Crossover: Scud The Disposable Assassin

If there's one thing to be learned from comic-based games, it's that a great comic does not always translate into a good game. Just look at all the awful Superman, Spider-Man, and X-Men games that have been released over the years. Granted, some games -like Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis- were based on crappy characters anyway, but you'd be amazed at how a lot of rich sources can be absolutely squandered on some truly worthless games.

Case in point: Rob Schrab's Scud: The Disposable Assassin was/is one of the weirdest and funniest comics to hit shelves in a long time, mainly because of the bizarre and hyperkinetic science-fiction world it is set in. The plot follows Scud, a robotic assassin bought out of a vending machine and sent to remove someone from the gene pool. Just wait, the plot gets weirder:

During his first mission, Scud glances in a mirror and sees the warning label on his back explaining how he will explode upon completion of his mission. Realizing that he doesn't want to die, Scud mortally wounds Jeff, shooting off her arms and legs, then takes her to a hospital placing her on life support ensuring their mutual survival.

Scud: TDA's main plot follows Scud's career as a freelance mercenary and assassin, working to pay off Jeff's medical bills.

Now, you would think that this kind of comic would translate well into a fun action/shooter title involving all sorts of crazy gunplay, maybe some funky puzzles, and plenty of quirky dialogue from a number of strange characters. Sadly, the game's translation to the Sega Saturn was nothing like this; instead it featured a lot of basic platforming through a number of repetitive levels that were occupied by a bunch of generic-looking enemies. The FMV movies were awful, as well, mainly because of their horrendous video quality; as a result, players often found themselves skipping the movies and moving onto the unimpressive gameplay instead. Where the game did shine, though, was its soundtrack. A number of indie bands were featured on it, and the only soundtrack I ever liked more was that which accompanied Stubbs The Zombie.

If you still have a Sega Saturn, it's pretty easy to find a copy of Scud via eBay these days, though there's not much reason to own the title for anything more than novelty's sake. Well, that and the fact that the box art was pretty damn cool.