ESWAT: City Under Siege Review

This was one of the first games I ever loaded into my Megadrive and it still sticks in my memory as one of the best action platformers for the machine.

Although it isn't a conversion of the arcade game of the same name (neither was the Master System version, strangely), Megadrive ESWAT still provides a healthy dose of challenge. In fact, I don't recall ever completing it - some of the later levels are incredibly hard, so if you're after a game that will keep you busy then this is worth considering!

ESWAT is a bit of a slow starter - you don't get the all-singing, all-dancing 'Enhanced Special Weapons And Tactics' armour until you're a few levels in - but once it does get going there's plenty of action. The range of weapons available when in ESWAT mode is amazing. Graphically the sprites are nicely drawn (if a little small) and some of the end of level bosses are quite impressive (considering the age of the title). The music is also of a high standard, and let's not forget the sampled speech; it may sound terrible today but back when the game was originally released it simply blew me away!

While it doesn't promise the same frantic carnage of VC stable mates like Gunstar Heroes or Contra III/Probotector, ESWAT is still a very enjoyable title. It's a bit more sedate and laid back and is certainly an improvement over the aforementioned arcade original. Sega fans will want to check this out, as will lovers of platform action titles - everyone else might find it a little dry and unexciting when placed side-by-side with some of the more popular shooters currently available on the VC.