Genre: Action Developer: Teeny Weeny Games Publisher: Flying Edge Players: 1 Released: 1993

The Incredible Crash Dummies is a game that belongs in the top 25 cheesiest game concepts of all-time list. Aside from all of that, it’s a pretty amusing game and fairly enjoyable to play although it’s a bit generic, and its gameplay can be repetitive at times. This game is pretty much a spoof on all of those early ’80s arcade games, as it seems that they borrowed a stage from several of those classics like Gravitar, Tapper, and others. You get to take on the role of a Crash Dummy, and instead of just crashing cars now you are out trying to earn a living the only way a Crash Dummy can: by doing ridiculous stunts and destroying himself. Along the way, you get to dive off of buildings, ski, pack bombs, and of course, crash cars.

The graphics are definitely a high for the Game Gear. Along the courses, you have to collect a number of items to complete each event, everything is easy to depict and clear and collision detection is dead on and control is accurate and tight and you will need it to help you complete each event. The first level has you diving off of a building and bouncing on awnings and splattering on a target on the ground. In the racing stage, you have to collect a specific amount of items. If you don’t meet the quota by the course’s end, you lose a life (you are only given five) and a big, fat game over comes up. The skiing stage is kind of funny, as you are test running a new course and you have to crash into at least 15 flags to complete it. As you can tell, each stage has its fair share of amusement. Stage four is similar to Tapper; you have to blow out the fuses on the lit bombs and allow a set number to fall off conveyors into boxes. Stage five is your Gravitar ripoff, where you’re in a spaceship and have to avoid enemies and walls and crash on a target. It’s not overly deep as far as gameplay is concerned, but it’s got a charm that keeps you amused for at least a little while.

The music is catchy and easy to hum along to, but there’s nothing that will stick in your head for days. Still, it works pretty well, and the sound effects are dead on and fitting. All of the sounds when you crash or splat are well done and add amusement to the game. Overall, everything works well in this Game Gear title, even if it feels like a lot of ideas are borrowed from other games.

So what kills it you ask? There are only five different events, and once you complete them you start over on a higher difficulty. The events are changed a bit and have different layouts but remain the same thing when it’s all said and done. It gets pretty boring and really gave me a “been there done that” feeling. I finally made it to the hard stages but never managed to finish every event, so I don’t know how the game ends. I will say that it’s not worth the mindless frustration, as this game gets way too hard on the last set of stages, and I could never finish the final space ship stage.

Incredible Crash Dummies isn’t a terrible game by any means. Heck, I’d even recommend it for times when you want a simple challenge that you can play for fifteen minutes or so and don’t want overly engaging gameplay. Aside from that, it’s not worth much more. If you found it for a buck, then go ahead and grab it, as it you may have at least some brief fun.

SCORE: 5 out of 10

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