Rad Rodgers

 Xbox One
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
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  1. Gaming Age
    Apr 23, 2018
    25
    Given a little (okay, a lot) more polish, I could see Rad Rodgers evolving into something vaguely interesting to a certain type of person, but right now, it kind of sucks.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Feb 21, 2018
    8
    I love games that carry a retro feel and a modern feel at the same time and when a game does this right it makes itself accessible to a numberI love games that carry a retro feel and a modern feel at the same time and when a game does this right it makes itself accessible to a number of different gamers. Rad Rodgers is a platformer that does this and whilst it has a few shortcomings I ended up having a hell of a time with the game for the most part. There are a few different mechanics in play at the same time in this game and they’ve done a very good job here. Platforming feels very smooth and the shooting elements provide you with quite a few enjoyable moments. I would however have liked the weapon upgrades to feel like they mattered more, but unfortunately I never felt any more powerful when I collected these. The controls which are obviously the most important thing in a game like this thankfully remained tight and responsive throughout and I never suffered with any problems here, which is great. The level design in the game is something that tickled my fancy quite a bit and whilst the levels can be a little on the long side I found exploring them to be extremely fun and there are plenty of secrets littered throughout, which in turn keeps things fresh. There are a few enemies you have to battle in the game and some of them are not too bad, but I just thought the enemies were missing something. They just feel a little generic and nothing much stands out with them, which is a shame. Something that does stand out in the game is the humour that’s present. This game had me chuckling to myself a number of times, but I must admit that they can go a bit too far at times. The presentation side of the game is without a doubt one of my favourite parts about the game. Visually the game is very crisp looking and packed full of colour and the most impressive part is that it looks retro and modern at the same time. The sound design has also been very well done and it does a great job of enhancing the gameplay at times. At the end of the day Rad Rodgers is a game that’s right up my alley and if you’re a fan of platformers that have a naughty side to them then you will really enjoy this game. Don’t get me wrong there are better games in the genre but Rad Rodgers has charm in abundance and for that reason it gets a thumbs up from me.… Full Review »
  2. GBG_Jason
    Feb 21, 2018
    6
    Much like the 16 and 32 bit games that inspired it, this does not feature much of a story. The game begins with our young hero, Rad, being putMuch like the 16 and 32 bit games that inspired it, this does not feature much of a story. The game begins with our young hero, Rad, being put to bed by his mother mid-level. After being denied “just one more game,” he reluctantly goes to bed only to be woken up by his TV turning back on. Fearing the flip flop on a stick or whatever method of punishment his mother uses, Rad gets out of bed and tries to turn off the TV through various means, including blowing into and beating on his trusty console. He’s then transported into the TV and greeted by his foul mouthed console, Dusty (voiced by Jon St. John of the Duke Nukem fame). Dusty will no doubt become a fan favorite, with his tongue-in-cheek adult jokes that will go over younger players’ heads. Our duo then sets off on their adventure to figure out whom or what has brought Rad into the game world.

    The visuals featured are simply amazing and would have made 10 year old me drool all over my controller if this had been released during my younger years. Each level features token designs that are clearly homages to similar games from generations past, but feature much more detail and vibrant colors than the 16 or 32 bit hardware could have handled, even with fancy add-ons like the Sega CD or 32X. What impressed me the most is how the title fluidly transitions from current-gen graphics into pixelated areas, reminiscent of the old school technology mentioned previously. These areas are thrown at the player regularly, as Dusty will have to enter glitches to work through mini games that are more akin to high end Atari levels to remove obstructions in the current-gen areas for Rad to move on. While these areas are varied and do switch up the gameplay, the color scheme chosen makes navigation as well as evading enemies in the area difficult, since almost everything is a shade of blue or purple. This required quite a bit of trial and error to pass these sections initially. In addition to this, the game is prone to freezing on the Xbox One, regularly kicking me to the home screen or locking up entirely. In my time with the game, this occurred at least 10 times, most of which were on the map screen, which did not impede progress but did create minor annoyances.

    Mowing down the cartoonish, brightly colored enemies resulting in a ridiculous amount of blood is great fun, but the platforming which becomes more and more prevalent after a few levels is not. Rad lacks a double jump, and while Dusty will help if you get close enough to the ledge by pulling you up, you will regularly have to repeat long platforming segments due to one failed jump. This could be chalked up to me sucking at the game, but it often felt as if jumping would yield different heights despite hitting the button in the same manner. While checkpoints are present, the placement feels as if they were slapped together as an afterthought. Luckily the shooting mechanics work much better, although the arsenal offered is a bit lackluster. There are pick-ups that will randomly drop, though you cannot switch between or retain more than one at a time, similar to Contra.

    While the title is beautiful, this is a case of style over substance. The title offers a small amount of levels padded with a few boss encounters, which are all either forgettable or highly frustrating, often changing mechanics when the game feels it’s necessary with no warning. In addition to the boss battles, there are a few levels that involve Rad being required to move at a steady pace on a pogo stick, which feels similar to the chase sequences in the recent Rayman entries. Players who move at a steady pace and do not struggle too much will likely finish the game in a few hours. There are a number of secrets, collectibles, and unlockable hats or masks for those that want to revisit any of the levels more than once. If you were hoping for any additional modes or co-op offerings to extend the gameplay, you won’t find that here. While I am opposed to shoehorning co-op into a title that doesn’t need it, I feel like this would have added a lot of replay value and made my time with the title more enjoyable.

    Rad Rodgers checks off a lot of the right boxes, but it misses the mark on multiple occasions. If you’re too lazy or don’t have access to some of the tried and true platformers from the 90’s, this might be what you’re looking for, but I would personally prefer to dig my own Dusty out of the garage and boot up something a little less mediocre.    … Full Review »
  3. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 3, 2018
    6
    Rad Rodgers World One
    Not So Rad
    Rad Rodgers World One is a 90s inspired 4 hour long 2d platformer where you of course play as rad Rodgers    Rad Rodgers World One
    Not So Rad
    Rad Rodgers World One is a 90s inspired 4 hour long 2d platformer where you of course play as rad Rodgers accompanied by dusty..
    You have a gun for shooting things, and dusties smarth mouth to keep oyu laughing…
    This game is full of crude humor, though there are parental controls to take care of this…
    But the humor of this game is probably the best part..
    The rest of this game just feels like one giant chore
    This game features 8 main levels, 3 optional pogo chasing levels, and a boss battle…
    And all 8 of these levels for the most part look and feel identical…
    there is no variety here which ultimately makes this game feel like the longest 4 hours of your life
    The goal of each level is to collect 4 shards to unlock a gate and move on..
    This game is at its best when it sticks to straight forward platforming…
    These moments of optional exploration with different guns and hidden homes fileld of smart talking creatures are the best..
    The platforming and shooting can feel satisfying..
    But when this game is bad its bad.. and its bad when it has you playing as dusty in hhis mini game of avoiding lasers and enemies to collect items to put a platform into the world or unlock and new path and the game is bad when wants to feel like more of a Metroidvania sending you in dozens of different directions trying to find these pieces…
    I wouldn’t have minded these moments as much though if levels actually felt or looked different from one another…
    They all feel and play the same….
    So these less than linear moments feel like an axiety filled drag rather than a new form of level to overcome…
    The level design here is just mediocre…
    Rad Rodgers: World One doesn’t have me excited for World Two and is probably a series Ill skip in the future
    I Give Rad Rodgers: World One
    a 5.5/10    … Full Review »
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