I have been playing a fair amount of shooters lately, particularly on the Genesis (Mega Drive), and wanted to share a few thoughts...
A lot of my earlier opinions about which were best were I feel too shallow. I often wanted the sort of game that came off best in a screenshot or quick clip like as seen in a commercial. I'd prefer games that had the "coolest-looking" ship for instance (triangular usually, like Silpheed's, or sexy like R-Type's). These I still like, but I've grown to appreciate some of the lesser titles that don't get as much attention. And I hope it isn't because they're lesser titles. I hope it's not rooting for the underdog type thinking. But here goes:
MASTER OF WEAPON
Admittedly I have not played much of this one, but immediately the second level with its view over the highway cutting left and right and revealing skyscrapers below is quite fascinating. It has very fast gameplay. The arcade version seems easier with at least an easier 1st level boss.
SAGAIA (GRADIUS II)
Completely overlooked this one. I had heard people praise it, but I was under the impression they came from the early days of the system or were fans of the game in the arcades, and were hungry for whatever they could get their hands on, as I didn't see much in this port. The music and graphics seemed weak, the sound effects were annoying. The gameplay in general seemed very left-to-right boring. But while some of that is still true, and Taito's games of that time often had a lo-fi, kind of low budget quality (strange, considering their popularity with Space Invaders), this one does entertain when played all the way through. If only for the different bosses, all of which are fish, the music which grows on you, and more importantly the enemy patterns which are never too frustrating but are still fun to shoot through. There is definitely a feeling that you can conquer this one, that all enemies and powerups can be acquired -- the gameplay is not too hectic. It's also fun to choose your course and see what's different along the way.
MUSHA
A great game of course. A lot has been said about it -- I don't think I can add anything, but sometimes it may be worth comparing one Compile shooter to the next, as they all seem quite similar in the way the items drop, in the types of weapons you get and the general patterns in the games.
SLAP FIGHT MD
I think I praised this one before, because of the special mode available in the options which appears to be a whole new game. I do still like the new game better, because I like those background graphics (the space station environments with blinking lights), but the old game seems to have a good deal of charm too and appears to be a favorite among arcade fans of the day for achieving high scores. I think because it loops pretty fast (~15 minutes). Many Toaplan games seemed to involve looping and I'm not sure that was really THAT common of a feature with shooters, but maybe I'm mistaken.
GRIND STORMER
A late Toaplan game, although graphically and sonically it seems more like an earlier work in many ways, if only because stuff they did around the same time (Batsugun) are more impressive. But it was using old MD-like hardware in the arcade -- the Genesis version is pretty close, and includes the V-Five version in the options (the Japanese ROM has it switched, with Grind Stormer being the optional game). I think this game is pretty underrated. The gameplay sure is good at times, with a lot of intensity. I have beaten it (I am not very good at video games). Only six levels, I think. But like I said above, it's about looping and achieving high scores. Actually I can't remember if the MD allows looping, but I think it does, like Fire Shark. Anyway, GS has fairly ugly, trashy-looking graphic, though they grew on me. The choices are odd and stand out in the history of shooters, with peach and orange-colored ships, for instance. The sound I originally hated but grew to like all right. Has kind of a typical Toaplan sound really. It grows on you.
FIRE SHARK
Overlooked this one for many years, but then read a rave review somewhere. Funny how once you read people's appreciations you can't help but notice the name in articles and websites wherever you go -- it pops out at you due to familiarity and then you realize how omnipresent it always was. Well, I guess this game was famous, but I never desired it because it was airplane shooting and looked boring. Nonetheless it has very good gameplay and I actually like the graphics a good deal. Especially the explosions and sprite interaction when firing (the changing of colors of enemies when you are hitting them -- it is not a standard flash-to-white as many games do, especially more recently when 2D is done, such as in Odin Sphere). The powerups are a bit ridiculous. Everyone chooses the fire one and with good reason because it's about 2x as good as everything else. This means you spend half the time trying to dodge your powerups bouncing around, making it feel kind of like Breakout or Arkanoid at times (as the powerups take a long time to leave the screen). Raiden had a similar problem (or "feature"). Intentional or not I don't see it as a feature and wish there was a way to just choose which upgrade path you like and then pick up whatever powerup comes along and not care how it changes you. The Hudson Soft shooters on the PC Engine had this problem as well, and Compile games. I know it was just how it was at the time.
SOL-DEACE
I knew it first as Sol-Feace with its amazing soundtrack. I've always liked this one although my opinion's never really changed too much. Well, it's grown more positive over the years simply because I memorized the patterns and got past some cheap parts, such as all the flicker in stage 3. Nonetheless, it has art design to die for. I even recently sent the art director, who was also the main director of the game, a fan letter, although he hasn't gotten back to me. He seems to do creepy manga art now. Maybe he doesn't even remember making it.
ELIMINATE DOWN
Did not know about this one until I saw some "top 40" or "100" type list of Mega Drive games which fascinatingly concentrated on shooters and ended up putting this one first. To my eyes it looks a bit ugly, with bad (amateurish) color choices at times, some poorly drawn art, and a "me-too" choice of settings and enemies throughout, but it appears to be a very solid title. I am just reluctant to play games by ROM alone anymore, and wish to own them first (ethical concerns), and this one sells for one pretty penny! Sometimes over $700! Yikes! Just out of my league, sorry. Anyway, it seems to have been done by a very small team, like four people, and their company quickly folded afterwards, after this one and only game.
UNDEAD LINE
Still not sure about this one. It seems it may be better (fairer) in the original versions on Sharp X68000. Sol Feace also originated there. I just haven't played it enough but it seemed cheap, or too frustrating. The graphics didn't really hook me (despite the subject metter -- usually I'm a sucker for dark and dank and horror type environments).
ELEMENTAL MASTER
A decent one by TecnoSoft, though at first glance you might not know it. It just doesn't shine visually half the time like their mainline titles do. Well, then again it does. Certainly it has strong bosses and detail in the enemies, but the sprites are small and it is imitating the Tate Mode of other vertical shooters by cutting off some of the screen space on the right for stats. This one is very good, however, with some strong music (perticularly in the opening) and I love the ability to fire backgrounds (down) whenever you want. That's something Undeadline needed.
The option to choose which of the first four stages you play is off-putting to me though. I never know which is really the best and it's a half-assed attempt at making it like Mega Man in giving you a special ability after beating a certain boss (or any of them)? I found it too ambiguous and would rather have linearity because you probably end up choosing a certain order every time since a certain boss drops a powerup that makes the others easier.
THUNDER FORCE IV (LIGHTENING FORCE)
Still haven't gotten into this one. I know it's technically impressive -- amazing -- but it just barely appeals to me. Maybe too hard. Or maybe I just don't like rock.
TRUXTON (TATSUJIN)
Supposedly this one is harder in the Japanese version. I have the Japanese version. I have gotten pretty far into it. In my opinion, one of the best shooters out there. I now know what people mean when they say that. Initially I thought it just seemed weird, with odd bug-like aliens you're fighting and weird space station environments, an annoying checkpoint system, music that grated a bit, and other frustrations, but now I totally dig it. It just has a nice mood to it. Some people prefer the PC Engine version, but I think I like this Sega-ported one best. Well, arcade one seems good too -- the best -- but the Sega one is good and they adjusted the gameplay right considering they still had to chop off some of the vertical space despite the way they present it (in semi-tate mode).
This one just has a GOOD space atmosphere, with wonderful use of color. Best seen on a CRT. Bright strong blue lazers that fill the screen, a cool skull effect for a crash/bomb, and each level is different and requires learning. I wish I had known about this one earlier and don't understand why it slipped by my radar for so long. Really lame of me!
CONTRA HARD CORPS
Of course not a "shmup" (spaceship shooter) but a run-n-gun, nonetheless it has such impressive spectacle to it that I wish horizontal and vertical shooters had had this kind of budget and programming team. They rarely did. Just from the first level alone you see how awesome the explosions and crashes are. Unfortunately it is much more fun in the expensive Japanese version with its lifebar. Some people say the game is "quite easy" in the American release, but they're probably just fronting.
European release was even harder, I heard.
RAIDEN TRAD
A decent port. It was ported by Micronet, which had already done their own original shooter on the MD called Curse. This one at least scrolls well, but it has poor taste in sound effects, with a constant "BOOM" sound for anything you blow up. You get used to it. You stop hearing it after a time. Actually, as far as gameplay goes, it is pretty close to the arcade. I didn't think so at first, but even opened up multiple windows of emulators on my screen to compare. The PC Engine and SNES versions were drastically different from the arcade despite offering prettier appearances in terms of color. So the Mega Drive version is all right. It also has an extra-special level at the end which I haven't obtained because it is so hard. It just gets quite challenging around level 5's boss. I'll master it eventually, but I suck. I think the graphics look a bit drab in this one. Not sure why. The arcade didn't exactly look beautiful, but it had a little better animation too. For instance, the exhaust from the jets doesn't animate in the Genesis version, making your ship look flat. It's a small detail you wouldn't think would count. Nonetheless this version plays well if you can get over its drabness. I prefer it to the other 16-bit ports of the time, I think. The music sounds good as well. A lot better than the Jaguar's mod.
DANGEROUS SEED
(See, there was a lot of shooters on this system). A good game, actually. It hardly gets any mention. The arcade version is a little better, of course. Better animation and color. I think they could have at least left in (included) the boss dying sounds or have better explosions for them because they almost just disappear off the screen when you beat them and they go away fast. But it's a fun game that moves along smoothly and has a cool bug/insect theme running throughout. There's nothing really wrong with this one, except it must be easy because I almost beat it my first try. I think the MD version has a few extra (new) levels in it. Worth checking out because it's kind of cheap for an import shooter.
BURNING FORCE
Another one by Namco(t), this time the 3D/forward-shooting type, like Space Harrier. Pretty good all around, although the levels are too long in my opinion and one feels daunted by how long it surely is. I have never made it even half way through, I think. It scrolls well -- better than Space Harrier II and Thunder Blade, but not as impressively as Panorama Cotton. The graphics sure looked better in the arcade with the higher color count. I like that it involves riding on bikes and jumping things. I think it could have done a better job at creating a sense of place. It just doesn't look like a "desert" level at the beginning, or water, even though those obviously are the locations. Maybe I just wanted better sound and graphics to keep me hooked.
SPACE HARRIER II
Probably one of my favorite shooters and favorites for the system. A bit strange that opinion, I know, but I really like the unique and odd (VERY odd!) environment this game has, with made-up fantasy words, totally original enemies, unique bosses (none recycled from the previous game, that I know), and bizarre music from Tokuhiko Uwabo, who also scored Phantasy Star. I do wish it scrolled better and had more on screen at once, but it was actually one of the first, if not the first, game released for the system (little known fact). If you check the dates for the early MD releases in Japan I think this one of five games that came out that Fall, with only perhaps Super Thunder Blade beating it by a couple of days.
SUPER THUNDER BLADE
I want to appreciate this one but I can't really. Seems like an OK attempt, but rushed and apparently too short.
TWIN COBRA
Want to really like this game and I have played it a lot. The original by Toaplan is quite fun, I guess, if you like wasting quarters. If you like pressing "5" and "1" a lot in MAME. But this version in particular sucks because it's SO cut off vertically from what you should be seeing. The developers (porters) chose to use the whole screen, instead of a semi-Tate (3:4) mode, but they apparently made little-to-no adjustments in gameplay, so enemies swarm in fast but you can't shoot them from as far away as you normally could. The code must have been ported over easily since they're both 68000s, the hardware of the arcade and Genesis. And yet the NES version, because of its smaller sprites, and the necessity of recoding everything, you are left with a better, fairer, less frustrating game as you see more of the game-space and can attack from far away, as feels right. Another thing I noticed is that they seemed to have cut out a bit of code that keeps enemies from attacking when you are close-by. I tried it in MAME just to see and the enemies there hold back fire when you are close to them.
(They also do that in the NES version).
BARI ARM (ANDROID ASSAULT)
Don't really like the title "Android Assault" (sounds generic or nonsensical) and somehow Bari Arm seems to fit it better. Whatever the case I can't really give an opinion on this game. It really is hard for me to care about. I don't know why it doesn't interest me. It seems too easy, but boring somehow, despite being technically very proficient with a lot of detailed backgrounds and stage designs. <shrug>? Some games just don't grab, you know? This is one of them.
VERYTEX
And this is another. I wanted to like this one, perhaps because I want to be nice to ever MD game. But I can't. The music is good. The game engine is good (well-programmed, it seems). It just has little-to-know artistic interest otherwise. The enemies are dull to nonexistence in their appeal (I ended up liking the red-biscuit/donut-like ones the most, I think)... some of the bosses are sort of cool, like the enemy designer was BEGINNING to come up with a cool concept and needed some pushing. I dunno. I want to like this one but just can't. Could have been a lot better.
It does however play a lot like a Hudson Soft shooter, I think, at least in comparison to the other shooters on the Genny. So if you like games like Super Star Soldier this one may be worth checking out.
ROBO ALESTE
Haven't played enough of yet. I like the idea of close-combat in a shooter, though -- interesting idea. Music is good - listenable outside of game. Same guy that did Super Aleste (Space Megaforce) on the SNES, I think.
ZERO WING
Overlooked this one, as did many, because of the Internet meme thing in the early 2000s about "All Your Base." But now after reading various Toaplan worship sites and articles I've come to really appreciate their style a lot more and this one is a prime example of it. I still wish they had decided to port Out Zone to this system or SNES or something back then. That one is maybe my favorite of Toaplan's, along with Truxton.
Zero Wing gets frustrating at times with some poorly-chosen checkpoints. I think this version is better than the PC Engine one, though. That one has a little more color, but so what? This one has better sound and sprites.
Topic: Rundown on MD shooters (Read 915 times)
