Judge Dredd
Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis
Nostalgia Factor:
Back in 1995, I was one of the few people out there who liked the movie Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone. I liked it so much, in fact, that I went out and bought the novelization of the movie as well as the video game for the Sega Genesis. This game quickly became one of my favorites, and I spent a LOT of time playing through it over and over again. In fact – insert random Dan trivia here – I was playing this very game when my mom called me and my brother into the living room to tell us she was divorcing our A-hole stepfather. God, I hated that man. I’ll always remember that glorious moment in life, and I’ll always associate it with Judge Dredd for the Sega Genesis.
Fast forward to the year 2021. I haven’t played Judge Dredd since the 90s. Both the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis version of the game are available on my RetroPie. I debated for a few moments between which of the games I wanted to play. I had always heard the SNES version of the game was better, but at the same time I wanted to relive some of that nostalgia I’d get from playing the Genesis version.
My sensible side won out, and I ended up playing the SNES version of Judge Dredd. Why not play the better version of the game if both were available to me? Well, it turns out that I enjoyed my time with the game SO MUCH, I ended up playing through it a second time – this time for the Genesis.
Which of the versions would reign supreme? In only my second ever dual system review, I’ll take a look at both games and make the final call.
Story:
The first part of the game loosely follows the events of the film, Judge Dredd. You shoot bad guys, you’re framed for murder, you’re sent out into the Cursed Earth where you have to fight your way back into the city, you expose the crimes of your evil clone Rico, and you head to his base at the Statue of Liberty to kill him and clear your name once and for all.
This game extends the action past the events of the film, however, which I found to be quite the pleasant surprise. Defeating Rico only brings you to the halfway point of the game. In the second half of the game, you do Judge things around the city – fighting bad guys, rescuing hostages, and putting an end to riots. The game ends with a nod to the comic books, when you are sent to the Deadworld to kill the Dark Judges and end their threat once and for all.
Gameplay:
Aside from a few minor differences, the SNES and the Genesis versions of Judge Dredd are essentially the same game. You fight through a series of stages, each with a clearly defined primary and secondary mission objective. There are terminals scattered throughout each stage that will give you updates on the status of your mission. Examples of missions include: destroy all the enemy weapon caches, destroy barrels of toxic waste, defeat 100% of a certain enemy type, open all locked doors – that kind of thing. You must complete your primary mission before you are allowed to exit a level. Secondary missions are optional. The only incentive to complete them is for bonus points.
You start out with just your default single fire gun and your melee attack. As you progress throughout the game, you’ll pick up a variety of different ammunition types that you can use. What’s cool about Judge Dredd is that you don’t have to kill your enemies. For an added points bonus, you can apprehend them and send them back to jail instead. To do this simply shoot your enemies with a rubber bullet, which will cause them to surrender. Be warned though – not all enemies are susceptible to the rubber bullets and must be subdued in other ways. Enemies with heavy body armor will only surrender after getting hit with a grenade, some enemies will only surrender after melee attacks, etc.
As you get further into the game you’ll quickly discover which ammunition types are the most effective against which enemies. There aren’t a whole lot of boss battles in this game, but the ones you do have to endure quickly become a war of attrition since it is so hard to avoid their attacks. Make sure you are saving your heavier duty ammunition for these fights so you can make quick work of the bosses.
I don’t know what it is about this game, but I found it so much more fun than other platformers of its era. Aladdin? Earthworm Jim? X-Men 2: Clone Wars? These games don’t hold a candle to Judge Dredd for me entertainment wise. I know I am probably in the minority with this opinion, but I don’t care. I had an absolute blast playing this game, and I found myself not able to put down the controller as I was playing it. It’s fun, it’s addicting, it’s challenging, and it hits all the right spots with what I am looking for in a 90s 2D platformer. I loved it when I was a kid and I love it as an adult.
Now let’s get to the nitty gritty: which version of the game is better – the SNES or the Genesis version? When it comes to controls, hands down it is the SNES version. Everything from running to jumping to switching out your weapon is so much smoother for the SNES. In fact, I started playing the Genesis version immediately after beating the SNES version and I found myself having a really difficult time adapting to the stiffer, less responsive Genesis controls. I just simply couldn’t do it after playing the SNES game.
I decided to wait a few days and come back to the Genesis version when the SNES version wasn’t so fresh on my mind. And guess what? I immediately was able to adapt and dive into the Genesis version of Judge Dredd. When you have nothing to compare it to, the game is perfectly playable and in many ways just as fun as the SNES version.
But as far as which version controls, plays, and handles better – it’s the SNES version. Hands down.
SNES Dredd: 1. Genesis Dredd: 0.
Graphics:
The graphics for the SNES version are better as well. It’s brighter, it’s more colorful, it’s more detailed, and the animations are much smoother. Not that the Genesis game necessarily looks bad or anything. Like I said before, if you had never played the SNES version of the game you wouldn’t even know what you were missing. Regardless of which version you are playing, this game has a lot of personality and it really shines through in its stage design and its enemy variety. This is a good looking 16-bit platformer.
SNES Dredd: 2. Genesis Dredd: 0.
Sound:
Finally, the Genesis version of the game is able to steal the spotlight a little bit. Both games sound good, sure, but the Genesis version of the game just has that booming, gritty Genesis edge to its music that I find hard to put into words. The SNES version by comparison sounds “weaker”.
I didn’t really notice a difference in the game’s sound effects, but reviews I’ve read online say that the SNES version’s SFX are better. If so, it was not significant enough for me to notice. The Genesis definitely takes the edge here.
SNES Dredd: 2. Genesis Dredd: 1.
Overall:
I hate to say it, since I grew up such a big fan of the Genesis version, but the SNES version of Judge Dredd is the superior game. If you only have the time or the means to play one of these versions, make it the Super Nintendo one.
Both versions of the game are very fun, however. I am probably one of the only people in the universe that holds this opinion, but I think Judge Dredd is one of the better 2D platformers of the 16-bit era. I could not put this game down as I made my way through it. It is so fun and addicting. The levels are large, there are different, innovative approaches you can take to make your way through each stage. I like the mission objectives. I like the weapons. I like the enemy variety. I like the little gimmicky gadgets (like the hover belt). The music is good. Even the story is whacky and fun. This is a truly underappreciated game.
Controversial opinion here: but for the amount of time you spend playing each game, I had more fun overall with Judge Dredd than I did with something like The Witcher 3. The entire time I spent playing Judge Dredd, I had a great time. I can’t say I had a great time with every second, every minute of all 100 something hours of the Witcher 3. Do what you want with that opinion. Is Judge Dredd better than The Witcher?
Okay, you can stop laughing now. But seriously: this is a great game. Check it out!
Final Score:
Super Nintendo: A-
Genesis: B+
If you liked this review, check out some of my other game reviews:
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