QUByte Classics: Zero Tolerance Collection by PIKO

Genre: Compilation / First-Person Shooter

Players: 1

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Review:

QUByte Classics: Zero Tolerance Collection by PIKO (from here on simply referred to as Zero Tolerance Collection) is a Compilation of 2 or 3 First-Person Shooters (depending on how you count). The original Zero Tolerance was first released on the Sega Genesis in 1994, and at the time it was seen as something of a technical marvel for how it managed to get a game in the style of Doom to work on Sega’s limited hardware. Its “sequel”, Zero Tolerance Underground, would have been included as bonus content on a never-released Sega CD port of Zero Tolerance. Finally, Beyond Zero Tolerance (AKA Zero Tolerance Beyond) is a previously-unreleased prototype demo for a third game in the series, which I have not reviewed here, not only because it is a demo rather than a full game, but because unlocking it requires completing one of the two other games.

So, since I’m not reviewing Beyond Zero Tolerance, here is what I thought of both of the other games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Zero Tolerance	First-Person Shooter	1	D+
tl;dr Zero Tolerance may have impressed players when it released on the Sega Genesis, but time has not been kind to this game. The gameplay takes place on a tiny portion of the screen, the framerates are abysmal, the viewing distance is horrible, the level design isn’t particularly good, movement and controls are stiff and outdated, and even fans of the original game will be disappointed to see that this release lacks the co-op mode that was in the original. There’s still some nostalgic charm to be found here, but modern players will likely wonder how the heck Genesis players found this game to be tolerable.
Zero Tolerance Underground	First-Person Shooter	1	D+
tl;dr This game features slightly-improved framerates and controls over its predecessor, but they’re still nowhere close to acceptable by modern standards. What’s more, the fact that this is basically bonus levels repurposed as a separate title means that the challenge level here is far too high and the game is too short.

In short, these games are relics that older players may have some nostalgia for, but modern players will undoubtedly feel are better left in the past. And while purists may appreciate these games being largely untouched, I can’t help but feel like including some optional upgrades would have helped these titles significantly – even modernizing the controls and improving the framerates would have gone great lengths to making these games playable by modern standards.

I found myself thinking about the Super Nintendo ports of Wolfenstein-3D and Doom, and how those would be similarly-unacceptable by today’s standards, but a look at some playthroughs of those games makes it clear that those titles have aged far better than this game. This is not only because the PC titles they’re based on are better-designed games in the first place, but because they run more smoothly than this game does, even when compromised to fit on the 16-bit hardware. It’s not like the Sega Genesis couldn’t handle this sort of game either – the Genesis version of Duke Nukem 3D runs better than this game as well (despite also being a highly-compromised port of the PC game).

Is this package at least a decent value? Honestly… yeah, I think so. While I don’t think most players will find the games themselves truly worth playing now with countless better alternatives, $10 for Zero Tolerance alone is a decent deal since a used copy of the original cartridge currently sells on eBay at prices starting at $15 or so, and then you toss in the never-released Zero Tolerance Underground and Beyond Zero Tolerance, and this is a dream come true for fans of the game.

The question is… are there fans of Zero Tolerance? Have they not played another First-Person Shooter in the last 30 years? Do they not realize there are a wealth of better games in this genre out there, including at least a few games that are free-to-play on the Nintendo Switch? If you’re one of those sheltered Zero Tolerance fans, or if you have on rose-tinted nostalgia glasses and want to revisit this “classic” game, I think you’ll find that this is a generous package containing plenty of content never before seen. However, if you aren’t a fan of this museum piece, you are far better-served playing one of the many better games in the genre on the Nintendo Switch.

tl;dr – QUByte Classics: Zero Tolerance Collection by PIKO is a Compilation containing a classic First-Person Shooter from the Sega Genesis, Zero Tolerance, as well as two previously-unreleased “sequels” (sort of). For fans of the original game, this is a great package, but be aware that this game has aged horribly in numerous ways, with everything from the framerates and controls to the view distance and level design being absolutely terrible by today’s standards. Unless you’re a fan of the original release, skip this Compilation.

Grade: D+

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