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 • Released in 1991• Developed by GameTek • Genre: Game Show • Popularity Level: Ottawa Senators • Leonardite Rating: Independently Nifty • As they met midway on the rings over the ominously padded pit, the gargantuan defender met the challenger. He slid down his torso and on his way into the oblivion of defeat he took the challenger’s pants with him. I’m not sure if I actually remember this happening or not. I may have seen it, I may have heard about it, or I may have completely made it up when I was in second grade. But I always felt like I was on some powerful narcotic anyway while watching the American Gladiators, so it’s hard to separate the actual events from the out-of-body experiences. Between all the flashing lights, strangely dressed people, and platforms, the original working title of When LSD and Steroids Collide: Hosted by Larry Czonka seems pretty apt. Like every child born since 1980, when I see something on television that inspires me I automatically think one thing: I sure wish I could play that on a video game. Whereas past generations started working out or got educated to pursue these goals, everyone my age just figured it was easier to wait for the chance to immerse ourselves with our thumbs. We all lazily laid around for a couple years and eventually GameTek again rewarded our flagrant feelings of entitlement.
And here is where most people write off the game. Just because the Wall went on Nitro’s supplement regimen and swelled to insane proportions and just because the Human Cannonball takes place on a Lucifer-designed nine mile track and just because Assault now features Dr. Robotnik floating around in a spaceship firing oranges at your broad-shouldered He-Man, it doesn’t mean this game doesn’t simulate the show. Oh wait, I guess it does. Of the events listed on the main screen, Powerball is the only event that a person would logically conclude came from the show. The other events were apparently muddled in the translation and that is to say nothing of the Eliminator at the very end of the game, which appears to be a scene from Judge Dredd without the quality acting. This is where decisions have to be made. Most like video games for their reality escapism, some like them so they can run their character into walls and rest their rumbling controller on their crotches (me), but very few like them for their make-or-break or decisions. Unfortunately, American Gladiators forces you to make one. Are you going to reject this title simply because it’s not what you see on TV or are you going to give it a shot as a stand-alone game? If you decide to give it a chance, the odds are pretty good that you will not be disappointed.
…sort of. To the game itself, the controls are a bit hit-and-miss. There are times where things handle pretty tightly, like in Assault and Joust, but to say that the guys in Powerball handle like they are drunk is an insult to the motor skills of alcoholics everywhere. Moving at incremental 45 degree angles is something that people in most of our family trees won’t do until our aunt misguidedly marries that robot in 2011, but it happens here. To be fair, the Gladiators don’t run around with any more skill, but the movements of all the guys are so random and hard to control that even when you “beat” Powerball, you definitely don’t feel like you earned it. It’s kind of like the lottery game of the same name in that way, except that I’ve seen convenience store clerks who could get up and down the Powerball pitch a lot better than the retarded contestants on this game. The two platform games as alluded to before, are Joust and the Human Cannonball. The I-swear-to-Lace hardest part of the Joust is jumping from platform to platform in your quest to fight the next Gladiator. I understand that this wasn’t a part of the real show and I can see why, as I’m sure there were plenty of unnecessary broken legs that occurred when they actually tried it in real life. The Human Cannonball functions the same way, except that you don’t have to jump to new platforms in between Gladiators. But the face plants that your guy frequently does are painful to everyone in the house, even those not in the same room. I’m pretty sure there are many laws of physics that are ignored in this event, but if anyone is sitting down with an NES GamePak to analyze the faith shown to Newton, they should be returned to their cages at NASA for further geek analysis.
The final game is the Wall. Most people that hate this game hate it because of the Wall, which is like saying that most people who hate playing guitar hate it because it is hard to do. The Wall, once you sit down and actually learn how to do it, is by far the best thing on the game. They should have left everything else out of the game and just had twenty different walls to compete in. The four that are included range from pretty close to television to pretty close to a PCP delusion. Seriously, there were some major substance abuse problems in the GameTek offices at the time of this game’s creation. But their unhealthy highs did lead to some pretty sweet levels and a definite challenge for even the studliest gamer. Of course there is the Eliminator, but this is so confusing and so poorly presented that if anyone has actually taken the time to play all the way through it, please contact me and let me know how you did it – that is, if you haven’t already been named an honorary Congressman for your efforts. Bottom Line: American Gladiators should be purchased for the Wall, if nothing else. So what if it’s not like the show? If Czonka doesn’t mind, neither should you. E-mail the Leonardite |
  That's a pretty fair price for jerky, I think. Take some time and think about it: You've been in a building plenty of times where the cost of jerky was posted. For most of you it was a convenience store, for some of you it might have been at your frugal grandmother's. Regardless, how many of you actually have a photographic legacy with such a sign? See, now you're disappointed. Some might argue that I should have posted this picture instead:  I disagree. It's nothing personal, but I couldn't care less about the boobs that you all grab and I'm sure you feel the same about me. And besides, if you were really looking for mammary clutching, I suspect there might be some better photos out there on the internet than this one. Granted they don't feature people as awesome as the Swan and myself, but they're probably wearing a lot less clothes which I guess counts for something. In the spirit of the page, I really should be including a lot more American Gladiators pictures. Probably something like this:  If you want to talk superstars, just look at the picture above. How luxurious is their lifestyle? I don't want to divulge too many secrets, but I can tell you that Gemini doesn't pay more than $4 for his jerky. Now that's a life to aim for. Excuse me, but I'm off to GNC. |
