D
		Title	BUG!
		Publisher	SEGA	Graphics	C
		Developer	Realtime Associates	Sound	C
		Released	1995	Gameplay	D
		Platform	Sega Saturn (available on PC)	Longevity	D
	ESRB Information
	No descriptors given.
	Highlights
	Better than some Saturn games I have played. But I have played some really bad Saturn games.
	Full Review

I did not have very high expectations for BUG! when I put the disc in the Sega Saturn. You will likely feel the same way if you read the back of the jewel case. The first sentence of which is; "Meet BUG!, the gnat-brained action hero with a little talent, a bit of style and a big dose of ego". This pretty much sums up the game. You play Bug, who is an actor in a new action movie by the same name. You play through the levels in the game which make up the film. There are three scenes (levels) in each of the six acts.

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The scenery and enemies change in the six acts, but the level design stays roughly the same. You navigate a series of pathways that are suspended a few hundred feet off the ground. Often, these paths will allow you to explore differant areas of the level. But you will usually have to backtrack to the previous junction and take the more direct route. Bug can also scale vertical walls that are placed throughout the levels, but this feels more like a novelty then a gameplay mechanic. He cannot jump up to, or down from adjacent platforms. You must use the ramps that connect the levels together, which is a bit frustrating when a powerup is just out of reach...

The real problem with the environment is the controls. The game usually feels sluggish, making it difficult to move and jump on enemies. Often times you will jump too early or  too late to perform a sucessful attack and get hit by enemies. But by no means is the game unplayable, it just gets frustrating sometimes when the controls are not as responsive as you would like. I also found it difficult to gauge the distance of the jump. Sometimes bug would decide to make a long jump, a short one or sometimes no jump at all.

Sound quality in Bug, much like the rest of the game is generally good but has some issues. Each one of the different environments (acts) has its own music which all seem to pass the "overly annoying test". My real gripe with the audio is the annoyingly ignorant things bug says. When dispatching enemies or taking damage, Bug has a short list of annoying catch phrases he likes to use. Sparingly they don't bother me, but if I hear him say "He shoots... He scores!" one more time, I may just have to hit the mute button.

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I could not get myself past the poor controls and annoying catch phrases. But if you think you can (ha!), and you find this game for $2 at your local swap meet, then go ahead and give it a spin in your Sega Saturn and see how far you get before you rip the disc out of the drive and feed it to your dog (go ahead, I dare you).

Play BUG! on GameTap
Find BUG! on eBay
BUG! on wikipedia