Snake Rattle 'n' Roll

Publisher: Sega Developer: Rare Size: 8 megs No. of players: 2(simultaneously) Got it for: $27.00, complete. A UK only release, a buddy overseas helped me secure this one off ebayUK. Thanks again Mike!!!
Ah, the snakes are back! Every fond memory you have of the NES version is quantified by the Genesis version's updated graphics and sound. You get to play as snake Rattle or Roll as you attempt to make your way to the top of a very strange mountain filled with feet, sharks, carpets and pibbles. Fun for the whole family...until your children ask you to turn off this old crap so they can play some GameCube(speaking of crap)... What's it all about? Slithering through the level, you(and a buddy) play the parts of Rattle and/or Roll in an attempt to find the exit "ringer" and activate it, thus moving on to the next level. In order to do this you'll have to consume these little, moving balls called "pibbles". Eating pibbles makes your snake longer, and allows you to take more hits(each hit will take a segment of your body away)...on top of that, it will make your snake heavier, allowing him to activate the ringer, which opens the exit. Along the way you'll be attacked by a variety of odd enemies and to defend yourself, the snakes can actually shoot their tongues out to "lick" these fuckers off the map. I don't know about licking that foot enemy...seems kinda nasty...
Graphics - Damn smooth. Being drawn in an isometric view, with a cartoony style, everything looks really impressive and colorful. The snakes themselves have a good deal of amusing animations as well, like eating a pibble and spitting out the legs or taking a hit.
Sound - Sort of an upbeat, almost cartoon-style soundtrack...it works. Sound effects are also very cartoon-like with the snakes crying as they fall off a cliff or their lip-smacking as they chew down a pibble.
Control - Takes some getting used to. Again, with everything being in an isometric view, the control has been adjusted to fit that. Getting around isn't too bad, but the jumps can be fucking rough at times. Missing the same one three or four times in a row may almost have you tossing the game...
AI - Pretty dumb. The enemies don't really come after you, you just sort of get in their way and they hit you. The shark and the foot are about the only things that actively chase you down.
Replay value - High! If you can get past the frustration of the jumps, coming back to find secrets and new ways to reach previously unattainable items can be a lot of fun.
Tips for better gaming experiences: Destroy every Foot you come across! Most will leave another life for you...
My rating: 77(out of 100) - A great update to the old NES game, this one still holds up after all this time. It looses major points only for the extreme difficulty in consistently making jumps. Seems more of a luck factor than actual skill...and that kills me...
JD's rant: Snakes? Snakes!? What kind of people make snakes the star of their own game!? Sick! At any rate, the isometric view is just too much, and the constant, impossible jumps they expect you to make are entirely too frustrating for this kitty.

Uh oh, it's the portable, angry-ass black hole!!	Come on you slow, one-segmented bastard!

The Foot!	Love those snakeys!
So angry!: Take a look at the NES box art sometime, it's weird to see how that on the MD version, the snakes look so angry and evil...{shiver} Also, at the end of each round, the snake who ate the fewest pibbles is punished quite brutally by explosion, being smashed, shot, etc. It's rough!