This is one of those amazing games that takes something completely ridiculous and makes it not only fun, but extremely cool. Sparkster the Rocket Knight, an opossum in armor and wearing a jet pack and wielding a sword. How could you go wrong with that? Sega and Konami seem to have a knack for making anthropomorphic animals cool. 

Graphics:
The graphics are spectacular, on the level with games like Sonic the Hedgehog and other amazing games in this era. The way the characters were drawn gives it a sort of epic cartoony feel, one that makes it still feel like you have to save the day, but it's not hard and gritty. It takes a special group of people to throw goggles and a jet pack on a possum, give him a sword, and make him look epic, even while hanging upside down from a tree.

Sound:
That music makes you feel like you could strap on a jet pack, grab your sword, and go out and make some pork chops from evil pigs invading your kingdom yourself. It has a heroic feel to it that helps keep this pork popping possum cool. The only thing is it's repetitive. The stage music doesn't change, at least through the first few stages. The in between music changes, and still has that heroic ring to it, along with Sparkster in a different heroic pose for each stage.

Addictiveness:
Even though the difficulty is fairly high up there, I find myself coming back to it again and again after subsequent defeats. It has a certain appeal to it that even though I'm getting my prehensile tail whipped, I still want to get right back up and whip the baddies curly ones.

Story:
Two warring kingdoms, betrayals, kidnappings, and ancient... Death Stars? Yes, this game has the PORKSTAR, obviously based of the weapon of doom of Star Wars fame. This game has a very interesting story, and is one of the things that will keep you coming back for more.

Depth:
There's only six stages, and with some practice, you will be zipping through them in no time. The game play offers much though. Through part of the stage, you're walking, slashing your sword at enemies, and charging your jet pack to shoot off toward the sky or a wall, or even to do a spin slash in place. A few smashed pig bots later, you're flying through the sky in a side scrolling shooter, taking down parachuting pigs popping projectiles at you. It also makes use of Sparkster's prehensile tail, gripping onto tree branches to move on to new areas.

Difficulty:
It can take a bit to figure out how to defeat each boss. There were moments when I thought a boss was impossible to defeat, but after a while you find it's weak point and remember it's pattern, and that pig goes down. You have to think a bit to figure out how to get through some of the levels, but eventually, you figure it out and pigs start perishing.

All in all, it's a fantastic game, with an interesting plot and amazing, fun graphics. The music makes you want to pick up a sword in real life and start smashing pig-built robots, and the slight difficulty and intriguing story keeps you coming back for more.