Arcade Shmups #14

Choplifter (1985)
By: Sega Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 82,500 (one credit)
Also Available For: Master System, NES, Commodore 64, VIC-20, MSX, Apple II, Atari 7800, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Fujitsu FM-7
Download For: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network

I think the chopper is shooting the hostages :(

I must admit, I hadn't thought about Choplifter for a good few years until recently. It's a game I've got for my Master System which my good friend Luke and I used to spent a fair amount of time with in our younger years but it always a game we both found unyieldingly difficult. Only during the last couple of weeks did the game re-enter my gaming radar when I had a look at the SG-1000 version. At this time, it transpired that, highly unusually, this isn't a game that originated in the arcades. Well, okay, it's not strange for a game to not have an arcade version, but it is a little strange for such a version to appear after a début on a home system. Indeed, it was the Apple II that first saw a version of Choplifter, way back in 1982 courtesy of Brøderbund Software. Sega were clearly impressed though, as they subsequently tarted the game up for an arcade release!

The prison seems to have an English flag. Hmmm...

Despite the large number of systems to see a version of Choplifter, however, the premise is the same in each version and it's one that was apparently inspired by the classic Defender. You start each of the four side-viewed stages from your base on the right-hand side. From here, your job is to travel left across the stage and rescue twenty or more hostages who are housed in four separate prison buildings spaced fairly evenly across the landscape. Each prison contains eight hostages and they are freed by shooting the prison to blow a hole in it! The occupants will then start running around outside awaiting rescue which of course means you'll need to land your 'chopper' and pick them up. You can carry eight passengers at a time who need ferrying back to your base so you'll need to make multiple trips back and forth and, as you may have guessed, the landscape in question is not without its dangers either.

My favourite stage - look at the lovely sunset...

The precise nature of these depends on the stage but they consist of all manner of guns, cannons, and missile launchers, as well as land, sea, and air-based vehicles which are infinite. Most abundant are enemy jets. Happily, you can't actually crash into them but they aren't shy about firing a few missiles in your direction. These, along with barrage of anti-aircraft fire coming from the ground, is what makes Choplifter such a tough game, and that's not all - if you hang around in one spot for too long, some 'hurry-up' vehicles soon show up as well such as tanks, jeeps, or small boats! Oh, and I forgot to mention - each stage gives you a limited supply of fuel which cannot be replenished, so if you spend too long trying to take out all the defences or hanging around waiting for the chance to land, you'll soon drop to the ground anyway, whether you're ready or not!

Stupid bloody cave section - grrr!

It's not all bad though. The chopper can fly left and right while facing in either direction so it's fairly manoeuvrable and it can hover to drop small bombs as well - especially handy when a tank trundles your way. It's main weapon is a pretty mean cannon which is enough to take out most enemies vehicles and guns with a single hit. It's also possible to shoot the hostages if you're not careful though, and if you're shot down while carrying some, they're history. The stages themselves also present a challenge. The first one, set over a desert, is straightforward enough, but the second includes several large enemy ships festooned with guns. The third even features caves with stalactites getting in the way and lava pits spewing burny stuff in your direction! The last stage is one I've seldom seen since I usually don't make it through the caves but it takes place before a cityscape with a few large buildings in the way. The game supposedly loops back to the beginning at this point but I've never had a chance to find out for myself!

Nice grassy area soon gives way to untold dangers...

It's quite a nice-looking game although, as is often the case with games of this time, the colours are mostly quite pale, especially the sprites. The backgrounds and foregrounds are surprisingly varied, although I suppose that's not too hard with only four stages! Check out that lovely dusk sky on the second stage though. The music is decent enough too, but rather quiet compared to the noisy effects. One thing Choplifter has always been though, to me at least, is difficult. This version isn't blighted by the strange collision-detection of the SG-1000 version I played recently but it's still very tough going - it'll take a lot of practise to even finish the first stage and that bloody cavern still causes me untold woes. The number of enemies buzzing around and bullets/missiles flying past (or into) you can get quite overwhelming at times and it's never fun to get shot down with a full-load of hostages. That said, it is quite tense and exciting trying to get them back to base safely! It's certainly enjoyable enough as a five-minute distraction now and then though, and since I guess that's all that was ever intended, that makes it a success.

RKS Score: 7/10

Arcade Adventures #3

Blaster Master a.k.a. Chô Wakusei Senki Metafight (1988)
By: Sunsoft Genre: Arcade Adventure Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Nintendo NES
Also Available For: Nothing
Download For: Wii Virtual Console

It's long been agreed by pretty much everyone that ever since video games have had stories, most of them have been at best unoriginal and at worst rather ridiculous, and here with Blaster Master we have a bit of both. It's a game I know was well-regarded in its day but my only real memories of it are the rather un-game-like adverts that featured in my favourite mags. Looking into it now, however, reveals another example of a game's backstory being changed to supposedly suit the territory in which it's been released. The Japanese version, whose title apparently translates as the catchy 'Super Planetary War Records: Metafight', finds you as the protagonist in the very familiar role of universal saviour, battling against the odds to rid a peaceful galaxy of an evil dictator. Changing this story for the game's US/European release was not necessarily a bad thing in theory, but what we were left with was.

Instead of being placed in charge of a heroic warrior, us Western gamers were instead asked to assume the role of some probably 'radical' dillweed called Jason who, whilst chasing his escaping pet frog, Fred, fell into an apparently undiscovered 'hole' in the earth. At the lower limit of this inconspicuous hole is an army of radioactive mutants. Landing near a coincidentally-placed armoured tank called Sophia the 3rd, Jason mounts his new steed and sets off to retrieve his... frog. As game stories go, it's hardly one that inspires much excitement but luckily it's apparent from early on that Blaster Master is a far better game than its stupid story gives it credit for, although that's not really saying much. It's also quite a large game, set over eight stages which are each comprised of several sections over a wide variety of pretty and not-so-pretty landscapes including forests, lakes, deserts, caverns, and various enemy installations. Impressive for a game set beneath the earth's surface!

Much of the time spent exploring these stages is spent in the weirdly-named tank found at the start, and it soon proves to be one of gaming's more interesting such vehicles. That's if you can even call it a tank. It seems to have wheels for one thing, and it's quite a nippy and agile thing as well. An eyebrow was raised upon discovering its impressive jumping ability but that would turn out to be fairly mundane compared to some of its later abilities. After defeating the boss creature at the end of each stage, an upgrade for the tank is earned. The first couple - the Hyper Beam and Crusher Beam - merely upgrade its weak, short-range cannon to one of far more power and range, but after that things start getting a bit strange. First it's given a Hover Engine which allows it limited flight, then it receives a Dive Motor which allows it manoeuvre underwater, and later upgrades even allow it to drive on walls and ceilings!

Jason can get in or out of his tank whenever he wants by using the select button and some sections require him to, such as when he encounters a narrow gap or a ladder. These areas usually lead to doorways called 'cabins' and, upon entering, the game switches to an angled overhead view. These sections usually consist of several scrolling maze-like areas linked by doorways. Both side and overhead-viewed sections are populated by similar numbers of enemies (which bely their supposed 'radioactive mutant' designation by appearing to be composed of primarily metallic substances) but, whereas the 'A' and 'B' buttons are used for shooting and jumping whilst in the tank, the jump button instead unleashes grenades during the overhead parts. It's also possible to power-up Jason's handgun by collecting up to eight 'capsules', each of which gives varying combinations of power and range. Touching an enemy or certain obstacles will obviously cause him to lose some energy but during the overhead areas it also sees him lose one gun 'block' each time as well.

Spending time outside the tank is unavoidable for some parts of the game but Jason is obviously much more vulnerable without its armour. Luckily, any energy he does lose can be immediately replenished simply by re-entering the tank (unless he loses it all!) but it's best to stay inside as much as possible, especially since, in addition to its rather unorthodox modifications, it's also able to deploy three special weapons - Homing Missiles (shoots up to four heat-seekers), Multi-Warhead Missiles (non heat-seekers), and Thunder Break (lightning bolt) - which can be picked up through the course of the game by shooting enemies or certain destructible blocks. More frequently, these reveal 'P' icons to replenish power reserves, or 'H' icons to refill the hover gauge which limits the amount of flying you can do in your... tank. These two helpful icons come in two forms - flashing and non-flashing, the former of which offers a complete refill but is of course less common.

When I first approached this game with a view to reviewing it, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was confident, however, that it would offer some sort of platformy/run 'n' gun-based tomfoolery but I definitely did not expect a game of such depth. It soon becomes apparent, you see, that Blaster Master, despite having a crap name (and story), is a lot more than a leapy-blasty game! Its eight stages are divided into several sections accessed through doorways but some sections (many, in fact) are definitely not linear, either in their layout or features. Some doors are large enough to fit the tank through, for example, while others are only accessible by Jason. This means leaving the tank behind but you have to make sure you can get back to it as well - Jason cannot leap as high as the tank can and he can't fall too far either so it's easy to be a complete buffoon! That said, some of the stages are quite intricate so you might be able to get back to the pesky tank by an longer and unexpected route but it's best to be careful (snigger).

The stages are rather large though, and you'll frequently encounter areas or items that you can't access which does of course mean returning to them later, making this more of a 'Metroidvania' style game that a mere run 'n' gunner. This is mostly true of the side-viewed sections but the overhead sections are often rather maze-like and feature more traps and obstacles. It's also exclusively via these sections that the bosses are fought. This all makes Blaster Master a varied and involving game but is it any good? Well, the aesthetics certainly are. Most of the colours used through the game are quite dark, even a little gloomy, but everything looks fantastic! The foreground and background graphics are surprisingly varied for a game set beneath the Earth's surface with areas of green vegetation, ancient caverns, rocky chasms, metallic installations, and even large underwater areas which Jason can move through while in the tank as well as by himself.

Even the overhead sections are quite varied featuring everything from dusty deserts to metallic dungeons filled with spikes and cannons! Jason himself is much more cartoony in these sections (super-deformed, even) but the sprites in general are a little generic with a few exceptions. The tank is nicely animated considering it's a... well, tank, and all the foregrounds and sprites are drawn well enough. The bosses are great too! The music is also of a high standard with a different tune for each stage, many of which are very catchy and memorable. This kind of stuff is expected of NES games with such high reputations though. What I didn't expect was such a long and involving game. It's one that can get pretty tough later on but the controls are flawless and exploring the large stages is never less than enthralling, especially when there's so much to see and do - it even came close to capturing Super Metroid levels of splendour! My new favourite NES game? Quite possibly...

RKS Score: 9/10

PC Engine Shmups #7

Override a.k.a. Last Battalion (1990)
By: Sting / Data East Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: NEC PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 First Day Score: 269,550
Also Available For: X68000

The PC Engine is rightly famous for the large number of shoot 'em ups that have graced its card 'slot' over the years - some were arcade conversions, some were ported from other home systems, and some were even exclusive to NEC's little box of tricks. Such is their abundance, in fact, there are even a few I'd never heard of until recently! One such title is Override, also known as Last Battalion in its X68000 guise - a Japan-only release and one of the first games by Storm Entertainment who, unlike many 80's and 90's developers, are still going strong today. Not many of their games have been shmups though, which makes this an even more notable game, but it's also one competing for space in a crowded genre. It managed to escape my attention in its day but does it deserve yours?

It's usually difficult to discover the back-story to Japan-only games (unless you're Japanese, I suppose) but as far as I can tell, Override is little more than an 'invading alien horde' game. Whatever the reason though, it ultimately sees you take command of a rather boxy ship (which looks much cooler on the game's cover) through six long vertically-scrolling stages, the first of which is set above ground before you move into fiery chasms and various alien installations. The ship is a pretty splendid one too - it has a shield which enables it to take up to three hits before sending you to a fiery grave, there are four speed settings, and it has a decent selection of weapons as well. Not at first, obviously - when you start out you'll find nothing more than a rapid-fire forward cannon of negligible power, but the power-ups soon start arriving thick 'n' fast courtesy of special, non-hostile ships. Take them down quick though as they don't hang around for long!

There are three kinds to look out for - ones marked by a 'P' gradually increase the power and range of your default cannon and ones bearing an 'E' refill a shield block. Perhaps more useful though, and just as numerous, are the coloured gems. These floaty icons cycle through five colours, each of which bestows a pod power-up upon your ship: purple gives you pods with side shots, green is a powerful forward wave shot, orange gives you diagonal shots, blue gives you pods that follow you around firing lasers, and yellow pods offer directional shots which shoot from left diagonal through right diagonal. These can all be powered-up themselves as well, by collecting successive gems of the same colour, and your ship's offensive abilities don't end there - it even has a charge weapon! Unlike most such attacks though, this one is not charged by holding the fire button. You'll instead need to leave it alone for a few seconds, as well as avoid taking any hits, as your ship will automatically charge the shot by itself.

After a short while of inactivity, your ship starts to glow and crackle. Pressing the fire button now will unleash a hyper fiery shot which covers most of the screen, and the best part is you can use it as often as you like! You might think that such an abundance of offensive choices might make Override a rather easy game but surprisingly that's not the case - while it's far from the toughest Engine shmup, it's certainly no walk in the park either. None of the weapons is a particularly effective all-rounder for one thing. For much of the time I spent with the game for this review I favoured the green forward shot but it's nearly useless for some sections - not only is regularly swapping weapons the best way forward, but knowing which weapon to choose is also useful! Plus, despite the large number of power-ups usually found drifting around the screen, making much headway after the loss of a life (and all power-ups accordingly) is tough going.

Enemies come from all directions and there's certainly no shortage of bullets flying around the screen either. Later stages start featuring homing weapons as well, which can cause some real problems. Ironically, the part of the game that arguably offers the least challenge is when a larger enemy makes a rare appearance or when you reach a boss - most of these can be destroyed before they've even fired a shot if you have a powered-up craft. The bosses do look quite mean though - it's almost worth going easy on them so you can see them in action for a while! Indeed, they're probably the best thing about the game from an audio/visual point of view. That's not to suggest it looks and sounds bad though - the weapon effects are really nice and the sprites are well drawn and mostly pretty memorable as well, although that's partly because of the way some of them incessantly buzz around you or encircle your ship!

The backgrounds are slightly less impressive though. The first stage that takes place above ground is nice but the others don't vary a great deal and mostly feature a lot of greys and greens. It's far from an ugly game though, and the music and effects are great which help make Override a rather enjoyable blast. For some reason it reminded me of Gunhed a bit. That's no bad thing, of course, but I'm not entirely sure why. Must be down to all the different weapons and fast ships whizzing about the place. It certainly is a fast-paced game for which you'll need to be on your toes at all times (even the bosses, or at least the later ones!), especially if you're dodging enemy ships and bullets while waiting for a power-up gem to turn the desired colour! To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this game but I'm happy to find a pleasant surprise. It doesn't last too long once you've sussed out the best weapons strategy but it's a tense and enjoyable blast all the same.

RKS Score: 8/10

Single Screen Platform Games #10

Zupapa! (2001)
By: Face / SNK Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: SNK Neo Geo MVS First Day Score: 138,300
Also Available For: Nothing

As great as the Neo Geo was (and still is), it was never anything other than a hardcore gamer's system, and one for rich hardcore gamers at that! With that in mind, it's pretty damn impressive that it lasted as long as it did - over a decade in fact. After the world failed to end at the turn of the millennium, however, releases started drying up as SNK suffered financial problems. There were still a few releases though. These were mostly the fighting games that had made the system so famous over the years but a few other games sneaked through. One of these was Zupapa!, released around the same time SNK were being reborn as Playmore, and an unusual game by Neo Geo standards. It wouldn't have been a particularly unusual release on other formats of the day but it stood out a bit more on SNK's machine...

That was because Zupapa is that Neo Geo rarity - a platform game. Not just a platform game, either, but a cutesy single-screen one at that! Since it was only an MVS release there is, as far as I can tell, no instruction book with a weird story bolted on. Instead, it's straight into the action with no explanation why or what you're supposed to achieve. I can tell you Zupapa is the name of the player character who is a strange star-like creature who is apparently responsible (along with a similar-looking creature called Zupipi for a second player to control, if desired) for clearing each stage of enemies. There are forty-two stages overall, spread across nine worlds based on such themes as funfair, nature, prehistoric, toys, ancient Japan, horror, and several others. You can start on any of the first six worlds you like by choosing from the map screen before the others are unlocked upon their completion.

The first four stages of each world are populated by numerous enemies appropriate to the theme of the world (e.g. samurai and sumo wrestlers in the Japanese world) with the fifth stage hosting a battle against the similarly-themed but much larger boss. Zupapa and Zupipi are both able to perform a punch which stuns any non-boss enemy and allows them to be defeated for good by walking into them. However, each stage is also home to four small creatures called Zooks which look like smaller, different coloured versions of the larger player characters. More importantly, they can be collected, after which they'll follow you around. Pressing the punch button while in possession of a Zook then allows you to throw it which has the same effect as punching an enemy but obviously increases Zupapa's range of attack greatly. Walking into an enemy stunned by a Zook also creates a small starry explosion which then destroys any enemy caught in it and turns them into fruit - the more Zooks thrown at a single enemy, the bigger the explosion.

Thrown Zooks do, however, need to be picked up again each time they're thrown, whether they hit something or not, and they're capable of moving by themselves too, so you may have to chase them around the screen, particularly if you abuse them! There are also a number of collectible items to be found - some are for bonus points, including the aforementioned fruit, while others bestow extra speed, punch power, and things of that nature upon the recipient. These things don't have much impact on the game though which, despite being a very fast-paced one, is not especially difficult. Each stage has a time-limit but control of Zupapa is superb. He can move quite quickly and is not only able to jump to platforms above him but can also drop down to ones below - extremely helpful in a tight spot and invaluable during the boss fights which are the most challenging parts of the game.

The bosses are also a highlight, visually. They're mostly pretty big like the mammoth dude to the right here and most are far more mobile than that lazy brute as well such as the vampire who predictably takes the job in the horror-themed world or the deceptively cute teddy bear who brings the toy world to an end. The graphics are generally far more cartoony than we're used from SNK's powerhouse including some great sprites of which there are many examples. You can probably guess what most of them are just from the world themes but they'll almost certainly look better than you expected! Everything moves smoothly too, and there are some lovely flashy, twinkly effects and some great animations, especially on the Zooks. Even better are the fantastic backgrounds which not only change with every world but even each stage gets a new one, appropriately themed of course. The music is really nice as well when you can hear it but the sound effects are loud and rather drown it out a lot of the time. It's worth listening out for though, with each tune suiting its world well along with some foreboding boss music.

It may have been rather late to the Neo Geo party but when it did finally arrive (many years from when it was first glimpsed), Zupapa showed everyone just what we'd been missing on the system for all these years. Technically it's a great game, one of the best of its type on any system, but some games like this try to do something different and mess up what makes them so enjoyable to start with. Zupapa isn't one of these - the use of the Zooks is about the biggest innovation here but it's hardly a ground-breaker. Few stages are inventive either, but it doesn't matter as it gets it right everywhere that's important. It's always enjoyable jumping around the multi-tiered stages and there's never a dull moment - things can often get quite manic, in fact, especially with two players. Manic two-player fun is pretty common on the Neo Geo though, of course, and Metal Slug and King of Fighters and all the rest of them might well be fantastic games, but Zupapa offers an entirely different but just as enjoyable kind of fun.

RKS Score: 9/10

Sega SG-1000 Round-Up #2

Summer time is unfortunately busy time for me here in RKS Land which includes working most Saturdays. Why waste time actually working at work though, when I could be playing some more SG-1000 games? To that end, inspection of another random selection of five titles yielded the following:

Pacar (1983)

It was actually Sean, custodian of the splendid Famicomblog, who made me aware of this little-known game which is to date the only SG-1000 game he owns! Owning only one game for a system isn't too bad if it's a good one though, so is this? It's certainly a simple game which is a combination of Pac-Man and Rally-X. Accordingly, it has you racing around mazes collecting dots while avoiding the evil enemy cars. The car moves a little differently to Pac-Man though - it will keep moving in the direction indicated until it hits something for one thing and it can't turn on the spot either. You can move it backwards but it moves much slower which means that stages require a decent degree of planning. The best way to describe the graphics is 'functional' and the sound is practically non-existent but, like most Pac-Man-inspired games, Pacar is quite enjoyable in short bursts and rather addictive too! ... 6/10

Choplifter (1985)

To date, I've only played this classic on my trusty Master System but unlike that, this SG version is actually a port of the original Apple II game rather than the arcade version which came later. Having never played the original game (or indeed any game on said system), I can't tell you how faithful this is (although, judging by some of the screenshots I saw, it's a close copy), but I can tell you it's just as difficult! The object in both versions is to fly a helicopter back and forth rescuing hostages while enemy tanks and jets try to stop you and it's a very tough mission anyway but this SG release suffers from some rather ropey collision-detection as well which makes it... not harder, necessarily, but much less reliant on skill as you're often unsure whether doing something will result in death or not! The music is really nice though and, like Pacar, it's reasonably enjoyable for a few minutes here and there... 5/10

Yamato (1983)

This early release, which is apparently a conversion of a rather obscure arcade game, places you in command of the Japanese WWII battleship of the same name, or rather places you in command of two of its guns. From behind this mighty weapon you're presented with a faux-3D view of lots of enemy ships, subs, and planes (American ones, presumably) of which you must take out a set number before you can progress to the next stage. You have two different types of shot with which to do this - a machine gun for the planes and torpedoes/missiles for the subs and boats. Both guns have a separate cross-hair and seemingly also come with unlimited ammo. All the while there's a steady stream of enemy projectiles headed your way which can be snuffed out with the machine gun. It's a simple game that varies little but it's decent fun and the sky changes colour to denote different times of day too. Which is nice... 7/10

Drol (1985)

Another conversion of an Apple II game, this time a rather less well-known one which features something that's always cool - a cylindrical robot! The game plays similarly to SonSon (although it actually pre-dates Capcom's game) and sees you steering the walking/hovering automaton left and right through the four-story stages to rescue little girls and cute animals from the marauding monsters that dramatically outnumber them. There's only three stages (which repeat, getting more and more difficult), but the sprites are appealing and the music is great which makes playing Drol fairly enjoyable but for one problem - the rather sluggish control of the unnamed robot. Still, if you can get used to him performing your commands somewhat unreliably, Drol is a challenging and addictive platformer... 6/10

Orguss (1984)

And to finish off this particular Round-Up... a shmup! Orguss is one of a horizontal-scrolling nature and immediately reminded me of Transbot on the MS so it's no surprise to find that it's actually considered its prequel. Both place you in control of a craft which can switch between a bulky-but-tough robot and a small-but-fast spaceship. Unlike Transbot, however (or the European version at least), Orguss is based on an anime which means it has plenty to try and pack in. Having not seen this anime, I can't tell you if it's accurate or not, but it is quite a nice-looking game with some varied backgrounds and nice colours used. It's not overly tough but there is a pretty strict time-limit which can prove a little distracting. Overall though, it's probably about as good as horizontal-scrollers get on the SG so it's well worth a try! ... 7/10


Red Parsley will be back with some more SG-1000 mini-reviews soon! :)

Exploring the Sharp X68000 - Part 2

Crikey, things have been pretty busy here in RKS Land of late - regular readers may have noticed that the number of posts here has slowed down somewhat. I blame work for making me all stressed and not in the right mood to delve into the world of retro games as often!

One victim of this whole thing has been my X68000 feature, the first part of which was all the way back in March now, which looked at the legendary ability of Sharp's imposing system to cope with conversions of arcade games of the day. It turned out to be more than adept at this, as was already widely known of course, but it's always nice to see for yourself!

Something the X68k is less celebrated for, however, is the quality (or indeed the existence at all) of games which are exclusive to the system, or at least found on very few other formats. Having once again sought the advice of jolly helpful Retro Gamer forum buddy, Oli, I find myself armed with the names of some such titles. Here are the results:

Aquales (1991)

Many X68k games are a mystery to me (titles exclusive to the format, at least) but I was sure I knew at least something about this one. Of course, it turned out I was wrong, but what I discovered was certainly no disappointment! Aquales, you see, places you in command of one of those big mecha things the Japanese love so much. It's not the meanest-looking one of all-time but it's pretty agile as it can shoot a variety of weapons with one arm while the other is equipped with a grapple which can be used to swing around the multi-tiered stages which look gorgeous for the most part - filled with huge sprites, super-parallax scrolling, and all manner of special effects. The music is also fantastic which makes exploring the large, superbly-designed stages a pleasure in spite of a slightly inconsistent difficulty level.

Reinforcer (1990)

My first impressions of Reinforcer weren't great. It has a fairly long and, as far as I could tell, unskippable intro sequence which featured lots of Japanese text, as did the start of the game itself which by now I assumed would be a largely unplayable adventure game. Just about the only English text is found on the title screen where Zainsoft proudly proclaim their game to be a 'Steam Punk Adventure'. Luckily it turned out to be an overhead run 'n' gunner somewhat akin to Sega's Crack Down and therefore not reliant on knowledge of kanji! It's quite a tricky game with numerous and aggressive enemies but the graphics and sound are pretty good (especially the gun sounds and loud explosions) and the maze-like stages are good fun to explore. The player character comes equipped with some decent, not to mention satisfying weapons as well, which certainly doesn't hurt!

Silkroad - Legend of Gero (1993)

Another surprise! The name immediately made me picture some sort of combat game set in the feudal Far-East or something but it's actually a cutesy platformer which, as regular readers of Red Parsley will know, I'm very keen on! This one seemingly charges you, a small purple-haired girl, with collecting all the fruits on each stage which requires lots of climbing, dropping (although not too far!), and precise jumping. The stages aren't single-screen ones but most aren't much bigger. The graphics are very colourful but probably don't push the X68k in any other way but the happy music is appealing, as is the simple hopping-around-collecting-stuff gameplay. A very enjoyable and relaxing one, this, which I'll definitely be returning to.

Space Landing S-Type Mission 2 (1989)

Despite the 'Mission 2' in its title, this is my first knowledge of anything Space Landing S-Type-related and subsequent research reveals nothing of a 'Mission 1', but sequel or not, it's a game that was quickly and enthusiastically recommended to me by friend, Steve Perry, after 'Part One' of my X68k feature. I don't know why but that made me expect some extravagant, flashy Metroid-esque title, so I was a little surprised to find a rather basic, simple game more reminiscent of Gravitar and Thrust and things of that nature. That doesn't make it bad of course, but it does make it quite a tricky game - I've never been very good at these super-precise 'player vs gravity' games and this one seemingly does little that others haven't done just as well before. Your job here is to rescue people from several little domes on each stage and, despite the lack or originality, it's a very addictive job as well, I have to say. The graphics have an odd appeal too but the 'music' is rather less pleasant. Nothing special but it's hard to put down!

Zugya (1996)

Last but not least is a game I couldn't even get working to start with but I stuck at it, partly because it must've been one of the last games released for the system and therefore surely awesome?! Perseverance soon paid dividends and I was able to see for myself and it's... certainly interesting. It's hard to guess much about it from the title but Zugya is actually an overhead-viewed multi-directional shooter. The small player ship is armed with a pretty mean rapid-fire cannon but moving it around was extremely jerky - so much so that I initially thought it must be a mouse-controlled game or something. It turned out not to be but it is rather good, once its unusual controls have been adjusted to, obviously. The object is to simply clear each stage of enemy vessels within the time-limit and there are lots of stages. All of them have the same background but luckily it's a good one with nice colourful nebulae and sparkly stars and stuff and the music is great as well. An unusual one but well worth putting some time into.

Verdict:
There's still a surprising amount of Western gamers that don't know anything about the X68000 - I suppose it's understandable considering it never officially left its homeland - but even a vast majority of those who do know about it don't actually own one and probably haven't even seen one in real life either. It has earned quite a reputation for itself over the years though, among gamers who know about it, obviously.

Much of the praise it garners is with regards to its arcade conversions which are admittedly superb for the most part and have frequently seen the system compared to the equally conversion-tastic MegaDrive with many calling it superior. Regular Red Parsley readers will know that Sega's 16-bit wonder is precious to me so I was especially eager to see if the X68k really was an MD-killer, and my conclusion there is that... they're about equal! I'd say that the MD has consistently larger and better sprites, and possibly slightly more detailed graphics generally too, but the X68k definitely seem to have the edge with special effects - many games I've tried feature loads of parallax scrolling, transparencies, and things of that nature, and it also has many times more colours to choose from, both total pallette and those available on-screen at once as well. Many games feature sampled speech too which is much clearer than that on the MD.

As everyone knows though, any system is only as good as its software, and it's here the X68k pleasantly surprised me. Like many Western gamers, I've always been under the impression that it was little more than a big, fancy conversion-monster but, as I've discovered here, it actually has a more than decent selection of original titles as well which just goes to show, once again, how fortunate Japanese gamers were in the late 80's and early 90's - what a choice of systems and games!

It's not too late though - the X68k is quite blatantly a fantastic system which is still well worth seeking out 'in the flesh', so to speak. It's not a cheap system to buy now though, unfortunately - both the machine itself and most of the games cost a pretty penny (unless you live in Japan, probably). So, the question anyone who's looking into entering the world of X68k gaming needs to ask is: does the splendidness justify the cost? Since the games come on magnetic disks, there's always the risk of corruptions, but most X68k's have hard-drives so you may only need the games to work once! Besides that, it's worth buying for hardcore gamers for the prestige alone - the X68k rivals the Neo Geo in that regard, so if you're looking for the ultimate conversions of many games by Capcom, Konami, Taito, and other arcade companies of the days as well as a few awesome games unavailable elsewhere, the mighty X68000 is a must.

Special Note: A big thanks, once again, to the ever-helpful Oli Lar of Retro Gamer forum for his help with X68k emulation and game recommendations! Thanks also to Steve Perry for his comments and recommendation :)

Exploring the X68000 - Part One

Computer Platform Games #5

Flimbo's Quest (1990)
By: System 3 Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Commodore Amiga First Day Score: 24,230
Also Available For: Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC

Although perhaps most well-known on the Commodore 64, Flimbo's Quest is a game that I've always know as an Amiga title, but it's not one I've ever spent much time with. It's a pretty standard-looking side-scrolling platformer which stars Flimbo, an innocent, cap-wearing young boy who's fallen foul of his local 'mad' professor, Fransz Dandruff. Like most mad professors, he's come up with a madcap invention - a life extension machine. However, in order to extend one person's life, another person's must be drained (like the Babylon 5 machine?). So, whose life does he intend to drain? Flimbo's girlfriend, Pearly, of course! Flimbo immediately sets out to save her but Dandruff hears of his intentions and unleashes hordes of mutants bred in his laboratory and sends them scurrying in Flimbo's direction. Can he rid Dewdropland of this menace?

In order to do so, he'll need some help. Fortunately, he has it in the form of wizard, Dazz Bazian, who can be found behind a door located somewhere on each of the seven side-scrolling stages. He is custodian of a humble shop from where you can purchase a number of items but he is also capable of using his magic to send Flimbo to the next stage. To do this he needs some scrolls which are obtained from the enemy creatures roaming the stages. These horrifying abominations are infinite but one of them, a seemingly random one, is carrying the scroll and is indicated by an arrow above it. Flimbo can eliminate them by shooting them with his... umm, shooting ability (he doesn't seem to have a gun - it just comes from his torso) but, since each scroll bears only part of the spell needed, Dazz requires more than one to perform his magic each time.

The themed stages are free-roaming and scroll for a while in either direction before you can go no further. Most parts of them are multi-tiered and are dominated by the many platforms that fill the screen. Although there are holes and watery areas, which of course cause instant death, the enemies are the main threat. These can be found on any part of the landscape and take many forms - snails, lizards, fish, foxes, bees, bats, and even human (or at least humanoid) creatures. Most of them just pootle around doing their thing but they are all deadly to the touch. They also take multiple shots to kill but doing so often yields a reward. Most often it's money, either bags or loose coins, which can be spent in the shop, but less frequently you may find a Longshot (increases the range and power of Flimbo's shot), a temporary shield, hearts (get five for an extra life), or an hourglass which extends the timer on the bottom-left of the screen which represents how long Pearly has to live. Eeek!

Most of these items can also be bought in Dazz's shop but there's really not much more to Flimbo's Quest. It was criticised in its day for being rather generic and unoriginal and I can certainly see why but, after finally playing it properly, I still found I rather enjoyed it. The graphics aren't bad, especially the backgrounds which are nicely varied, including wooded and mountainous areas, villages, a graveyard, Fransz's laboratory, and even an alien world. There's a decent number of different enemies too. New ones are introduced on each stage and most of them are reasonable enough, although I'm not too keen on Flimbo himself who isn't especially appealing. The music is catchy but there aren't many tunes - just two in-game ones which alternate from stage to stage and the effects are very few and far between.

The gameplay is also repetitive with Flimbo's movements being limited to a simple run/fire/jump mechanic and the stages, for all their pretty foregrounds and backgrounds, are essentially the same. It should be a pretty smelly game really, I can't quite put my finger on why it's not. Its pace is quite fast, at least for its slightly cumbersome hero's standards, which means you're always on the move, jumping up and down to avoid the many enemies and shooting the lairy ones. It can be quite tricky, too, since they all take several shots to put down and some aren't so easy to hit, especially the flying ones. There is an occasional bonus room filled with money bags to be found though, and there are a number of secrets as well, which can help prolong its appeal, and it's rather addictive anyway. With a bit more variety and a more appealing hero, Flimbo's Quest could've been a corking one, but it's still better than first impressions give it credit for.

RKS Score: 7/10

Doujin Shmups #5

Royal Edoma Engine (2005)
By: Platine Dispositif Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Hard
Featured Version: PC First Day Score: Still Trying!
Also Available For: Nothing

The awesome fellows behind these doujin games are far more intelligent and talented than mere oafs like me but, as far as shmups are concerned, they do seem to have an obsession with those of a vertically-scrolling nature. So, when searching for the (rather overdue) next instalment in this series of posts, Royal Edoma Engine immediately caught my eye. As you've probably already noticed, it's unusual for any shooter nevermind a doujin one in that it's viewed from an isometric perspective. Something else that's unusual about this game is that its story features no invading alien fleets or marauding legions of evil creatures. It instead features... sushi. Yes, that's right - the Japanese dish may be increasingly popular here in the UK but in the fictional world of this game, it's so popular it's caused countless wars!

This latest war takes place in 1887 and stars a young farm girl named Revaia who, since the monarchy outlawed sushi in an attempt to being an end to the chaos, has been sheltering an underground sushi chef. On his deathbed, the chef bestows upon Revaia the sushi maker's secret weapon - the ability to make Dagon Mishu [sic]. Her secret was soon out, however, and she soon found herself being pursued the Royal Edoma Agency. This naturally gives rise to a five stage shmup through which you find yourself in control of the young lady in question who, as well as her new sushi-making talents, apparently also has the ability to hover a short distance above the ground and unleash magical energy from her fingertips. Unsurprisingly, the game therefore charges you with utilising these talents to clear all five stages of oppressive sushi-haters! Which is not easy...

Indeed, Royal Edoma Engine might not feature armadas or alien warships but that doesn't stop it from being an intense bullet-hell fest to rival the best of them! The standard enemies vary little, consisting of mostly of small pumpkin-like objects of various colours which spit millions of bullets your way, and less frequent but more troublesome craft piloted by what I can only assume are REA agents. Revaia has a fairly generous life-meter but her offensive abilities do not change throughout the game - the rapid fire forward shot is her only standard weapon - but it can be powered-up. Destroyed enemies release sushi (what else?) which gravitates toward her when she hovers nearby. Collecting it gradually fills a meter beneath the life one which can be used to unleash a circular wave of supreme power. Using it when the meter is nearly full converts all on-screen bullets into sushi that refills her life meter and puts her into 'Burst Mode' for a while.

During this time, Revaia's shot power is increased as well, which happens automatically if the meter is allowed to fill up completely, known as 'Maximum Mode'. It only lasts until she takes a hit from an enemy or bullet, however, and this is something that will happen frequently. Moving Revaia around the screen is fairly intuitive and requires little effort but this remains an immensely challenging game, even on the lowest of the three difficulty settings as, like most bullet-hell games, the sheer number of enemy projectiles can get quite overwhelming. They do look quite pretty though! The music and presentation are also superb (including one of the greatest title screens of all-time!) and the hi-res in-game graphics, while lacking variety, are really nice, especially Revaia's two sparkly weapons! It is really tough going though, probably a bit too tough for me if I'm honest, but those with insect-like reflexes and/or fans of the genre looking for something a little different will almost certainly love it all the same.

RKS Score: 7/10

Overhead Racers #12

Hot Rod (1988)
By: Sega Genre: Overhead Racing Players: 1-3 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 134,793
Also Available For: Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum

Although Sega had released overhead-viewed vehicular-based games before - they were one of the very first in fact, after Atari - they hadn't actually made too many in what had quickly become known as the 'traditional' format. This late 80's release, however, is exactly that. Taking its cue, as so many did, from Super Sprint, Hot Rod is also a circuit-based game but is viewed from a slightly more zoomed-in perspective. Races are contested by four cars, up to three of which can be controlled by human players, with the fourth and any unused player cars being controlled by the computer. Unlike many games of this type, however, progression through the various races is not dependent on finishing in first place or within a time-limit; instead you have a finite supply of 'gas' with which to complete the solitary lap of each circuit. Running out means game over!

Of course, before each race begins you're given enough gas to reach the end - it would be rather unfair if you weren't, even for an arcade game! However, if you should fall so far behind that your car drops off the screen, it'll be shunted back into the thick of the action, but at a price - around twenty fuel units each time - so if this happens more than two times (at most) in a race you're in trouble! The road surface does feature an occasional helping hand though. The 'P' icons are just for points but those bearing a 'G' award you with a bit more gas and so can often be worth a slight detour. With or without their help though, if you make it to the end of a course in any position, you're awarded prize money. This can be spent in the shop which is waiting between each race. From here you can purchase new engines, tyres, bumpers, and wings (the rear spoiler kind, not the aeroplane kind).

Since simply finishing a race allows you to proceed to the next one, skillful driving is probably more important than upgrading your car, but that prize money has to be spent somewhere and there are quite a few races to battle through as well - thirty, no less, which are spread evenly over ten different environments. These range from obstacle-strewn race circuits, gravelly woodside roads, beaches, a construction site, snowy and desert areas, and there are even courses with public highways criss-crossing them! Predictably, there are some with different road surfaces as well such as dirt, sand, water, and snow, with appropriate tyres available from the shop accordingly. As already mentioned, races consists of only one lap of each circuit (or indeed point-to-point course) so they don't usually last very long, and some have shortcuts as well like bridges and side-roads.

A few courses even feature the odd train-track (not sure what a train is doing on a race circuit though). You can cross the tracks without any problems but if a train comes along - oof! Other obstacles include skiddy water areas and drums, which must be filled with anti-matter or something as they make your car explode! These things all make Hot Rod quite a tricky game but there are two things that make it even tougher. First of all, the merest touch of the sides of the course results in an immediate and total loss of speed (although the cars can't hit each other) which can get mighty annoying when trying to navigate intricate sections of track. Secondly, the game 'camera' tries to keep all four cars on screen where possible so if you're in the lead, you often can't see hardly any distance in front of you. It's quite a fast game too, which can make the problem even bigger.

The graphical style is quite an interesting one but I'm not sure if I like it. The game is running on Sega's System 24 board so the level of detail isn't bad but it's not a very colourful game as you can see from the shots, and it's also not a very noisy game. The Fantasy Zone shop tune makes a welcome return here (in the shop, obviously) but there's no other music in the game and only minimal effects. Despite all these seemingly negative points though, I still can't help but like it. I'm not really sure why either, it should be really annoying. It is, quite often, but it's also very addictive. One reason for this could be the cars which, aside from their bumping against the side of the tracks, are enjoyable to drive. The large number of tracks certainly doesn't hurt either, and nor does their interesting and varied design, not to mention the relative ease of being able to see a decent number of them, so the simple racing action can be great fun. Obviously it's more enjoyable when competing against other humans but even for one player there's a lot to like here.

RKS Score: 7/10

Master System Platform Games #1

Psycho Fox (1989)
By: Vic Tokai / Sega Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Featured Version: Sega Master System
Also Available For: Nothing

Most of my time spent gaming during the 80's and 90's, certainly on consoles at least, was spent playing two types of games - shoot 'em ups and platform games. Most systems of the day were of course swamped with games of both types but my interest in them began with my awesome Master System. A limited selection of titles it may have had, but among them were some superb examples of both of these genres. One of the first platform games I played on the system, and therefore pretty much the first arcade-style platformer I played at all, was Psycho Fox. I can't remember which of us introduced it to the other now, but my good friend, and fellow MS-owner, Luke, and I both loved and still love this great game. However, in order to determine if our affection is rooted in nostalgia or if it really is a great game, I thought I'd dissect it once again. Behold, the results...

The star of the show is of course the titular fox. I'm not sure what makes him psychotic but perhaps it has to do with the evil Madfox Daimyojin who's invaded the peaceful land and unleashed his legions of weird and unpleasant creatures, making life miserable for the formerly happy inhabitants. Whatever the reasons for his psychosis, though, he's also a courageous fox for he gathers his friends and immediately sets out to rid the land of the evil that's infested it. To begin with, he undertakes this quest with nothing more than the fur on his back - a measure of his bravery for sure - but it's bravery that will need to carry him through seven distinct and diverse worlds consisting of three sizeable stages apiece, each filled to the brim with dangerous creatures and obstacles beyond reckoning.

The first world is of the default platform game type - green grass, blue sky, etc, and features three types of enemy - slow but slightly inconvenient snail things, less common but far more dangerous red hopping things, and quite happy-looking helicopter dudes who only become active when you get close. To begin with, Mr Fox is able to take out all enemies in two ways - by punching them or by jumping on their heads, Mario style. He is soon, however, reunited with his good friend, Birdfly, who is a small black bird who sits on his shoulder and can be thrown at the enemies! He always returns after a short while too so he soon proves to be an indispensable ally. Occasionally, the defeated creatures may leave behind a power-up but more often these are found in the many eggs that litter the platforms of each stage. They are opened by punching them and can contain money bags, magic potions, straw effigies, transformation sticks, extra lives, or... enemies!

These enemies are the same as the normal ones in the game and can kill Mr. Fox with the merest of touches so a cautious approach is advised when cracking the eggs open. On the other hand, the extra lives, which look like a ghostly image of the player character, will try to immediately run away when freed! The other items are less troublesome. The money bags are used on the between-stage bonus round which consists of five criss-crossing paths - each money bag you've collected allows you to place a bet on a path. Once all bets are placed, Foxes will walk along the paths until their end with the resultant (random) item awarded which include a hole (no bonus!), a standard power-up, or an extra lives temple. If you're lucky enough to reach this, you can stop the rolling counter and receive the appropriate number of extra lives!

The other items, each of which you can hold up to nine of at once, are used as and when you want from the pause screen. The magic potions act as a temporary shield, the straw effigies destroy all on screen enemies but, best of all, the Psycho Sticks allow you to 'transform' Fox into one of his friends, all of whom have special talents! Fox, as it turns out, is the 'average' character with reasonable running speed and jumping height. Monkey, however, runs a little slower but can jump much higher, Hippo runs and jumps quite poorly but can punch down otherwise obstructive walls, and Tiger runs super-fast. These unique abilities can make each stage easier or quicker to finish, or help you to reach otherwise inaccessible bonus items, but their use is not essential as each stage is designed so that it can be finished by each of the creatures.

Indeed, the stages of each world are generally nearly as high as they are long and feature numerous paths through them. In most cases you can stick to the ground but it's here that a larger number of enemies and obstacles dwell, or you can try crossing the stage by its highest route, but this has the problem of lots of small platforms which require very precise movements and a long (and potentially fatal) fall if you mess it up! There are usually many possible ways through a stage though, so it can take a good while to find the easiest or most rewarding. One thing that can help speed up the process is fantastic device called a Whiplash Pole. Most stages (or at least outdoor stages) feature at least one of these things and they're pretty awesome.

They are tall, flexible poles which Mr Fox or any of his friends stick to when they jump into, but if you hit them at speed they'll wang back and forth at increasing speed before flinging their passenger halfway across the stage! That does of course mean they can be a hindrance as well as a help - you'll have no idea where you're going to land after all, but generally there is a specific area which you can only reach by making full use of the splendid contraptions. There are a few other helpful features such as springers and air puffers (which do the same thing as springers really, just less reliably) but most other features are somewhat less helpful. Appearing through the third world are fake stairways which turn into slopes and then roll a rock down them towards you, and there are some more usual obstacles and traps as well like spikes, disappearing bridges, and watery areas.

Liquid of any kind is fatal to all player characters but most of the problems come from the enemies. The few already mentioned populate the first few stages but a few others begin appearing later on as well including skeletons and statues in the foreground that come alive - eeek! Some of them are a real pain in the arse (the erratic green springer creatures, for example) while others do very little (the cute helicopter guys) but they are all drawn well and have an appealing look. The player characters are even better - the tiger is perhaps the most appealing sprite in the whole game and, even though he isn't the most useful (he runs so fast you'll often end up running into enemies) I often use him just because he looks so awesome!

The foreground graphics are really nice too. Each world is themed as you might expect with the first featuring the standard grassy terrain which is then followed by a desert world, an Egyptian style one, and a cloudy one. The fifth and seventh worlds are the only ones set inside something - the former in a fiery cavern filled with pipes, the latter in a scary trap-laden complex with lots of escalators. One of the most picaresque, though, is the sixth which is the seemingly mandatory ice stage but it's a good one. All the foreground graphics are detailed, well drawn, and nicely coloured, and the tiny amount of sprite flicker is very rare and insignificant. The only slight disappointment is the backgrounds which have almost no variety. All but outdoor worlds have a blue sky with an occasional cloud while the indoor ones just have a plain black background.

This might make the screenshots look a little sparse but luckily it doesn't detract from the gameplay at all. Each stage is just the right side of simple with well laid-out platforms and features and several routes through them, some easy, some hard. Overall though, the game is quite well-balanced and fair. There's no time limit but you can't double-back on yourself if you think you may have unwittingly taken a troublesome path either, which means it'll take a good while to explore each stage fully. There are even a few hidden warps which can transport you to new worlds without the hassle of boss fights! The four player characters each control noticeably differently and choosing the right one for the right area is the best way to make steady progress, but you'll quickly pick a favourite anyway!

Their movement is inertia-based - your jump distance is governed entirely by your current running speed so if you need to jump an exact distance, you'd better make sure you moving at the right speed. You can control a jump to some extent but you certainly can't make it longer once you've started it. All characters but the hippo can run at a reasonable enough speed though, and they are also able to 'skim' across the surface of watery areas, even the pink buffoon. However, this isn't a Sonic game so running at full pelt all the time is not recommended, especially with red hoppers and green springers about! Some stage surfaces affect your running ability too - the sand on the third world slows you down and the ice on the sixth stage is predictably ultra-slippy so great care is often needed as well.

Since Psycho Fox isn't an especially well-known game, mainly due to the Master System's limited impact around the world, most of the details in this characteristically long review may be new to you but, as mentioned at the start, the reason I wrote it is to see if my long-held affection for the game was down to nostalgia, as is often the case with retro games, or if it really is/was a good game. It's certainly not an especially hard game - I had already finished it many times, but playing it for this review represents my most thorough look at it yet and I soon found myself amassing a considerable stock of lives. I noticed that the boss fights aren't very challenging too, despite the fact that the special items and even Birdfly can't be used in them.

There are only four different bosses - three of them are repeated in slightly tougher forms on later stages with the final boss being Madfox Daimyojin, and to defeat most of them you're given a one-off gadget to use. I also noticed that some of the aesthetic aspects of the game are a little repetitive - the aforementioned backgrounds, the music which, although really nice and catchy, does repeat quite a bit, and the jumping effect quickly grates too. The fact that I've been playing this game for so many years and only even noticed these things after such a comprehensive play-through, though, indicates how little they affect the enjoyment of the game which remains immense thanks to its large size, appealing characters, and superbly-designed stages. Happily, therefore, I'm very pleased to find that Psycho Fox is still the finest platform game on the Master System and one of the finest on any 8-bit system. Platform fans are strongly advised to seek it out forthwith...

RKS Score: 9/10