It’s time to indulge the millennials with one of the classic TV adult comedy gems, Beavis and Butthead. This extremely extraordinary duo might be classified as incels by today’s pop culture. They make a lot of sexual and inappropriate jokes followed by plain stupidity which makes this show very naturalistic in a sense. However, many people forgot or didn’t even know that there existed a Beavis and Butthead video game. This hilarious satirical duo even made their way onto gamer platforms such as the Beavis and Butthead SNES game and the Beavis and Butthead Arcade game.
The ‘lost’ Beavis and Butthead Arcade Game
Beavis and Butt-Head Arcade – Full Playthrough – Game Beaters – YouTube Arcade gameplay link
The Beavis and Butthead Arcade game is a 2d beat-em-up game with a similar gameplay mechanic such as the Final Fight series. However, the Beavis and Butthead arcade game encompasses very unique features such as fighting all kinds of random bypassers – from old grannies up to almost naked dancers. You should play this with a friend, not only for fun, but it makes the games easier, as well. You have a set number of lives until you defeat the final boss and move on to the next stage. However, the developer never completed the game. Henceforth, the game contains only 4 stages out of the originally meant 6 stages.
After beating each stage, you play ridiculous mini-games such as couch-in-fishing or Beavis and Butthead in Burger World. For its age when the Beavis and Butthead Arcade Game was released, the graphics are nice. The game does a good job of capturing the feeling of the original MTV show. The game also features original voice acting from the one and only Mike Judge who voiced both of the main characters. Surprisingly, Atari constructed the cabinet for this game on a 3DO platform intended for another Atari game that was never released.
Why was it canceled?
Atari canceled the game for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the game didn’t have enough testers to test it. Henceforth, the developers had many doubts about the game. Secondly, Midway bought Atari which led to the cancellation of many games, including this one. Lastly, the show itself had a very controversial reception, which led to the uncertainty of whether this game is appropriate for release.
However, in some places, the game is still playable. For example, in Galloping Ghost you can play the game normally. The Galloping Ghost Arcade restored this unique unit way back in 2016.
Beavis and Butthead: SNES edition
There are three different games titled Beavis and Butthead, on three different consoles. You can play this game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Game Gear, and Sega Genesis. The Game Gear and Sega Genesis versions have the same plot where Beavis and Butthead scour their surroundings in hopes of finding money in Highland. They want to use that money to buy concert tickets for a sick GWAR concert. The Beavis and Butthead SNES version has a different plot. In this version, the two main characters undergo dangerous activities to get to the GWAR concert for free.
Realtime Associates produced the Super NES version, NuFX developed the Game Gear version, and Radical Entertainment developed the Genesis/Mega Drive version. Viacom New Media published all three versions of the game and launched them in 1994. Torus Games later produced a Game Boy version. GT Interactive published the game in 1999, following Beavis and Butthead’s series finale and subsequent MTV cancellation.
The gameplay is kinda similar to the Beavis and Butthead Arcade game. However, in the Beavis and Butthead SNES version, you control both of the characters while hitting enemies and dodging various projectiles such as burgers out of a pan. There are short cutscenes in the game where Beavis and Butthead mumble to each other followed by subtitle text. The graphics are very coherent to the TV series and overall is a good depiction of the original.
Reception and Reviews
Most of the reviewers focused on the Genesis version as it mostly has the best reviews. The Beavis and Butthead SNES version was met with some more severe criticism as it was often compared to the Genesis version. The game “doesn’t suck, but it doesn’t rule either,” according to GamePro’s assessment of the Super NES version. They commended the controls and the game’s reproduction of the TV show’s appearance once more, but called the gameplay “straightforward but uninspired.”
Just like the show, the reception was controversial and mixed, as only the hardcore Beavis and Butthead fans enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the game on its own was not enticing enough to pull in other fans into the franchise.
