Company: Taito
Year Released: 1988
Renegade was one of the games my dad got me for a low price ($10 or so) from the owner of a video store. The man who regrets buying the system for me bought me games, too. Well, I believe he did that before he came to that conclusion. Anyway, as it was one of the few games I had back then, I played it a fair amount, because I thought it was a decent game. After going through it again recently, how does it hold up? Read on and find out...
Plot: "You're surrounded by gangs of blood-thirsty thugs. You weren't looking for trouble, but you're not going to run from it either. Only you can put these punks in their place - face down in the gutter. Your flying fists and killer kicks will have to do the job. It's either you or them!"
Er, um, uh... what a plot. If the instruction manual's plot was a little too vague for you (it was for me), what I deciphered from the game is that you are Mr. K, and you have to beat up guys in wifebeaters, ninjas in purple suits, Elvis impersonators on motorcycles, and women in red dresses. This of course, is not including the bosses, Jack, Joel, Kim, and SABU~!!! I must give props to the people at Taito for putting the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal maniac in the game, but other than that, the plot is non-existant.
Addendum: For those who don't know who Sabu is, he's a wrestler. But, he's one of the most insane wrestlers EVER.
Score: 1
Graphics: The graphics for Renegade actually aren't half bad, especially considering the game was made in 1987. The characters are kind of detailed, and the palettes are alright, but a little on the blah side. The backgrounds are amusing at times, because it seems like the clip-art was used liberally. The animations aren't real fluid, but they're all right. Thumbs in the middle.
Score: 3
Music: The music varies quite a bit in Renegade. Sometimes it sounds like the music should be in City Connection, and sometimes the music fits the game. Mission 1 is definitely the one suffering from City Connection-itis. However, once Mission 2 hits, Renegade's music finds it's groove. It stays good through the rest of the game (except for a couple of lapses in Level 4). The music itself is a little simplistic, but it keeps the game moving well. The sound effects are a bit strange, though. The hits sound muffled, the jump kicks make a weird noise when you do them, and they can sometimes offset the music, leaving nothing but a fairly high pitched squeal for a second or so. Nothing exceptional, but nothing terrible.
Score: 3
Play Control: The play control for this game is a bit odd. When you face left, B is punch to the left, and A is kick to the right. When you face right, A is punch to the right and B is kick to the left. It's basically the same as Double Dragon II (and you'll find out why in a bit). B&A is jump kick, and treasure this move, because it will be necessary to use if you want to get anywhere in the game. Use it & abuse it. There's also kneeing & tossing opponents in this game, but no Spinning Cyclone Kick. The play control's fluid, with the only problem being the odd nature of it.
Score: 4
Password/Save System: Renegade doesn't have a password/save system, but it doesn't need one, because this game is SHORT.
Score: 5
Difficulty: There are three different difficulty settings for Renegade: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Level 1 is as easy as Sunday morning, Level 2 is intermediate, and Level 3 is pretty hard. Only bother going after Levels 2 & 3 if you want more challenge and/or want to master the game. I have no problem with the difficulty settings.
Score: 5
Length: Did I already mention that Renegade is SHORT?! On Level 1, it takes me about 10-15 minutes to get through the game. That is quite short, even for a fighter. It'd probably take a little longer on Levels 2 & 3, but I haven't really bothered. I got to Mission 3 on Level 2 before dying, and about halfway through Mission 2 on Level 3 before dying. All in all, it's a little too short for my tastes (I know, I know, broken record).
Score: 4
Fun Factor/Replay Value: Well, Renegade may have been published by Taito, but it was created by the people who have made some of the best fighters on the NES, Technos Japan. You can see bits of this game in the other Technos Japan games on the NES. Kim (pictured to the left & above) is Abobo's long lost sister, the music is similar at some points to music from River City Ransom, and the fighting system was lifted from Renegade and improved upon for Double Dragon II. If ones compares Renegade to a CD, it's like a band's first CD. There's some solid material on there, but there's definitely room for improvement. Technos Japan definitely improved upon it with the Double Dragon series & River City Ransom.
I'm not really talking about Renegade, though. As a fighting game, it's fairly solid. It's kind of fun to play, but there's nothing exceptionally interesting about it. It's not as terrible as some folks have made it out to be, but it's not going to be touted as the greatest NES game to ever exist, either.
Score: 3
Total score: 28 of 40 points
Percentage: 70% (Average)