Genre: Action platformer
Developer: Easy Trigger
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing

This reviewer used to think "Metal Slug" was the best looking video game he had ever seen-- now it's Huntdown. Huntdown's visuals are like an amalgamation of Sega CD dithering, Neo Geo-level animation plus sprite sizes, combined with the very best elements of pre-3D Blizzard, or early-90s Interplay, with little looping character portraits and oversized personality. The neon-lit cyberpunk skyscapes, slime-filled sewers, and "Streets of Rage"-esque oriental castle interiors are more packed with detail than a James Joyce novel. The hockey player zone final boss in particular is so rich that he almost look pre-rendered!

Huntdown's music is pre-recorded, and is deliberately reminiscent of an early-90s Red Book soundtrack both in aural character and compositional style. One can pluck out the kinds of "Eternal Champions"-esque waveforms that the Mega Drive's YM2612 would produce. Unfortunately, the music blends a little too much in the background, and doesn't do quite enough to lend each area its own sense of place. The title is filled with over-the-top voice acting, and it works wonderfully with the game's world and aesthetic.

Huntdown can be played alone or in a two-player cooperative mode. X jumps, square shoots, triangle triggers special weapons such as grenades, and circle is used to toggle between up-to-two weapons. R2 allows for a dash move, with invincibility frames. Cover can be taken behind crates or vehicles-- holding up on the dpad allows the player to "step back" into doorwards to avoid gunfire. The control scheme and physics feel great-- but the level design is a bit of a letdown; it's all a bit too predictable, and doesn't have the "ebb and flow" which characterizes the best classic titles this game is emulating.

This title is worth a playthrough just for its art style alone: it's one of the prettiest games ever created, and is full of life and charm and character, with cool enemy designs, exciting vistas, and even better bosses, many of which are pleasantly challenging. Even though Huntdown misses the mark a little overall with its somewhat unremarkable music, and stage designs which all follow the exact same pattern, it's still a solid game with sound gameplay principles, and enjoyable cooperative two-player support.