Beavis and Butt-Head

Back in 1993, MTV Networks recruited a little-known animator named Mike Judge. He was hired to convert his "Frog Baseball" short, starring two continuously laughing idiots named Beavis and Butt-head, into an animated television series. The MTV execs had probably anticipated that their new show, simply titled "Beavis and Butt-Head" would do well, but they couldn't possibly have foreseen the stunning success it would go on to achieve during its six year run. After only one season (and a great deal of controversy), B&B became one of the most talked-about TV shows in America, inspiring devoted fans everywhere to imitate their heroes' infamous chuckles (huh, huh, huh!). T-shirts, baseball caps, and coffee mugs soon hit store shelves, and it would only be a matter of time before Beavis and Butt-head would have their very own video game.

By mid-1994, Viacom New Media had inevitably produced "Beavis and Butt-head: The Game" for the Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, and Super Nintendo systems. Each game boasted high-quality 16-bit graphics and sound, including an original soundtrack by Virginian thrashers GWAR. Although the storylines and appearances of each version were similar, the gameplay was entirely different on each platform. Because Genesis cartridges had a higher data capacity than did SNES or Game Gear carts, this version is the most extensive of the three. The following review is based on that version.

The game opens up with the "Beavis and Butt-head are not real..." disclaimer that the show has become famous for, followed by the duo's familiar laughter and profile shots. We can then view an optional introductory sequence which shows us that the two had somehow gotten ahold of GWAR concert tickets. But, just as the boys begin to show their excitement in the form of headbanging, the tickets are somehow mistakenly fed to Mr. Anderson's poodle (who messily coughs them up whole), and then chopped up by his lawn mower. The nine ticket fragments are carried off by the wind, each landing somewhere within the fictional town of Highland, Texas. Your mission immediately becomes clear: scavenge the town for each of the ticket pieces, so that you can see GWAR!

The graphics, sound, and music are all fantastic, effectively building a foundation for an atmosphere almost identical to the show's. It looks and plays much like an interactive episode as the pair wander around aimlessly; farting, burping, and spitting at their foes along the way. And for only having the limits of the Genesis 3-button gamepad, taking control of the game is surprisingly easy. All of your favorite characters from the show are present somewhere within the course of the adventure, including Daria, Stewart, Todd ("It's Todd!"), and Mr. VanDreissen. However, after exploring the game's available locations and either being stumped by the ridiculous puzzles or getting killed by an onslaught of mall rent-a-cops, the average user will probably become frustrated and quickly lose interest in the game.

The problem with BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD is that it relies solely on events from the series' past episodes in order to progress the story. If you aren't a devoted fan or don't have a good memory of all of B&B's antics, you are not likely to get anywhere, except by complete accident. For example, how would you know to take a picture of the bouncing van at the drive-in unless you had seen the "ButtWoman" episode? And for the people who are familiar with the show, the challenge now becomes trying to fight, race, or jump your way past several overly difficult arcade-style sequences. This wouldn't be so bad if the game contained a "save" or "continue" feature, rather than having to go through the cumbersome process of entering a 15-digit passcode to restore your progress each time, only to find yourself biting the dust within five minutes again anyway.

Another major gripe I had with the game is how unsatisfying the dialogue and character interactions are. Even though the game was certified with an MA-13 rating, the situations and humor have been cleaned up so much that everything Beavis and Butt-head do seem completely out of character (except for the burping and farting, of course). At times, these substitutions are so misplaced that it's painful to look at. For example, rather than having the usual suggestive dialogue written on the bathroom stall, the graffiti reads "For bad food try Butt-head", referring to his poor performance at Burger World. Somebody, please stop me from laughing!

Overall, the BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD Sega game is an okay experience if you're a patient, experienced gamer with some knowledge of the television series. Otherwise, its appeal lies only on the surface.