Predator 2

When the Sega Master System squared off against the NES in the eighties, it was all about who had the more brutal games. Predator 2 gets this logic perfectly — it's shallow, straightforward, and does exactly what it promises. Don't look for psychological depth or complexity here; it's all about what's on your screen: an alien in a mouse-faced mask and your task, which can be summed up in three words.

It's a sidescrolling beat-em-up with a sci-fi twist. You're John Dutch Schaeffer in an industrial jungle full of aliens and human henchmen, and there are always too many of them. The goal is primitive: move right, beat everything alive, collect energy counters, and wade through an endless stream of fodder. A linear path with no detours, no choices, no reflection. Just carnage.

The controls are so simple they border on boring — basic punches, jumping punches, blocking. How many times did I mash the button per row of enemies, how many times did I shuffle forward one square. The opponent doesn't ask you to think about him; he stands in your way, you pound him, and you move on. The graphics have their eighties charm — dingy colors, animation like someone working overtime who wants to go home. Sound? It's there, but more out of obligation than as a weapon.

The game brought nothing revolutionary. It was one of dozens of beat-em-ups that faded into digital obscurity in the eighties. On the Master System, it had competition — cult classics that still hold their reputation. Predator 2 stayed on the sidelines because it's simply mediocre, a working-class title without invention. The graphics might age better than floppy disk armor, but playability gets older by the minute.

Today you'll play it at most out of nostalgia or academic curiosity — what Predator was like in the late eighties on a Sega console. Repetitive levels, predictable enemies, and a lack of deeper strategy will soon wear you out. It's not a bad game, just a forgotten one. On a retro site you can fire it up in your browser, spend a half hour without enthusiasm, and move on. You won't miss anything, but you won't gain much either.