Total Recall

The Good
Arguably the only thing to like about this game is that it reminds one of a much superior blockbuster Hollywood movie. Speaking of blockbuster, the Blockbuster video rental chain used to stock dozens upon dozens of copies of this title when it was released, likely anticipating that it would be a very popular rental.

The Bad
Alas, Total Recall is another in a long line of seriously disappointing video game adaptations of popular movies. The game lends the impression that the people responsible did not take the initiative seriously in the least. Just get the game out the door, ASAP. The graphics are uninspired, the action is just plain dull, the music is practically nonexistent. Indeed, this game actually made me feel cheated even though I forked over a very small amount for the rental vs. actually purchasing it. But still, an awful game can still upset you.

The Bottom Line
Just don't bother, okay? See the movie, see it again and again, but just spare yourself the experience that is this game.

The Good
Total Recall has one thing going for it; the game's storyline and levels do closely follow the film. While their are many problems with this game, at least someone at Acclaim took the time to watch the film or read the script.

The Bad
During the 8-bit era, Acclaim had a reputation for making less then good titles, which did not improve when the bought LJN. For better or for the worse this was a company that produced titles that seemed to have been rushed when it came to graphics, sound, control and overall playability.

Total Recall's graphics and sound are simply average. They are not horrible and you can generally recognize locations and or themes from the film, but the NES was capable of much better.

In terms of playability, Arnold has few offensive or defensive moves, in comparison to the film, and he the suffers from animated stiffness and poor hit detection.

The Bottom Line
Total Recall was a great science fiction film that had lots of potential as a video game. While, the game closely follows the film's storyline its graphics, sound and playability are, at best, average and probably should have been recalled.