Dick Tracy review - Sega Megadrive
Big Dick's in town! Sworn to eradicate crime, the vigilante Private Investigator has decided to meander the environs in search of mendicants, panhandlers, and buskers. Well no, he's actually after Big Boy, Flattop, Itchy, and other crooks with silly names in order to clear the city of their evil presence (and appalling body odour).
A horizontally scrolling game, Dick Tracy is set over 18 levels of action, starting outside the police station and progressing to the underground HQ at the end of the game. Dick walks along, and is able to punch or shoot the villains in his path, as well as spray bullets from his tommy gun at those foes in the distance. Other levels have our hero standing on the running board of a car, trying to survive the hail of lead coming in his direction.
Bonus stages appear from time to time, where Dick shoots pop-up targets for extra points - providing he doesn't hit too many good guys! This also gives a welcome break during the eighteen levels.
Although he has unlimited bullets in his revolver, Dick only has up to three magazines for the tommy gun. So accurate shooting is needed if the man in the yellow mac is going to triumph over the forces of evil.
What the Mean Machines staff thought
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If you read my comment on the Sega version in issue 5, you'll know that I was fairly unimpressed. But it's great news to find that the Megadrive game is so much better! The graphics really suit the style of play, and the controls are easy to use. The difficulty level is fine, but my major criticism is that the gameplay is still very samey. Having said that, it's true for so many games that it's hardly worth repeating! So grab Dick if you're in the moos - it's a quality product.
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Have your say about this review
Tris Wicks - 05 Nov 2008, 00:57 GMT
Wicked arcade action. A tight classic
Dan - 24 Feb 2009, 16:14 GMT
Nah, this was crap, a really bland + boring game that was to excitement what Maggie Thatcher was to mining communities. Bag o wank.
Steve - 07 Sep 2009, 06:57 GMT
You must be sniffing glue mate, this game might not be an all time classic classic! but it was far from what you call it. Then again, maybe it was too hard for the average gamer...so that's why you might of become frustrated with it. You had to be hardcore to get into this game.
sanjuro - 17 Sep 2010, 13:26 GMT
No, he is right, it was bad, keep the glue for yourself :) the gameplay was plain awful, way too tight there was no margin for error. The fistfight scenes especially were atrocious. Stages 5 and 6 were next to impossible, not my idea of fun. However, it's true the game was rather well-made, graphic and sound wise. But a classic? a quality product? no, unless you have poor standards.
Jono - 10 Apr 2011, 04:12 GMT
Like Steve said, you have to be an above average gamer to get the most out of Dick Tracy. Most people that don’t enjoy Dick Tracy are generally joypad baboons who enjoy sniffing glue whilst playing Altered Beast on the easiest setting. That said I wouldn’t call it a classic, but it was certainly a quality product, particularly for 1991.
Rachael - 24 May 2011, 03:33 GMT
This game was great. It took a little while to get into, and it seemed really difficult to begin with, but there was a lot of fun to be had if you put a little practice in. Quickly shooting enemies in the background required some skill, and it was satisfying to take out whole gangs of them without being shot. The graphics were quite bland and basic, but each level had a distinct style, and the destructible scenery was a nice touch.
