Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the darkest, horsiest dark horse of GameSpite Journal 10: Marc Host’s fond look back at Data East’s Joe & Mac. I’m not sure what possessed Mr. Host to play this game in the first place — it was one of those generic-looking platformers most people passed over because even 20 years ago we were pretty sick of generic-looking platformers — or what caused him to clutch nostalgia for the game close to his heart for decades until he’d eventually write it up here. But I’m glad he did, because it sounds kind of like an OK game! Sort of like a prehistoric Alien Soldier… except maybe not really.
My brothers and I rented Joe & Mac because it was one of very few platformers where two players could play simultaneously. I’m pretty sure if it didn’t have that feature, we would have never even tried it, but it’s surprisingly pretty good. I enjoyed it a lot more than I usually got into with the Sonic games and definitely more than the little bit I played of the Bonk games.
I still play this abomination. I don’t even mind the loose controls, pallette swapped bosses, or elevator-to-hell muzak. I’m in it for the sound effects. Man they can be so satisfying and poorly chosen. Oh and the dinosaur that vomits the Cro-Mags too. Just plain great.
Is the world ready for a HD remake of Joe & Mac? Golgoth Studios thinks so.
I remember this being one of those games everyone– everyone in the gaming media of the day, anyway– seemed to always rave about when it came out. But I never got to play it.
I’d sort of like to, though.
I recall liking Joe & Mac. Both of them. I can’t say more than that though since it’s been probably a decade and a half since I played them.