Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! (Game Gear review)

Developer: Interactive Designs

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1993

 

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! is a platform game that was originally released on the Sega Mega Drive in 1992.

 

The objective is to locate five pieces of the Surfboard of the Ancients to remove a cursed pendant that's stuck around your neck. Your main method of attack is a flying disc but special weapons can be found that include a Super Disc that seeks out enemies on its own and Umbrella Hats that make you invincible. There's no vine swinging here, and the pedal-copter and St. Vincent stages are absent. The action is your standard platforming fare but the controls are laggy and there's frequent slowdown, meaning Greendog never seems to fully respond to your inputs; this is no more apparent than when you're attempting some precision platforming and he refuses to react to your in-air fine-tuning! Annoyingly, your health bar is never displayed by default and the only way to see it is to press the Start button. The dreadful underwater stage is still present without being improved; here you have to deal with floaty jump mechanics and action that slows to a crawl. There's also tons of instant death traps and pipes that suck you up and send you backwards. To be fair, the game does mirror the original well in terms of level design and gameplay elements. For example, the temple skateboarding areas offer some decent extreme sports action as you dodge boulders and leap off ramps to avoid spike pits. Unfortunately, the later beach skateboarding areas are nightmarish as the crap controls make it too easy to bash into lampposts that bump you into pits, forcing you to restart the level. There's only one mundane boss that's repeated several times, and the game suddenly ends with no real resolution.

 

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! has some good ideas, as well as gameplay variety, but the laggy controls and rampant slowdown stop you from enjoying what could have been a fun platformer. These issues make it tough for all the wrong reasons and ultimately it's just not worth your time.

 

 

 

Random trivia: This Game Gear version was only released in North America and Brazil.

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! (Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Sega Technical Institute, Interactive Designs

Publisher: Sega of America

Released: 1992

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! is a platform game that was also ported to the Sega Game Gear in 1993.

The objective is to locate six pieces of the Surfboard of the Ancients that will remove a cursed pendant that's stuck around your neck. Your main method of attack is a flying disc you can throw at enemies but special weapons can be found that include a Super Disc that seeks out enemies on its own and Umbrella Hats that make you invincible. Most of the gameplay is typical platforming fare such as jumping on moving blocks and swinging on vines but it does have a bit of variety to keep things interesting. One area is reminiscent of Adventure Island (1988, NES) as you jump on a skateboard and use it to leap over spikes. Another stage sees you scuba diving but it has annoying vacuums that suck you up and send you back to the beginning of the level! In between stages you board a pedal-copter while punching birds and avoiding water. The controls are stiff and it feels like you're constantly battling against them as you try to line up a punch; thankfully these areas are short. There are a few bosses but they're anticlimactic as the music doesn't change and they all take on the same exact form. The last level has an area filled with rising and descending water and you must leap onto higher platforms to save yourself from drowning. Unfortunately it has no final boss battle and instead the game randomly ends and doesn't tie up loose ends! The experience is short with only six stages and it's also incredibly easy as you can take an inordinate amount of hits before you die. The music is awesome with bass heavy reggae tracks but while the graphics have smooth animation there's also some clipping.

 

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! is nothing you haven't seen before but the game has its moments and its main strength is its variety. The main problem is that it feels rushed and doesn't have the right level of content, polish or finesse to warrant repeated play-throughs.

 

 

Random trivia: Although the ending hints at a sequel it never actually materialised.