Platform: Sega Genesis

Developer: BlueSky Software

Publisher: Sega

Release Date (NA): November 15, 1996

Genre: Run n Gun, Platforming

Nerd Rating: 6 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry

If you didn’t catch my review of the original Vectorman game, then SHAME ON YOU! But, I forgive you (even though I shouldn’t). It’s not too late. You can catch that review right here: VECTORMAN! Vectorman 1, as I will call it here to help avoid confusion, received a solid Nerd Rating of 9 out of 10 with the biggest praise going to its ultra sharp graphics and killer gameplay. There are few instances in history where a follow-up effort can match or best the original, and one might wonder how the sequel stacks up. Guess what Baconeers… That’s why I’m here!

Released almost exactly 13 months after Vectorman 1, Vectorman 2 promised to deliver all the same thrills and excitement as the original backed by a pretty substantial marketing campaign. As a multi-business owner myself, I have a great deal of appreciation for creative marketing. The peeps at Sega put forth a solid promotional effort with a $25,000 purse in their “Play to Win” contest in which select cartridges came pre-loaded with a “YOU WIN” message upon completing the game. It’s a really fun and exciting way to hype up the masses and encourage cartridge sales! And Sega really needed as much support as they could get because at this point Sega was floundering a bit. The poor quality of the 32x put a bad taste in folk’s mouths, the Saturn wasn’t doing as hot as the PlayStation or the recently released Nintendo 64, and people were still awaiting a true next-gen Sonic game. So, as you can see, Sega needed some serious help!

I can’t seem to find much in the way of credible information on Vectorman 2‘s sales figures, but from my personal account, it was a popular title, to say the least. Although my nextdoor neighbor got a PlayStation pretty early, we still actively played the Genesis. I still remember chatting about Vectorman 2 on the school bus if that is any indicator! So, now that I’ve briefed you on some of the ancillary aspects of this action-platformer, let’s get into the in-game shit, um, er, stuff. Sorry kids, I gots a durty mouth sumtimes.

Generally when I write a game review I go through various details like graphics, sound effects, soundtrack, controls, and more. But I feel like that would be mostly pointless here because literally all of those things are mostly IDENTICAL to its precursor, Vectorman 1. The graphics are still strong and insanely gorgeous for a 4th gen system. The soundtrack is still appropriately gloomy, dark, and futuristic. The controls are still impressively sharp and perfectly tight. And the sound effects are still awesome (with the exception of a weird laser gunfire effect that sounds too much like it belongs in a 60’s sci-fi movie). So with that said, it sounds like the nerd rating on Vectorman 2 should mirror that of its precursor, no? Let’s figure out why I’m rating Vectorman 2 lower because that’s why I’m here.

I’m just going to cut to the chase, Vectorman 2 is an uninspired, frustrating, tedious, and pretty boring game. Yes, the stages are different, there are a few extra weapons, there’s some cool new features such as morphing into a scorpion, and there is more enemy variety than the original, but overall it feels like an extension of the same game. Some might find this to be a good thing. Afterall, I would have LOVED for Guns n’ Roses to release a follow-up to Appetite for Destruction that sounded EXACTLY like Appetite for Destruction! But instead we got GNR Lies and Use Your Illusion… But I digress. I prefer game sequels to have a familiar feel yet noticeably different experience. Vectorman 2 delivers familiarity in spades but totally lacks any real progression in the franchise’s short life and actually takes a step back in level design. Let’s talk about it – because again… THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. OPEN YOUR EARS.

The levels are solid for the most part but they feel totally uninspired and overall bland. One level in particular has you jumping across branches as you ascend a tree and dodge stupid enemies. What makes these enemies stupid? There are some that swoop down at you, and even if you kill them, they reappear once you come back to that area. One touch from an enemy is likely to make you fall off the branch and have to start the level all over again. Such a poor design. But that’s just one level (and possibly the worst in the game). Some levels might LOOK cool with neat animation and such, but make no mistake… The design is bland! Every level is a “point A to point B” design which grows old across 2o something levels. I could go on for days about this tedium, but I feel like you probably get the point.

Overall, Vectorman 2 is a punchless replication of its predecessor. Vectorman 1 was at least an exciting and mostly new experience. The sequel fails to deliver a new and exciting experience giving gamer’s practically no reason to invest their money in this game. While it does serve up a heaping scoop of what we would now refer to as “classic Vectorman” pre-rendered graphics, it also serves up a heaping scoop of boring monotony. I can’t knock Vectorman 2 entirely because technically the game is sound, but it just… just… *sigh*… At this point you probably know how I feel. Don’t invest too much money here, but for the retrogaming completionist collector, you obviously have to add this to your list. Just don’t expect to enjoy anything other than the gnarly box art.

Nerd Rating 6 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry