From the ad:
"Zeus has answered your prayers. And now, it's time to take your place among the gods in this hot new PlayStation game console adventure. Explore three worlds of 3-D game play right out of Disney's Hercules movie - with the original character voices, sound effects and music. Mangle monsters like Hydra and the Cylcops. Terminate the Titans. Save Thebes from a hostile takeover. Hey, this game can make you immortal!"
Hercules was published by Virgin Games in 1997 and is based on the Disney animated movie of the same name. Whereas the 16-bit generation included endless side-scrolling platform adventure games, 32-bit systems were transitioning to 3D. Games like Tomb Raider and Super Mario 64 popularized this genre but personally, I never really made the transition. Hercules fits in sort of a middle ground but for the most part feels more like a traditional 2-D side-scroller.
If you like 2D and/or 3D adventure games and are a Disney fan, this game isn't bad. While movie licenses often make terrible games, it isn't always the case and Disney really did an above average job most of the time. 16-bit consoles, it is still reasonably solid.
Hercules does a good job of capturing the look and feel of the movie. Environments are colorful and varied, the animation is smooth, and the voice clips are even from the original cast. While the controls are nothing special, the mechanics are straightforward. The soundtrack also includes music from the film and this is another thing that Disney has typically always done a good job with.
While the game overall is pretty good, it isn't perfect and I would say it was made with the younger player in mind. The game is very short so experienced players will likely be able to complete it in a matter of hours. Even though the game is pretty good, I don't think there is a lot of replayability here. Also, while the controls might be easy and straightforward, this is a double-edged sword. There is nothing here to frustrate you but there is also a lot of repetition when it comes to combat.
This game isn't really my cup of tea but it isn't a bad game. If you like Hercules, usually like Disney games, or just like this style of game in general, then you should definitely give it a try. In addition to being released on the PlayStation, it was also released on the PC. I was a little surprised to see that this game was available on gog.com. Often, licensed games don't see these kinds of re-releases. While being more of a retrogamer I would probably prefer the original PlayStation version, but at only $5.99 it's hard not to recommend this as a cheap and easy way to play the game.
Screen shots above are from the PlayStation version of the game. The ad (top and bottom) is from the September 1997 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
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