Rocket Knight (X360/PS3/PC) Review

Though it's fun to play and looks gorgeous, Rocket Knight isn't worth the price point when you consider it's length and replayability.

The latest sequel the in Cult Rocket Knight franchise that originally spawned on the Sega Genesis. Climax, who was responsible for another Konami reboot, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories worked their magic once again with Rocket Knight, but how magical is it?

You play as Sparkster, the Opossum Rocket Knight of Zephyrus, who had once valiantly defended his kingdom from the Pig army of Devotindos. After a truce is formed between the two, Sparkster is discarded as a relic and lives the next 15 years as a farmer with his small family. When the Wolf army attacks, Sparkster re-dons his Rocket Knight armor and fights to defend his kingdom.

Graphically, the game is pretty. The 2.5D world is fantastic to look at, with everything detailed. All the designs are reminiscent of the original Genesis titles, which makes them vibrant and colorful. Sparkster himself is the most-detailed character in the game, especially with his expressions, which Climax has clearly put a lot of work into. The audio isn't anything to write home about, but it fits the situations very well. The visual presentation is definitely the strongest point of the game.

The gameplay is where things get a little disappointing. The original titles had an almost "Contra-like" urgency to them, which made them fast and frantic but kept them from being a twitch-shooter like Contra. Even on the hard difficult, Rocket Knight is lacking that. But the gameplay is solid, with lots of well-designed platforming and SHMUP-like flying stages.

The one major issue for holding back Rocket Knight is it's value. The game is $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points) which would be reasonable if the game didn't have such a short length, few unlockables and a weak replay value.

Overall, the game itself is solid. With a fantastic presentation and some fun, well-done platforming. But the game is held back by it's short-length and high price point. Unless you're a big retro gamer, it's hard to recommend Rocket Knight, but if you can forgive it's short length, you'll find lots to love in this reboot of a classic franchise.

-Kyle K.