It's the beginning of the month, which means that there are no new classic PlayStation Plus games to cover. But don't worry, there are still a few more 32-bit games in desperate need of getting the Review Crew treatment. Today we're going to focus our attention on two LucasArts games from developer Big Ape Production, starting with Herc's Adventures and then finishing off with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. These two have been available on PlayStation 5 for a while now, but I still need to ask: Are either of these games actually fun? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the page of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Next Generation and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So, get ready to monkey around, because this is another hairy episode of PlayStation Plus Review Crew.


1997 was the year of Hercules. First came Disney's hotly anticipated animated movie, and then, only one month later, came LucasArts' completely unrelated take on the Greek hero. Herc's Adventure may look like it was inspired by genre greats like The Legend of Zelda and Beyond Oasis, but it actually shares more in common with Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol. This is a light-hearted take on the hero, complete with a voice cast full of industry veterans that could go head-to-head with whatever Disney threw at them. Herc also had a hand-drawn look that was reminiscent of the cartoons it was inspired by, which was a welcome change of pace in an era full of low-res polygons. This was a solid debut from Big Ape Production, a developer that managed to outdo Disney at their own game. Let's see what the critics said.

Unfortunately, when it came to Herc's Adventures, you saw a lot of magazines opting to review the game on the Saturn over the PlayStation. This is likely due to the game hitting Saturn a few weeks earlier, but it does seem like both are comparable, so for the sake of being comprehensive, we're going to look at the reviews on both systems. Starting with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which gave Herc an average score of 8.25 out of 10. Shawn loved the game, giving it a 9 and calling it “awesome.” “Not only are the graphics good, the gameplay is flawless. On more than one occasion, I found myself laughing out loud. For example, in the intro, Herc is punching a lion in the head, but the lion doesn't seem to mind – it just wags its tail. I guess you'd have to see it, but trust me, the game is hilarious.” Crispin also liked the game, comparing it to one of EGM's favorite 16-bit titles: “The gameplay in Herc's Adventures is reminiscent of kick-ass classics like Zombies Ate My Neighbors, ToeJam & Earl and, heck, even Gauntlet. It's simply a fun, top-down adventure with lots to explore and extremely imaginative enemies.”

For what it's worth EGM's score was a bit higher than what we saw from Game Fan, who gave the game a 79%. That's also much better than the 3 out of 5 Herc's Adventures received from the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. That's the game's lowest score, matching what Next Generation gave it in issue 35. “With the number of Star Wars titles LucasArts has been pumping out as of late, it's refreshingly surprising to find a game like Herc's Adventures being released. Blending classic gameplay with downright hilarity, Herc's Adventures has succeeded in making sprite-based games seem not so dated. However, humor and size can't completely carry a game. Herc's suffers from an almost too rigid gameplay style, which consists mostly of walking around and hitting wave upon wave of enemies. Plus, the skewed 2D perspective makes it sometimes difficult to tell where players can and cannot go.”

As usual, GamePro is where you go if you want to find the highest score. They gave the PlayStation version a score of 4.5 out of 5, saying that it harkens back to “LucasArts' classic 16-bit game Zombies Ate My Neighbors” and that it's a “shoot ‘em up action game with giant landscapes and humorous elements that's should keep you playing for hours.” “If you're questing for imaginative, nonstop 2D action, you'll cheer Herc's Adventures. While it probably won't achieve god-like status, it's a solid quest that mortals will enjoy.” It's worth noting that another GamePro critic gave the Saturn version of slightly higher score of 5 out of 5.

While it could be that the Saturn version is noticeably better, it's the PlayStation version that is easily available for all to enjoy. No matter what, you're going to discover a fun and chaotic game full of humor. I can't wait to see what Big Ape comes up with next ...

After decades of mining the original trilogy and extended lore for material, video game developers FINALLY had a new Star Wars movie to adapt. More than twenty years after George Lucas introduced the world to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, it was finally time to see how everything started. And people were excited. For the movie, I mean, because most of the Episode 1 games are absolute garbage. That includes this obviously rushed action game from Big Ape Production, who was just coming off of making Herc's Adventures. Using a disconcerting overhead perspective, you hack and slash your way through levels straight out of the movie. Is that a good thing? I suppose that depends on who you ask. In this case, we're going to see what the critics from 1999 had to say.

The first thing you'll notice when reading Electronic Gaming Monthly is that this was a time before the Star Wars fans turn on The Phantom Menace. Even if there were things they didn't like, they were still 100% sold on the prequel trilogy. That said, they were not fans of this game. Crispin explained that “as a big fan of the flick, I can overlook most of the game's flaws, except for one biggie – the poor control. Jumping from platform to platform is more than a chore. The game does look nice, and the voice acting is well done. Deflecting lasers with your saber is the best thing about this game.” Che agreed: “The Phantom Menace wasn't as bad as I had expected, but that's not saying a whole lot. Doing an action/adventure based on the movie can be tricky. To make the game playable and lengthy, they had to tweak with the flow of events. This automatically backfires because nobody wants scenarios that aren't in the movie. Plus, you can't change views so the top-down camera position can be obstructive at all the wrong times.”

Now, we could talk about the higher scores, such as Game Fan giving Episode 1 an average score of 61% or the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine going with a 6 out of 10, but the much more interesting story is what's happening on the lowest end of the scale. A good example of that is PSM, who gave the game a 2 out of 5. They complained about the gameplay, the level designs and the “babysitting” missions that make up a lot of the game, concluding that “all of these elements combine to make one of the most frustrating game experiences we've had all year. If it wasn't a Star Wars game, we probably wouldn't have given it as much of a chance as we did, but the draw of playing through the movie is enough to lure anyone in. Give yourself a break and pass on this one, unless you are willing to suffer its many abuses.” Or, as their final score section so eloquently says: “Meesa no like da biggum Star Wars game.”

Think that's bad? Just wait until you get a load of Next Generation, which wasn't playing around when they gave The Phantom Menace a score of 1 out of 5. “Have you ever felt ‘different'? Do you have fantastic reflexes beyond that of a normal person? Can you sense enemies around you that you cannot see? Do you have inhuman patience? If so, you may be a Jedi and therefore qualified to play Star Wars Episode 1. It will be a hard life. One without reward. And after many hours of death and re-loading, you will begin to fear that you have made a bad purchase. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. This game is the path to the Dark Side.”

When a 61% from Game Fan is the high score, you know you're in for trouble. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is a bad action game with awful controls and a camera angle that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the game hates the player. Even if you are a big prequel trilogy apologists, this PlayStation adaptation is to be avoided.