Considering it's one of the older games for Sega's Megadrive, it would be foolish to expect this to be a 'must have' title on the Virtual Console. However Altered Beast has a charm that few other games have. The speech is priceless, who could forget the first time they heard the immortal words: "Wise Fwom Your Gwave"?
Playing as a Roman centurion who has been brought back from the dead in order to save the daughter of Zeus, you toddle along in a rather camp fashion kicking zombies in the shins (ouch!) and picking up orbs which turn your character into a Schwarzenegger-like muscleman (POWER-UP!). When you collect the third orb you morph into the 'Altered Beast', which is a Werewolf, dragon, bear or tiger depending on what stage you are on. When in this transformed state you are able to take on the evil end of level boss.
Although the gameplay is pretty basic, it's fun while it lasts - which isn't very long, to be perfectly honest. Even a gamer of average skill should be able to complete this in the space of a day or two. The levels, depending on how quickly you morph you character, aren’t really all that long and there are only five levels total. Once you play through it, there really isn’t much more incentive to go back and play it again. Two players can play simultaeously but it is likely your friend will not thank you for putting them through this!
Nostalgia is the only reason to bother with Altered Beast nowadays. It is hard to recommend it for 800 points with some many better alternatives currently on the Virtual Console. Newcomers beware. It’s a perfect arcade conversion of a game well past its sell-by date and only hardcore Sega fans really need bother with this!
1. Mr flibble
19 Feb 2007, 18:25 GMT
Can I be the first to say "WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE!"? teehee
2. mini_stephen
19 Feb 2007, 21:55 GMT
Aw man I loved this game, it was the first game I got along with Sonic. Yeh it's dated pretty badly but there isn't another game like it!
POWER UP!
3. The Pirate of Men's Pants
20 Feb 2007, 15:30 GMT
HAHA! This game is so crap it's awesome. Did anyone have the misfortune of playing the recent PS2 version? The fools took the only thing that made the original good - the setting - and placed it in the present day. D'oh!
4. Baldasacoot
26 Feb 2007, 15:10 GMT
This game has always been slagged off and I can see why, but for some reason I love it.
I think it's probably because the idea behind the game was fresh at the time of its creation: collect globes and you're rewarded by transformation into a beast with enhanced capabilities which allow you to defeat the boss guy. This concept has been used since in games like Bloody Roar (PS1). Mind you, I hated that!
A good concept that admittedly could have been executed more effectively. The controls could have been a little more responsive and maybe more varied and longer levels added. This does however remain a great nostalgia kick if you loved it originally. An accurate arcade conversion for the Megadrive too.
5. vi1k1o1
06 Mar 2007, 08:59 GMT
this rocked when younger playing at the coin-up arcade !!
6. DEMON212
07 Mar 2007, 21:17 GMT
Loved this and had fond memories of it. Then I got it on the VC.
Awful game but great to play with the mate you played it with all those years ago
So if you and your mate used to like it, get it. If not, stay clear.
7. Squidzz
14 Mar 2007, 15:56 GMT
This game should only be played using mame. The Original Arcade version is way better. Though after my mom gave away my NES back in the day, I did get a Genesis for Christmas and it came with Altered Beast and it was pretty cool at the time. Now, not so much. Laterz
8. Mr 64
19 Apr 2007, 17:18 GMT
Good grief, how this game has dated! Not only are the graphics and sound (bar the infamous sampled speech) ropey in the extreme, but the game is also incredibly repetitive. Basically all you do is press right and tap a button over and over again. The game is also played at the most plodding pace you could ever imagine - though that might be partly to do with the fact I'm used to the PAL version.
I personally can't believe that someone told this game to 'rise from your grave' as it's absolutely dreadful!
9. PresidentLeever
21 Apr 2007, 23:53 GMT
Heh, I actually kinda like it, somewhat. The atmosphere is pretty cool and I love the music. Well it's the nostalgia talking..
10. Locke
08 Jul 2007, 19:39 GMT
This game is getting abused and needs some tender love and care (2 Stars!?). When I was a kid, there was nothing that I wanted to do more than collect magical orbs and transform into assorted wild beasts, and when I first played Altered Beast, I knew true love. Time has not been as good to this title as my memory has, but If you loved it back then, its worth the points. Mabye not a timeless classic, but a classic title for sure.
11. Guilherme
12 Jul 2007, 04:51 GMT
I still have the cartridge. Many of us will feel nostalgic as this was the first Mega Drive game for many people, because it was bundled with the system. Stay away from it if you never played it before, and if you played this game long ago and don't remember it as a bad game, well, your memory is deceiving you. It sucks.
12. sashaboo
27 Jul 2007, 21:19 GMT
I downloaded it cos i thought it would be fun because i remember playing it on an arcade when i was a kid and thought it was great. How times have changed. When i started playing it i soon realized OH NO this is awful. Its so crap i was gutted i spent my 800 wii points on it.
13. street fighter ii
29 Jul 2007, 13:44 GMT
I remember the first IMPRESSIVE boss, Altered Beast is one of my first Sega Megadrive game that I get when I was child.
This Sega Megadrive game is also a good arcade conversion.
14. tim
12 Aug 2007, 09:58 GMT
omg this game is awesome. i still play it on the time. how can people say it sucked. i loved this game so very much. one of the best sega games there is.
15. Driveshaft
12 Aug 2007, 23:32 GMT
I don't know whether to get this or not. I used to love this game, but I don't imagine it has dated very well.
16. John Hood
15 Aug 2007, 01:32 GMT
This game evokes fond memories of owning a Mega Drive in Christmas 1990!
17. Ken
13 Oct 2007, 05:57 GMT
I loved this game. Game play - no, graphics - no, enjoyment - no. I loved it for the fact that you put this game in the Sega, turned it on, then put in another game like Rambo III and you had unlimited lives. Too bad you can do something like that on the VC.
18. Lazergun
29 Oct 2007, 17:40 GMT
Easy game that is worth the scratch just to hear the guy say "Power Up"!
19. Louise
31 Oct 2007, 17:30 GMT
I love this game. I have very fond memories of Rise fwom your gwave!
It's super, I'm trying to track it down on MD again!
20. deggs
18 Nov 2007, 09:49 GMT
haha, yeah this is soooooooo christmas 1990... me and all the other spoiled brats in my neighborhood got a genesis before everyone else. it was an amazing game at the time. this, forgotten worlds, ghouls and ghosts, thunder force 2 and super hang on were some amazing games back in the early days of genesis. i'd play these things for hours. i just remember being shocked at mow much better everything looked compared to the oldschool nes games i owned. i love that "power up" at the time (i was a kid and easily amused)... anyone remember that cheesy rave track that sampled that? so cheeeeeeeze... the memories...
21. Elk810
30 Dec 2007, 06:38 GMT
I had this on the Sega Smash Pack for Windows. It's actually very boring. You ever read the review for China Warrior on TurboGrafx-16? Cause this game is just like that one. It's too basic a beat-um-up game. Walk forward and never stop, punch the bad guys before they get too close, grab the power ups to Upgrade U (Incidently, that's one of Beyonce's better songs), beat the boss, then go back to your first form and repeat. There's almost no motivation in this. It's a miracle the Genesis survived with this as a launch title.
22. DEMON212
21 Jan 2008, 01:31 GMT
Single I think deserves the 2. But Multi it needs a 3 IMTHO.
23. Tony
31 Jan 2008, 20:41 GMT
The bosses look cool. I have never played this game, but I remember seeing lines for it at the old mall arcade.
24. taj
27 Feb 2008, 23:24 GMT
The arcade version has better graphics and the shortness of the game makes it better for the arcade.
25. Mikaro
06 Apr 2008, 18:30 GMT
This game is cool. Its funny and simple. Controls and graphics are bad but I like the music. "Power Up", "Welcome to your doom" and "Rise from your grave" are legendary. Game is pretty hard too. Bear Form is scary, Dragon Form is unstoppable, Wolf Form is cool and Tiger Form is...bad. I don't like it.
26. TRON
12 Apr 2008, 04:34 GMT
Time has not been kind to this fun game. It is simplistic, and kinda clunky now. The nostalgia is good, but only for so long...
27. rkolegends
13 Apr 2008, 22:12 GMT
It was a good game back in the old days as i still do own this game on the Sega Mega Drive but after playing it again i found it boring and way to slow. Not worth buying on the VC
28. Karma
20 Apr 2008, 04:07 GMT
Good call. I'm glad to see that nostaligia alone here isn't getting this a good review. Because sometimes a game deserves critical acclaim for it's accomplishments in the world of gaming.
Altered Beasts isn't one of them.
This game is famous for two things. First, for being initially bundled with the Genesis/Megadrive before Sonic The Hedgehog took over that honor. Second, for it's to-this-day hilariously bad audio clip. Quite possibly one of the few rare examples of SPOKEN Engrish in classic games as opposed to the usual written kind.
Gameplay? That area of remembrance is far out the window, and for good reason. This game stinks on ice.
It's a remarkable mess of poor design, and vastly less-than-thrilling re-playability. (That is being kind).This game is best known as having a reputation that has somehow, oddly enough caused the nostalgia factor alone to have drones of people who don't even PLAY Altered Beasts to defend it's craptastically awful gameplay based on nostalgia factor alone.
There are plenty of places online where this trash gets glorified reviews. Glad this isn't one of them.
It's seriously a bad game, and deserves to be forgotten.. or... at the very least relegated to the numerous "Top 10 most embarrassing games" lists and gaming articles.
29. Cally
15 Aug 2008, 10:34 GMT
Another game on the VC that I can't imagine anyone who's really familiar with would download. There are games we want to remember, and others forget about. 2/5
30. GotToGoBackInTime
15 Aug 2008, 19:10 GMT
Altered Beast was a great arcade game. It came with the Sega Genesis when the system came out in 1989 (that was the year I got the Genesis). The graphics & sound were unbelievable compared to the 8-bit games of the time. Thats why I think Sega gave it with the system to impress. Altered Beast may seem bad to people today, But it has it's place in history and is a Classic.
31. Shizzy
15 Aug 2008, 23:19 GMT
Great Arcade game, average video game....i enjoyed it though, very easy to beat....
32. Slionr
18 Aug 2008, 21:01 GMT
Who can forget the first time they heared "Wise fwom your gvave". This game is a classic game and fun to play, but when you got so many other games that lasts longer ( This game only lasts for 15 minutes or so ) its not shure if one should by it. If someone wants this game, they should at least have tried it or wants it as a genesis-collection. BUT if they are looking for a good 2-D sidescrolling beatem up, I would say go for Splatterhouse 2 instead
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