The ReBoot game, based off the cult favorite show of the same name, was released in 1998 by Electronics Arts.  As a gamer and a big fan of the show at the time I rushed out and purchased it.  My memories of the game over the years have faded, so I picked up another copy this past month and have been playing it through again.  I must say the game still has many redeeming qualities that I adore to this day.

     The storyline is relayed by turning the game into an episode of ReBoot, using cut scenes to move the character through each piece of the story.  They were able to secure the original voice actors and even have the animation studio do the cut scenes. Without that kind of authenticity, games based off of movies or television shows have a real bad tendency to not do so well.  The overall feel of the game is that you are in control of the world at hand and that you are in an episode of the show, not just running through missions. Your goal is take out the bad guys, gain sector keys, and mend tears in Mainframe.  You have a very limited time to mend each tear, which is displayed on screen.  The difficult thing about the tears is they zap at you and try to drag you closer which will cause you to lose life if you get pulled in.

     The controls, on the other hand, are a different matter entirely. The general control scheme of the game feels very familiar, using L1 and R1 to strafe and the standard usage of the triangle, square, and X buttons for firing and switching weapons.  The real difficulty with the controls is with the movement across the level.  You are situation on what could be termed as a hoverboard the entire time.  In theory that sounds great, but in practice it can be very difficult to control your character.  It is hard to go in a straight line at times because of the way the handling is.  The developers probably could have spent more time on the control scheme there but did focus on making an authentic experience, which does make up a lot.

     Overall my experience with the game, back in 1998 and now in 2008 are the same.  It really has the draw to pull you into the game and gets you immersed into the game and story. With it’s blend of authentic storylines and videos, with the humor and inside jokes that you only find with ReBoot, you can’t help but get immersed in the experience. It does have some drawbacks on the control scheme, and can be quite difficult on further levels; it still stands true through the test of time.  If you ever come across a copy of this game, which ranges anywhere from $5-$15, I highly recommend picking it up.  This is a game that should be in every gamer’s collection.