Lost Classics: Revolution X (Arcade, Sega Saturn, Playstation, SNES, Genesis)

If there was one band whose name was synonymous with Rock ‘n ‘ Roll, it’s Aerosmith. The Boston quintet’s music has been around for decades, and they have even broken down musical barriers with their collaboration with Run DMC, Walk this Way. For me, they hold a special place in my heart as their greatest hits album, Big Ones, was the very first full length music album I got. Last year, Neversoft and Activision have honored the rock legends with a Guitar Hero game centered around them. However, old school gamers know that that disc wasn’t the first time the rockers have been included in a video game. This goofy Midway shoot-em up put the band in digital form well over a decade earlier.

Not only does Midway attempt to cash on the Aerosmith name, but they also try to cash in on the teen angst-grunge movement of the mid 90s with its plot (of course why they would pick Aerosmith instead of a group like Soundgarden or Nine Inch Nails is anyone’s guess, but here we are). A group known as the New Order Nation (whose logo looks suspiciously like that of the Nine Inch Nails) has taken over the world and installed an oppressive regime that outlaws music, video games, movies, or any other form of entertainment. You just happen to be attending an Aerosmith concert at Club X when the NON invades and kidnaps the band. You do what any angst-ridden youth would do, grab a gun and blast everything in sight and hopefully take down the NON and rescuing the band. Remember, MUSIC IS THE WEAPON, and I mean that literally. Among with your regular bullets, your guns also shoot CDs. Yes, CDs. And believe it or not, they are more powerful than your regular bullets. You’ll travel around the world, battling ninjas, bio-monsters, and evil stormtrooper-like henchmen. Oh yeah, if you blast certain stuff, you can find the hidden members of Aerosmith. Find them all to get the real ending. As you can see, this game doesn’t take itself very seriously. If you played Midway’s Terminator arcade game, this game’s play will seem vaguely similar.

A sequel to this game starring Public Enemy was planned, but was canceled due to this game not taking off. The SNES and Genesis ports were god awful thanks in no small part to Acclaim (On a side note, why couldn’t they have been compatible with the Super Scope/Sega Menacer, or even Konami’s Justifier?), but the Saturn and PS1 ports were closer to the arcade game, although there was no light gun available for either system at the time. Yes, it’s a stupid game, and it makes no sense. However, that’s the very reason you’ll enjoy it so much, because it is stupid. Besides its cheesiness, its only real pitfall is the one that affects most games of its type: it’s too short and offers little incentive to replay it. However, if you approach this game for what it is and not go in expecting Lethal Enforcers, then you’ll enjoy it, especially if you like Aerosmith.