Max Steel

If the name, Max Steel sounds familiar to you it may be because recently this was rebooted on Netflix as a fairly decent family movie. That is not what I am looking at today though. I am looking at the game for the Sega Dreamcast. A game that was released to go along with a new TV series and a range of new action figures in the late 90s early 00s.

Judge D.R.E.A.D!

The story of the game follows the events of the TV show pretty well. Our hero Max is a badass who has superhuman powers and nanotechnology that make him the greatest hero around. We need Max Steel around as the evil organization that is known as D.R.E.A.D is up to no good and has a weapon that will allow them to take over the world, but not if Max has anything to say about it.

Is This A Game Or A Show?

This game is pretty cinematic and I feel that you do not actually need to know anything about the show to get anything from the story. Although, from what I have read, they did manage to get most of the voice actors from the TV show to lend their voices to the game. The visuals are not pushing the Dreamcast, but they do at least look like the show. It is fairly easy on the eyes and I do not see anyone who is a fan of the show being disappointed with the way the characters look.

I Am Not Snake!!!

The gameplay that is on offer in Max Steel is not bad at all, but it gets kind of samey. The first couple of levels are awesome. You are sneaking around, taking out bad guys, getting into gunfights, dealing with bosses, finding keys and solving puzzles. The thing is, this is all the game has to offer and it never changes things up. You basically see all that the game has to offer in the first hour or so.

That to be fair does not make this a bad game. however, I do feel that had they gone for a bit more variety and changed things up, even just a couple of times, especially in the later levels that this would be a really solid 3rd person action/shooter style of game.

Pros:

• I liked the story that the game told
• The voice acting is not bad at all
• Some of the stealth sections of the game are pretty tense
• The opening couple of hours are really fun
• I am sure fans of the show will find it very authentic

Cons:

• The game lacks variety
• The camera controls can be a tad twitchy

Max Steel, Mattel's November release based on the popular cartoon show, plays a lot like the Dreamcast sword-fighting action title Draconus, and for good reason. Developed by Treyarch, the same team behind Crave's medieval mayhem game, Max Steel is similar to their first console attempt--but also vastly improved. Aside from beefing up the visuals, the game engine is now refined, allowing for things like a zoom feature for sniper weapons and an improved framerate. Like the television show, players will be able to use Max's Nanotech powers to grant super strength or the ability to turn invisible for a short while.