of in-joke that I'm not getting? I've heard a few Aerosmith songs; I'm sure you have without even realizing it, but I haven't actively looked into the band itself.
The game is good pick for an arcade round. As an on-rail shooter, there's nothing particularly out of the ordinary here. You just shoot what you can. Shoot glass to collect CDs, shoot enemies, fling CDs at enemies for an extra projectile, and shoot hostages to free them somehow.
What makes this game really stand out is the aesthetic. The game takes place in a dystopian future where this tyrannical school teacher has taken over the world and had kidnapped Aerosmith, and it's up to you to save them. And this game has you doing wild things like shooting a slime monster to prevent mind control, shooting a school bus to save kids from being reprogrammed, and just shooting a bunch of roller skate weirdos in masks. It's bizarre.
If I have to guess why it's the way it is, it's because of the time period it came from. The 90s, from what I hear, is the era where the kid/teen rebellion was a major trend, so the idea of making a shooter game that paints the teacher as the bad guy while saving a band they most likely listen to, as ridiculous as it may sound, did appeal to that trend and from what I've researched, it was a critical and commercial success... well, the Arcade version is, anyway.
Now I don't have access to the Arcade version and have only played the Genesis version so far, but I'll just say that if you can access the Arcade version, it would be the ideal version because of the visuals and music, and with the emulator, you can have as many chances as you need compared to the console versions forcing only 20 chances. But the Genesis isn't terrible. Granted, the d-pad/joystick aiming can be seen as detrimental, but given the game released at all on the system, it is possible to beat the game.
July 7th Update: Well, even for somebody like me, it actually is do-able. Once you realize what's at stake, start actively shooting glass to find shields and health pick-ups, and spam CDs at the enemy, you can play a lot better and be able to conserve your continues to be able to take on the final boss. Even though you would still die on occasions, the fact that it doesn't feel impossible is enough to bump it up in score from 3 stars to 3.5.
Although I can appreciate aspects of this game, it was overall just kinda weird and boring. Funny concept, though.
Imagine getting the ransom note that says "give us a billion dollars or you'll never see Aerosmith again" and thinking for even a second that that's a bad thing
I'll admit that I have enjoyed the novelty of Aerosmith and their music being in this game, but at the same time, I also realize that it's an objectively bad game, especially on the Genesis where it lacks the sprite scaling and light gun support of the original. The lack of variety in the enemies and HP sponges of bosses also don't help matters.
D
D
Beat this with a friend in an arcade in Disney World, of all places, with a machine set to free play. It's a ludicrous game and not even up to the standards of the best arcade shooters, but we had a great time, at least.
If it wasn't for the Aerosmith this game is just Duke Nukem the light-gun experience. And I mean that as a full compliment. It's cheesy to the point of near unbelievability, the bosses are bullet sponges while the enemies are comically weak canon fodder, and everything is either horny, "radical", or gory. It was an absolute blast, I just hate Aerosmith SO much.
Aerosmith sucks
Not sure why this game's rating is so slow. Playing this game in the arcade was a highlight. I'm sure it suffered on consoles though, as all railshooters did.
This game doesn't deserve an average rating this low because it is a genuinely fun cheesy blast, at least on the original arcade version. I remember when my cousin and I first played this years ago when we were kids with no prior knowledge of its existence on a cab that a random hotel had and we fell in love with it, laughing our asses off until we beat it.
What other game lets you use THE POWER OF MUSIC (YEAH!) and exploding CDs to save Aerosmith from multi-colored ninjas, mutant worm monsters, and a dude who's office desk transforms into a hovercraft? None other, that's what.
It's definitely not perfect, but if you want to have sheer dumb fun with a friend, then look no further.
What other game lets you use THE POWER OF MUSIC (YEAH!) and exploding CDs to save Aerosmith from multi-colored ninjas, mutant worm monsters, and a dude who's office desk transforms into a hovercraft? None other, that's what.
It's definitely not perfect, but if you want to have sheer dumb fun with a friend, then look no further.
Vividly imagining a sickly Tiny TIm-esque child in 1995 slowly withering away due to a terrible illness who goes to the arcade every month with his loving father to play this game. They're too poor to finish it by just feeding it quarters but this kid is absolutely obsessed with Aerosmith, and so every week the father and son team up to stop The New Order from re-educating the nation's youth by going through shitty gimmick level after shitty gimmick level, each time getting closer and closer to the end. The love of Aerosmith in the heart of this ill little tyke is pushing them on, he desperately wants to save them from the clutches of the evil leather conformity witch. Eventually the family gets bad news. It's not looking good. He's got a month left to live at most. His final wish is to beat Revolution X. One last trip to the arcade, the father sparing no expense. They've been training for this for over a year. They blast through all 5 action-packed levels, and during the final boss fight, down to their last continue, the father gets KO'd and it's up to this little boy to save the day. He pulls a huge clutch, firing every CD he has into the final boss until it finally screams out in pain and explodes. In that moment, the screen fades to black, and rainbow text pops up, announcing that they've won... but Aerosmith will NOT be performing for them, because they failed to collect the 4 Aerosmith Gems hidden throughout the game. The boy bursts into tears. They have no more quarters, and no more time.
anyway uhhh I did not care for it but it was cheesy and lots of fun to play through with a friend at a pay-by-the-hour arcade with infinite continues!
anyway uhhh I did not care for it but it was cheesy and lots of fun to play through with a friend at a pay-by-the-hour arcade with infinite continues!
Never did save Aerosmith.