Previous Next

Dodgy storyline ahoy! 1998 New York overrun by drug barons and weirdos. Pushers own whopper mansions and loonies live in ghettos. CIA clamp down and begin to win the war (why no earlier action was taken is unclear). Drug barons kidnap head of CIA in order to identify his lieutenants and bump them off. Lone agent, James Taylor and his panther - 'Black Virgin' if you please. must infiltrate the city and rescue the CIA chief.

So, what we have here in an Escape from New York sort of way is a left-right scrolling walk'n'punch affair. What makes it different from Renegade (parts 1 to 3) Streetfighter, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Exploding Fist et al? Two things; your gun and your panther.

The gun is a .357 magnum six-shooter (no spare ammo; you have to rely on finding some on the floor - very efficient) which is fine, and very useful.

The panther, on the other hand, is about as much use as a chocolate fire engine in summer. Her main purpose is to savage to death the thugs which you can't handle. Unfortunately, you need to be on the floor, bleeding from every orifice before she registers that you need any help.

Once she's decided to participate in the action, as opposed to padding around like a furry imbecile, she leaps into the air and passes over the bad guys. Gripping, eh?

The graphics are pretty shoddy. Monochrome figures wander around in front of monochrome backdrops. The animation is less than brilliant, too, and the characters sometimes look downright silly when fighting. The panther doesn't even jump properly.

For most of the time, then, since you can forget about the Black Virgin being of any use, and spare ammo for your gun is thin on the ground, it's a straight fist tight.

The moves available are pretty comprehensive. Elbow jabs and high kicks being available, if not entirely easy to pull out of the bag in a tight situation.

The biggest problem with Wild Streets is that it's a crashing bore. Walk right, have a punch up, fall down, get up, shoot someone, walk right, have a punch up. Even on later levels, the action is really pretty dull.

Label: Titus Price: £8.95 Reviewer: Jim Douglas

Nice idea, marred by some lousy execution. Plenty of better beat-'em-ups.