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Post by dsparil on Apr 4, 2022 8:53:51 GMT -5
LegionDeveloper Telenet Japan Publisher Telenet Japan Format CD-ROM² Release (JP) September 21, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Moderate Looping No Continue System Resurrect in place with upgrades lost, 3 continues Telenet’s Legion has some interesting features such as branching paths, a two player mode and English language narration as if in preparation for a US release. The game also feels incomplete and lacking in testing with weapon pickups that cycle too quickly through the three options, some trivial to defeat bosses and stretches of levels that are completely empty. The narration is also better in theory than in practice. While ostensibly providing the thoughts of the ship’s pilot, it is mostly bland and sometimes seems to either reference level elements that did not make it into the game or are complete non sequiturs. Despite these shortcomings, there’s still some fun to be had, and the challenging gameplay is moderated by a checkpoint-less continue system. Approximate Hitbox
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Post by dsparil on Apr 6, 2022 8:59:06 GMT -5
After Burner IIDeveloper Bits Laboratory Publisher NEC Avenue Format HuCard Release (JP) September 28, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping No Continue System Resurrect in place, 1 continue After Burner II makes a reasonable transition to the PCE with fast and fluid gameplay much like Space Harrier. However, the game itself is a simplistic affair consisting of 23 short levels with little variety aside from two canyon levels which make an imperfect transition. The original arcade game is able to enhance the experience with a stick and throttle on the basic cabinet and a hydraulic “cockpit” on the larger model. Without these accouterments, the game’s generic military theme and short length leave much to be desired except for true devotees. As a popular arcade game, there are superior ports the best being the 3DS version which is enhanced by the 3D support in addition to a widescreen presentation and extra mode inspired by After Burner: Climax. Approximate Hitbox
I think the site's article is right in saying After Burner is more of a ride than a game. It's just too thin a game otherwise, and the 3DS port at least has the gimmick of being 3D. This doesn't even have the advantage of beating the Genesis port to release which is mostly better although the canyons are more like pillars there.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 9, 2022 4:44:27 GMT -5
Final BlasterDeveloper Nova with Aisystem Tokyo Publisher Namco Format HuCard Release (JP) September 28, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low Looping No Continue System Resurrect in place with upgrades collectable, 5 continues The final game in a loose trilogy started by 1981’s score attack game Bosconian, Final Blaster is a fairly traditional vertical shooter like predecessor Blast Off. Where it stands out is in some of the level and boss design such as the Eqypt themed level although much is still traditional space environments and mechanical bosses. The main gameplay quirk is in the weapon system. Up to three options may be held with the number of options determining which of three different weapons is used. The game also uses a performance based difficulty system, but even the highest level is still fairly easy. This makes Final Blaster a good game for beginners, and there’s still just enough substance to sustain a full play for everyone else. Approximate Hitbox
Like I mentioned in the game finish thread, if the manual didn't specifically call Bosconian, Blast Off and Final Blaster a trilogy, it wouldn't be evident. The presence of the rotating Bacura enemy from Xevious gives it a stronger link to that series!
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Post by dsparil on Apr 11, 2022 9:50:29 GMT -5
W-Ring: The Double RingsDeveloper Naxat Soft Publisher Naxat Soft Format HuCard Release (JP) September 28, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low Looping Yes Continue System Resurrect in place with upgrades lost, unlimited continues from start of level W-Ring, pronounced Double Ring, is another standard horizontal shooter, but there are a few quirks. The most substantial but also hidden one is the presence of stage variants reached by collecting a secret EX pick up hidden in the first five stages of seven total. Most are only harder variations of the base stage, but one is radically different in form. Stages also feature a large amount of verticality which allows for some different paths through levels. These elements along with a large number of additional difficulties locked behind a code give the game greater replayability than it seems to at first. However, the game itself is too similar in gameplay across stages to encourage the dedication needed to take advantage of its wide skill accommodations. Approximate Hitbox
W is used as a shorthand for Double in Japanese leading to a rather redundant title. There isn't much more to it that that, but Clyde Mandelin wrote an article on his site about this usage with some every day examples and some situations where it was left "untranslated" in English translations. It's very unclear to me though what Double Rings even refers to. When you have a power up, your ships gains a single ring. It does move front and back based on ships movement so maybe that's the double? The ring itself does actually serve a small shot blocking function, but it's so minor that it's mainly a visual gimmick.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 13, 2022 7:05:34 GMT -5
Rabio Lepus SpecialDeveloper Video System Publisher Video System Format HuCard Release (JP) October 19, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Moderate Looping Yes Continue System Checkpoints with upgrades lost, 2 continues As the title suggests, Rabio Lepus Special is a reworked version of the original Rabio Lepus arcade game. The original features twelve short stages in three parts, a homing missile special attack with limited usage and a short range punch in addition to a standard shot which gave the game its US title Rabbit Punch. This version presents each of the first two parts as long levels and increases missile uses along with other gameplay tweaks. These changes make the game much easier than the original as a single missile usage when equipped with the Yellow Bow power up can defeat some bosses. The main downsides are that the game is somewhat bland with only small cute’em’up elements despite the premise and the loss of some graphical details. Approximate Hitbox
For anyone not following the game finish thread, the arcade game doesn't loop, but this one does which is a bit odd to me. There's also a whole bunch of codes including an Expert mode which was a selectable option in the arcade game.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 14, 2022 11:35:03 GMT -5
Aero BlastersDeveloper Kaneko Publisher Hudson Soft Format HuCard Release (JP) November 2, 1990 Release (US) January 1991 Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping Yes Continue System Resurrect in place with no upgrades, 5 continues Also released as Air Buster in arcades and Genesis, Kaneko’s Aero Blasters is fairly close to the arcade original excluding some parallax scrolling. The overall game is a standard horizontal shooter albeit one with infinite full screen bombs tied to a charge meter. There are some gameplay gimmicks in some stages like a high speed tunnel section and an inertial effect in the space set levels. The main issue with the game is in its closeness to the original which has some issues particularly in the final stage. The Genesis port reworks the troublesome parts of the game, improves the graphics, adds in an options menu and makes a few other tweaks to the general gameplay. These changes make the Genesis port a superior option over the PCE game. Approximate Hitbox
As shown in the screenshots, it's possible to chose the Player 2 ship in single player, but it's only a graphical difference.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 16, 2022 7:18:39 GMT -5
AvengerDeveloper Shin-Nihon Laser Soft Publisher Telenet Japan Format CD-ROM² Release (JP) December 7, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping No Continue System Unlimited continues from start of level Laser Soft’s Avenger is the second helicopter-based game on PCE but the first that is tailored to the particular properties of the craft in that its orientation is not tied to its direction of motion. This takes the form in your ability to fire in five forward directions with the facing locked by holding down the I button. However this control scheme is complicated by I also doubling as the special weapon button making it too easy to unintentionally use one up. In a nod to the game’s home exclusivity, the weapon load out is customized at the beginning of a level with more options unlocking as the game progresses. These gameplay features in addition to a few points where a choice of level is offered more than make up for the game’s somewhat bland presentation. Approximate Hitbox
My understanding is that Laser Soft was a subsidiary of Telenet when this game was released, but they still have a separate copyright note on the title screen. Like I put in the game finish thread, this could have benefitted remapping special to Select. Better still would also making the game auto firing with I and II controlling your facing directly.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 18, 2022 8:53:32 GMT -5
Burning AngelsDeveloper Zap Publisher Naxat Soft Format HuCard Release (JP) December 7, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping No Continue System No continues Burning Angels is a game with potential. It allows for the selection of two different ships, Dragon and “Phenix”, each with non-cosmetic differences. There are also two different special weapon modes based on the names of the ships. The game also features inter-level dialogue scenes between the two starring pilots and includes a vertically compressed mode. However what holds the game back is its very short length at only around 15 minutes for a complete playthrough. Possibly from a combination of the large graphics for the story scenes and needing extra versions of graphical elements, neither in practice adds much to the game. The dialogues do little to progress the story, and the vertical mode has significant graphical bugs in some levels. Approximate Hitbox
This is definitely a game held back by being on a smaller 3Mb card versus the more standard at this point 4Mb. It's nice to see greater attempts at pushing story, but that completely fell flat in this game.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 19, 2022 10:34:18 GMT -5
Thunder BladeDeveloper Nova Publisher NEC Avenue Format HuCard Release (JP) December 7, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Moderate Looping No Continue System Resurrect in place, 3 continues from start of level Unlike the other Super Scale ports, Thunder Blade does not make a smooth transition. Despite running on the same arcade hardware as After Burner, the greater complexity of Thunder Blade is beyond what the PCE can reasonably handle. The original game uses scaling more extensively resulting in the loss of vertical movement and its accompanying scaling in the top down sections reducing them to bland vertical shooter sections with fixed distance targeting. The behind view rail shooting does not fair better with jerky sprite movement and graphical errors presaged by the poor canyon levels in After Burner. The best way to play Thunder Blade is on 3DS as the 3D effect makes the game both more visually appealing and easier to play. Approximate Hitbox
This is another game with a hard to discern hitbox. It's hard to tell if the blades are part of the hitbox when in the rail sections, but they don't seem to be. The bullets are so huge that it definitely does not make a real difference in practice! This version is sometimes held as being better than the Genesis game, but neither is really worth playing regardless. After Burner didn't push the Sega X board particularly hard, but Thunder Blade uses much more of its capabilities so it's not surprising to see both struggle. In a sense, the Genesis port of Galaxy Force II is impressive despite being terrible since the Sega Y board is such a jump over the X. This is the last of Super Scaler shooters to come out for the system, and it would have been interesting to see how GFII would have faired because it did see stripped down ports to 8-bit platforms.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 20, 2022 11:24:34 GMT -5
Twin Hawk 大旋風Developer Toaplan Publisher NEC Avenue Format HuCard Release (JP) December 14, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low Looping Yes Continue System Checkpoints with upgrades lost, 5 continues Twin Hawk is among the most generic games on the platform. It is a visually bland and very basic take on WWII inspired vertical shooting featuring only a single weapon with a small number of power levels. There are three main gimmicks but they do not matter much in practice. The first is the ability to call in six wingmates which stay on screen until hit. However, their large formation results in most being downed quickly. The second is the level-less structure which is pure gimmickry. The last is the absence of any air-based enemies, but this is a significant detriment. The enemies generally only move in one direction if at all removing any interesting enemy patterns. The original arcade game has the same problems, but is improved by the roomier tate orientation and better graphics. Approximate Hitbox
There's an interview on shmuplations that mentions that despite being closely associated with Taito, this was the only game Toaplan made specifically at Taito's behest. Maybe Taito gave them exact specifications that they followed or Toaplan didn't put their A-team on the project. Regardless, the arcade game does have a certain intangible quality this port lacks.
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Post by excelsior on Apr 21, 2022 5:10:02 GMT -5
Once you get around to the CD version you'll discover a newfound longing for the HuCard. I picked it up recently forgetting there were two versions to my regret.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 22, 2022 13:48:23 GMT -5
Violent Soldier SinistronDeveloper Alfa System Publisher IGS Format HuCard Release (JP) December 14, 1990 Release (US) January 1991 Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping No Continue System Checkpoints with upgrades lost, unlimited continues Although Violent Soldier is largely a by the book game, the ship concept is very unique. In addition to collectible top and bottom shield options, the ship features a large “beak”with multiple uses. When not powered up, it acts only as protection for the nose and middle of the ship and can also damage enemies. When holding a power up, it is possible to open the beak changing the position of the contact damage and modifying the current weapon to widen its spread while lowering damage. The large amount of defense favors aggressive play and precise attacks. The downside to this is that it makes a game that’s already somewhat easy even easier rather than making a difficult game more survivable, and the only hidden difficulty is an easier mode. Approximate Hitbox
There's a small region difference as the difficulty selection is actually remove in the US version. It's accessed by pressing II + Select on the title screen. I'm also not 100% sure, but I think this is the first game on the platform that increments your score by 1 if you use a continue rather than reset your score.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 26, 2022 12:06:03 GMT -5
Toy Shop BoysDeveloper Unclear, likely MuTech Publisher Victor Musical Industries Format HuCard Release (JP) December 12, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low Looping Yes Continue System Checkpoints with upgrades lost, no continues Toy Shop Boys opens with a brief intro setting up the very simple premise that the eponymous boys have had their toys stolen by the mysterious Gamma. What follows is a thoroughly toy-infused cute’em’up with just enough graphical variety to make up for the generally basic gameplay. The three boys fly in formation with the lead using a weapon and the sides acting like passive shields. Each has a different weapon; spread, homing and melee; although the melee weapon is the least useful overall as it is only usable against air-based enemies. On the other hand, it is an acknowledgement of the separation between air and ground planes only possible in a vertical shooter. While the difficulty is not particularly high on any setting, they go beyond tweaking enemy stats. Approximate Hitbox
I can see how this might have a low ranking on some lists, but I thought it was pretty fun. The graphical theme does bump it up a notch for me.
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Post by dsparil on Apr 28, 2022 8:24:05 GMT -5
Saint Dragon 天聖龍Developer Aicom Publisher Aicom Format HuCard Release (JP) December 21, 1990 Release (US) Unreleased Difficulty Low to Moderate Looping No Continue System Checkpoints with power reduced, unlimited continues Originally developed by Jaleco, Saint Dragon is the second game on the platform to feature a dragon but with a Chinese style dragon rather than the European version in Dragon Spirit. The body follows the head like a trail and has some use as a shield limited by its short length. The game itself is sci-fi themed and somewhat derivative of R-Type, but the first level features some robotic animals. The overwhelming issue with the game is that it is substantially inferior to the original arcade game. It is a given that the graphics and sound are superior, but it also has an intensity that is lacking in this port which is fairly dull and uninteresting. Considering that the arcade game is part of the Arcade Archives series, there is little reason to play this port. Approximate Hitbox
I had never heard of this game and was expecting to be thoroughly underwhelmed by the arcade game, but I cannot emphasize how much better it is! It is much more on the challenging side but maybe in a way that makes you want to get better rather than give up in frustration. I'm not sure if this version was made easier for technical reason (possible for one of the bosses) or purely for rebalancing's sake, but I think they botched it regardless.
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Post by excelsior on Apr 30, 2022 5:36:04 GMT -5
Saint Dragon is pretty well known here in the UK because there were several home computer releases across Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum etc. The PC Engine version is a little bit of an anomaly I guess and as far as I know it hasn't been revisited with later ports. I never tried the PC Engine version because the game itself never caught my interest but what you wrote is basically what I've heard elsewhere - that it's a poor conversion.
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