Brutal - Paws of Fury

Have you ever played a game that could have been great, and really should have been wonderful ... but it just isn't. So is the case with Brutal, GameTek's jab at the fighting game.

Brutal has the ingredients, the graphics are pretty good, the characters are ingenius, and the humor in the game makes it stand out. But the game falls flat. The game, much like the Nintendo 64 version of Clay Fighters, falls apart simply in the controls. It does excel when it comes to innovative characters, however. Tai Cheetah, Kendo Coyote, Rhei Rat, Ivan Bear, The Pantha, Karate Croc, and the Dali Llama deserve a much better game!

And there really is a lot of deep meaning in the game, too. Tons of jokes about Tao and other religions, well worth the jokes alone. But the problem is simple, the game doesn't control well at all. It's enough to make you not want to play the game.

If there was a game that deserves more, Brutal is the game. If you want something cute, this is the game, and as fighting games go on the Sega CD, this is one of the best! However, that isn't saying a damn thing.