Publisher: Interplay Developer: Interplay Release Date: 1994
NOTHING LIKE A GOOD OLD PICK AND FLICK ADVENTURE!!
Seriously, how friggin’ nineties is this game? In a time of Koosh Balls, Micro Machines, Tamagotchi, Stretch Armstrong and Toxic Crusaders, Boogerman fits right into the mix. I wonder how it would fare these days? Not that there’s anything over-the-top about the premise, but with today’s “sue everyone” attitude (something that was still a humorous, fledgling concept in the early-to-mid nineties), who knows what would happen to a company that dared to “encourage kids to attack and defend themselves with their own mucous.”
And for those of you who have no idea what the hell I’m talking about, well, just click the link. You might learn something. Something useless of course, but still.
Anyways…
The thing about Boogerman as a character is that he strikes a chord with that inner-kid everyone has. Not the one who enjoys puppies and dancing in a breezy field, but the one that sticks a frog down his/her best friend’s shirt when they’re not looking. The one who would find a way to completely gross out the friggin’ field-dancing puppy-lover. The little bastard in you sounds more appropriate.
The beauty of Boogerman is its simplicity. The usual level (five to be exact) themed towards the main characters (i.e. – Flatulent Swamps, Boogerville, etc.) each with their own like-themed boss with their own funny quips as the fight begins. At the end of it all, you confront the Boogermeister in the Pus Palace.
But that’s all the usual fanfare. Boogerman as he was depicted was the real draw.
It’s a kind of Batman take on things. You are millionaire Snotty Ragsdale. When you’re not caring for the environment, you are moonlighting as Boogerman!! fighting for the freedom of………ummm. I guess they never really mentioned that part. He was trying to retrieve a pollution machine for this game, but as far as what he did besides that…umm. You see, we never really needed that much info in the nineties. His name was Boogerman and he had powers and fought things. Big things…with his boogers. He would flick them. You know, with sounds effects and everything. The animations were great, I assure you.
He didn’t have just boogers, though. No sir. He also had burps & farts (which could give way to fire burst/flight when a Chili Pepper was ingested. Huhh? Didn’t see that one coming did ya?). He also had a butt-stomp when all other resources were depleted. My favorite was when you would guzzle a bottle of milk and hawk a loogie like a friggin’ bullet. Well done!!
And although he did have a cape, he ran more than he flew. However, at the beginning/end of each stage he would hop in/out of a toilet, which was moderately priceless at the time.
I can almost see the looks on the faces of the kids reading this. Yes it does seem like old hat nowadays. Yes it does seem kind of lame in retrospect. But remember there wasn’t anything like this back in 1994. This sort of thing was still moderately taboo. Maybe kids today are more sophisticated and think I’m a jerk for liking this game.
Well if you do than screw you because I can buy beer at bars and all you can do is be awkward around girls so hah!
Anyways.
As I look back on this game – as I look back on every game I Retro Review, I see how times have changed in the video game world. Games like this really don’t exist anymore. And that’s what is supposed to happen, I guess. But maybe not. Maybe it’s all a damn shame.
But in any case, I still recommend Boogerman for a play. For people my age it’s a welcome romp through times long gone. And for the younger crowd well, maybe in some small way they can see how their fathers grew up the way they did. You know…grossly.
Durka.
THEN: 8.5 out of 10 - NOW: 7 out of 10
