Metacritic Games

Body Harvest (Nintendo 64)

Blast alien bugs and take a 1920's buggy on a joy ride in Body Harvest, a genre-splitting title from Midway. This game offers an abundance of the elusive quality which many games lack: originality. In this time-warping Pak, an alien species of bug-like invaders have come to Earth. They don't want to take over the planet. They don't want to speak to our leader. They simply want to feed on our flesh in an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord. In fact, the aliens actually introduced humans to the planet Earth, intending to raise us like cattle. The alien bugs warp between different time periods and it is up to you, a genetically enhanced soldier named Adam Drake, to put a stop to the fast food binging. Body Harvest focuses heavily on action, because the bugs don't have the mental capacity to spar with words. You have to shoot or run over them. The alien insects are big, they're mean, and they're organized. Specific duties are assigned to each different type of soldier. Flying aliens scout the landscape for human settlements and radio the ground patrols when they find a potential meal. There are three different types of baddies which work on the ground: battering bugs to knock down houses, bloodthirsty drones, and quivering gelatinous molds to harvest the helpless humans. [Nintendo]

Midway
Action
Players: 1
T (Teen)
Developer: DMA Design
Released October 1, 1998

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

73 / 100

Critic Reviews

90	Electric Playground Bustling with alien activity, brimming with challenges and boasting the largest collection of controllable vehicles you've ever seen in an action-adventure game, Body Harvest is a blast from beginning to end. It was definitely worth the wait!
90	Nintendorks DMA has managed to develop one hell of a gaming experience. The sci-fi alien plot and time travelling backdrop make for theater-worthy situations, and it's a blast to feel at times like you're playing out a movie.
86	Nintendojo A very ambitious game and would have been a SPECTACULAR title if it was on a larger cartridge and more time was put into tweaking it. What Body Harvest does well however is setting the mood. At its best, the game makes the movie Aliens look tame.
85	TotalGames.net Body Harvest is big, different enough to stand out among the clutter of Mario clones, and ambitious in a way that very few N64 games dare to be. Body Harvest had the potential to be one of the best games on the N64, but as anyone who''s seen insects like termites at work will know, little bugs can bring great structures crashing down.
84	IGN Despite some control problems, the interesting mixture of many gameplay elements makes this a winner. Crank up the music and turn down the lights -- and let the harvest begin.
80	Hot Games Despite the out of date and fuzzy graphics, Body Harvest is one of those games that just refuses to get boring. With the wide range of vehicles, challenging puzzles and frenetic blasting action, there's something to please everyone here.
80	Games Domain Body Harvest is a great game. It's fresh, it's challenging and it's absolutely massive. As an action/adventure title it works superbly. In a world full of clones and sequels, it's nice to see such a fresh title.
70	Total Video Games Body Harvest ended up being a highly entertaining game and one that I would definitely recommend. Who knows, you might just discover that it is gameplay and not graphics that make a good game after all.
70	GameSpot Playing DMA Design's Body Harvest is like taking the lead role in a BBC sci-fi TV series. The visuals may not be revolutionary, and the story may be a bit cheesy, but there's something unmistakably charming about the whole thing.
60	All Game Guide Yet another delightful and highly original game from DMA Design. If you're looking for a long and challenging game, or a more adult-oriented title, Body Harvest fits the bill.
60	Adrenaline Vault Video games are meant to be entertainment, but I found Body Harvest to be more of an effort in patience than anything else. Although Midway should be commended for trying to create a hybrid RPG/shooter game, the ultimate result is somewhat boring.
33	Game Revolution You want gamers to really hate your game? Here's how to do it. Make the gameplay repetitive and uninteresting, then let them complete 99% of a level only to have the character die inexplicably and restart the level all over again. Body Harvest fits the preceding bill to a "T". This game has neither the innovation, the depth, nor a halfway interesting story to keep you playing for any extended period of time.

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