Altered Beast
- Altered Beast (1989 on Dedicated handheld)
- Altered Beast (1990 on Dedicated handheld)
-
Altered Beast
(2005 on
PlayStation 2)
Description official descriptions
You are a hero raised from the dead by the god Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena. With scenery inspired by Ancient Greece, you have to fight hordes of undead and demons, with a boss at the end of each level until you meet the god Neff, who holds the girl captive.
The Altered Beast title refers to your shapeshifting abilities. In this platformer, you can collect spirit balls by defeating two-headed wolves, allowing you to mutate into different beasts such as a werewolf, a dragon, a tiger, a bear and others depending on the version. Each form, tied to a level, comes with special abilities such as flight and powerful attacks, easily superseding the basic set of punches and kicks in your human form.
The game can be played in single player mode, or in same-screen multiplayer co-op mode.
Spellings
- 兽王记 - Chinese spelling (simplified)
- 獣王記 - Japanese spelling
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Credits (Arcade version)
11 People
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 60% (based on 58 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.1 out of 5 (based on 221 ratings with 10 reviews)
Slightly better than average arcade conversion.
The Good
The storyline is cool. The character powerups are cool. The endless movement from left to right and a never ending supply of bad guys is cool.
The Bad
Too predictable. The power orbs always come out at the same time. The enemy pattern is always the same.
The Bottom Line
Good PC game for the Sega collector. Skip it if you have it on the Genesis.
DOS · by gametrader (208) · 2000
A particularly good conversion of a particularly bad arcade game.
The Good
I must say that the PC version of Altered Beast is by far the most fun of all the versions of Altered Beast I ever played, the arcade version included. The original arcade game was terrible. Aside from great graphics, it had absolutely none of the elements that make a good game: terrible controls (playing this game with a joystick is next to terrible) and stupid, non-varying gameplay.
However, I must give credit where credit is due: the PC version is that much more fun than the arcade version. Despite the hardware inferiourity, the CGA graphics (not to mention VGA if you had it) were really terrific and the game was fast and fun. Not having to pay for the game has its merits, and the frustration of wasting money on dumb, unforgiving gameplay is gone here, which makes the PC version of Altered Beast what it is: a simple, fun-to-play platform game.
The Bad
Admittedly the ridiculous plot from the arcade remains; however, the horrendous gameplay does not.
The Bottom Line
Just goes to show that superiour hardware does not necessarily translate to a better game. For another example, see Laser Squad.
DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 2000
The Good
Some of the boss designs. Transformations are cool.
The Bad
General gameplay. Getting animation stunned by enemy attacks.
The Bottom Line
A slog to play. It has not aged well for me.
Arcade · by Sagebirt · 2024
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Steam release (2010) is Mega Drive/Genesis version | Andrew Fisher (696) | Nov 28th, 2022 |
| Back story, Japanese vs. rest of world | Andrew Fisher (696) | Nov 16th, 2022 |
| Short review(arcade, MD/Gen, SMS) | Andrew Fisher (696) | Oct 6th, 2022 |
Trivia
Compilation
A version of Altered Beast is included in Sega's Smash Pack compilation CD.
Genesis pack-in game
This game was the first pack-in game to come with the Genesis when it first came out in 1989.
Megadriver
The Brazilian Heavy metal band Megadriver, specialized in SEGA MegaDrive music, did a cover of the first level theme, complete with one of the band members saying "Rise from your grave".
References
The ride-able lizard-birds from Golden Axe make a cameo appearance in the second stage. Bizarrian, a hybrid between an amphibian and a parrot, is also present in Golden Axe.
Version differences
The NES version adds 3 new stages and 2 unique transformations: a shark, and a bird. On the other hand, the SMS version removes the tiger level. The Zodiac release is an emulation of the Genesis version, but for one player only.
Awards
- Power Play
- Issue 01/1990 - Biggest Failure of 1989
Information also contributed by Mad_Griffith, Matthew Melbourne, Robbb and Zovni
Analytics
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Related Sites +
-
Altered Beast coin-op game entry on KLOV
The Altered Beast coin-op game entry on the Killer List of Videogames. -
Hardcore Gaming 101
In depth look at the Altered Beast series of games -
Wikipedia: Altered Beast
article in the open encyclopedia about the game -
X360A Achievement Guide
X360A's achievement guide for Altered Beast.
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Luiz Pacheco.
Android added by mars_rulez. Nintendo 3DS added by GTramp. NES, Genesis, SEGA Master System, Commodore 64 added by PCGamer77. PlayStation 3 added by Lain Crowley. Nintendo Switch added by Rik Hideto. Wii added by Guy Chapman. iPad, Zodiac added by Sciere. TurboGrafx CD added by Zovni. Windows, Macintosh, Linux added by Foxhack. ZX Spectrum added by Martin Smith. Atari ST added by ZZip. TurboGrafx-16 added by Terok Nor. Arcade added by The cranky hermit. iPhone added by Scaryfun. Xbox 360 added by Ben K. MSX added by koffiepad. Amstrad CPC added by Katakis | カタキス. Amiga added by Syed GJ.
Additional contributors: Rogee, Unicorn Lynx, Sciere, lugnut, Игги Друге, LepricahnsGold, MegamanX64, Patrick Bregger, Starbuck the Third, GTramp, Kennyannydenny, Harmony♡, heather sturmer.
Game added July 21st, 2000. Last modified January 22nd, 2024.