Super Burgertime
Last month, I reviewed a different Burgertime sequel, Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory.  As you can see, there are more than one Burgertime game out there.  But will this one be a worthy sequel like Diner or a let down like Peter Pepper?  To start with, this game came out much later than any of the other Burgertime games.  Where Peter Pepper came out in 1984 (and the original Burgertime came out in 1982), this game was made in 1990.  So it was appealing to a different audience and had to be a different game.  Also, it came out in a time when games were made to eat as many of your quarters as possible and this game fits that profile to a T.  Unlike any of the previous games, this game features some very 90's changes.  These are the ability to continue and the boss battles. 

The first thing you will notice about this game is that it is much brighter than the previous game.  Everything is so colorful.  It reminds me quite a bit of the Neo Mr. Do game for the Neo Geo.  It borders on gaudy with the graphics and especially the color palette.  The second thing you will notice is that there is alot more bad guys this time.  Not only in variety, but also quantity.  A good dozen creatures will swarm upon you and you have little time to react.  Not only are there alot of bad guys, but some have different abilities.  A few take more than one hit of pepper and at least one (the giant pea) can shoot stuff at you (pea pods).  Each new villain and there are many of them, will take a few deaths to learn their special abilities.

The levels are unique in design.  While they are very reminiscent of the original with burgers to put together and ladders to go up and down, there are a few differences.  First off, you cannot just walk over the burgers.  You need to jump on them.  They are higher than the levels and you need to jump up on them and then keeping jumping to knock them down a level.   I found it easiest if you push the controller down while pushing the jump button.  Otherwise, you jump up and can get hit by a creature on the level above.  Also, some levels need to be scrolled to complete.  It is definitely not your old Burgertime. 

A good thing about this game is you do not run out of pepper.  At least I never was able to run out.  And with the amount of food coming after you, this is a very good thing.  There are special weapons you can pick up, like giant spatulas, that are along the sides.  These allow you to whack the daylights out of the food creatures at a safe distance.  There is also a difference with the pepper.  Now after you stun someone, you can go over and kick them off the screen.  A great way to clear the board for a few seconds.  But be warned that some creatures, like the giant pea, need more than one shot of pepper to stun them. 

Overall, this is a very fun and enjoyable game.  It does not have the near perfect balance of the original Burgertime, but you must remember that it is set up to get you to part with all your money and in that regard it succeeds.  It is not the play through multiple levels on a single quarter that you remember.  But it is fun and if you can get past the very gaudy level design (see above picture for a perfect example), you will find a very fun game.

This is just a review of the arcade machine.  If you are looking for the actual arcade machine, you may want to check out ebay.  Click below to see if you can find this game.