Tag / Rail-Shooter

by lawrenceofcanadia

Space Harrier – Review

“Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get Ready!”

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

Space Harrier is an arcade rail shooter. It was developed and published by Sega and released for the arcade in 1985. It was later ported to the Master System in 1986, the Game Gear in 1991, and the Mega Drive’s 32x in 1994. Non-Sega releases included the TurboGrafx-16, Famicom, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as part of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009). It was the latter version that I chose to review.

Plot

The arcade version had no plot as such, but when it was released on the Master System in 1986, a back story was given. It explained that the once peaceful Land of Dragons was attacked by an army of monsters and robots. As Space Harrier, you are sent to defeat the invading army and return the Land of Dragons to its peaceful existence.

Gameplay

Played in third person, Space Harrier runs briefly before taking off. You then fly around the screen destroying or evading oncoming enemies. The enemies consist of an array of robots and monsters. One such monster is a mammoth with one eye…weird! You must also be aware of the many stationary pillars throughout the stages. One hit from your enemies or a collision with a pillar will result in death.

Space Harrier will always default to the centre of the screen, so if you let go of the controls, he will automatically move to the central position.

There are 18 Stages, with numbers 5 and 12 being Bonus Stages. The Bonus Stages sees you riding a Haku-esque (Studio Ghibli fans will know what I mean) dragon. The object of the Bonus Stage is to smash down trees or pillars to gain extra points.

Don’t forget to evade enemy fire and stationary objects (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

The game is very fast and chaotic, and I think there is little finesse required. I often felt that I got through the stages on sheer luck and persistence. If it wasn’t for infinite continues, I would not have made it past the first few levels. However, the manoeuvring controls are tight, but you must remember to keep tapping the fire button. There are no automatic weapons to make the game easier for you.

Disappointingly, there is only one weapon for you to utilise. It would have been nice to be able to pick up a few power-ups along the way.

One of the issues with the third person view and the speed of the game is that it is that it can be tough to judge the depth of the projectiles being hurled at you. When being peppered with fireballs, it is difficult to determine when they will hit you. So much is happening that you are simply trying to fly in random patterns before slamming into an enemy laser or fireball. Again, I think you just need luck more than skill.

According to a reviewer from Computer & Video Games magazine (see below), the game will adapt its difficulty based on how well you play it. I’m unsure if this feature was on my version, but I certainly noticed that some levels appeared to be faster than others.

In the Bonus Stages, although you can direct the dragon, you can’t really steer it.

Graphics

The sprites look great! Space Harrier is brightly coloured and nicely detailed. Sadly, you don’t have much time to admire the illustrations of the enemy sprites as they whizz by incredibly fast. Only when you die, and if an enemy is close to the foreground do you see how awesome the robots or dragon creatures look.

The level design is quite basic. The floors are coloured in bi- or tri-tonal chequered patterns and change colour with every stage. The skies tend to have multi-coloured horizontal stripes patterns. The backgrounds contain minimal detail, but you don’t really have time to admire them as your attention is on the incoming enemies and pillars.

Music & SFX

When I began writing this review, I had to go back and play a few levels just to listen to the music. The music is actually good and fits the game well but because of the on-screen action, my brain seemed to filter it out.

I loved the vocalised “Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get Ready!” at the beginning of the game. Is it me, or does the sound Space Harrier makes when he dies very similar to Altered Beast (1988)?

I also like the fact that when you hit an enemy, there are two distinctive sounds to indicate whether the enemy has taken damage or not.

Replay Value

For me, there isn’t much replay value with this game unless you are a fan of rail shooters. I doubt I will return to this game again. There isn’t even a two-player mode to compete against a friend with.

I really like the enemy sprite designs (screenshot taken by the author)

Did I Complete The Game?

Yes, although it took me around 16 continues. If we equate this to £1 per continue, it took me £16 to complete. That’s not too bad…or is it? I don’t know how to gauge these things. My final score was 29438560.

Spoiler Alert!

I felt cheated when I beat the game. A message appears simply stating “The End”, and that’s it!

What The Critics Said:

Computer and Video Games: “What makes it so interesting is, other than the fast and exciting game play and clear bright graphics, is that the machine will judge for itself how proficient you are, and change the level of difficulty accordingly, sometimes within the same screen.” No Rating.[1]

Sinclair User Magazine: “The fabulously colourful 3D graphics, the movement of the sit-in cabinet were, and still are, breathtaking. The first thing you’ll notice about Space Harrier as you climb into the pilot’s seat is the seatbelt. It makes you wonder what type of ride you’re in for. Take it from me – it’s turbulent. Still using the basic blast-everything -which-moves theme, Space Harrier hurls you up, down, left and right while managing to tilt the cabinet in a roll in whatever direction you push your joystick. It’s hair-raising and great fun.” No Rating.[2]

Computer Gamer: “The game is basically of the shoot anything that moves, and if it doesn’t explode get out of the way, type – but the graphics are extremely good, and the 3D effects are quite good.” No Rating.[3]

My Verdict

“This game is fast and furious, and the way the original cabinet would move you around as you played must have been revolutionary. Without the cabinet, the game is probably a lot of fun for rail shooter fans, but I came away from it feeling like I’d not actually done that much. The sprites look great, and the controls are tight, but I don’t think there is that much skill required for this game, and I don’t feel like playing it again.”

Rating

What are your memories of Space Harrier? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] Edgeley, C., ‘Arcade Action – Space Harrier’. Computer and Video Games. (Feb 1986). :83.

[2]  ‘The Arcade Coin-Op Giants for 1987 – Space Harrier’. Sinclair User Magazine. (Feb 1987). Issue 59:92.

[3] ‘Coin-Op Connection – Space Harrier’. Computer Gamer. (March 1986). Number 12:26.

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by lawrenceofcanadia

Alien Storm – Review

By the early 90s, multiplayer beat ‘em ups/hack and slash games such as Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Final Fight were growing increasingly popular. The increasing array of characters and fighting moves kept gamers playing these games time and again, using all characters in a bid to master them. The multiplayer modes meant that you could play with friends and spend countless rainy afternoons and cold winter evenings in imaginary worlds saving the planet, defeating crime bosses or rescuing royalty.

Title screen (screenshot taken by author)

Alien Storm is a beat ‘em up/shooter hybrid developed and published by Sega for the arcade in 1990, and ported to the Mega Drive and Master System in 1991. It was later released in the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, and as part of the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For this review, I chose to play the original Sega Mega Drive version.

Plot

Earth is being invaded by an army of incredibly ugly and aggressive aliens. A team of crack special force operatives known as the “Alien Busters”, comprising of the flame-thrower wielding Karen; the hunky Garth (Gordon in some versions) with his electric rifle, and Scooter (Slammer in PAL version) the robot, are sent to repel the invasion. Eight missions sees them battle through cities and towns, laboratories, electronic goods stores and eventually a UFO.

Oddly, the main character looks like Elvis Presley in his profile picture (screenshot taken by author)

Gameplay

The game is mostly a linear beat ‘em up which sees the players fight from left to right. There are sections of the levels where the game changes to a shooter style game which adds a nice bit of variety to the action. Each character can attack, run, and perform a running attack. There are two bars: life and energy to keep an eye on too. When using your weapon, the energy bar begins to deplete. If you use your special attack, the energy bar depletes more quickly. Along the way, you can pick up medicine and batteries to replenish your life and energy levels. There are a few end of level bosses in the game which take a long time to deafeat if you don’t have special attacks, so I recommend not using them until the boss fights.

Alien Storm incorporated elements of the rail-shooter genre (screenshot taken by author)

How Does It Handle?

The controls are very easy to learn, and the game quickly turns into a button masher with little strategy required.

Graphics

The graphics are great! The levels contain detailed backgrounds and the sprites are bright, colourful and well designed with clear outlines. As the game progresses the increased difficulty of the aliens is noted by a colour palette change.

Interestingly, if you look at the profile picture of Gordon in the bottom left corner of the screen, to me, he looks unmistakably like Elvis Presley.

Music

I think the music to this game is very good and fits well. I particularly like the short piece player before the beginning of each level. It’s quite sci-if/horror-sequel.

Watch out for the alien marsupials!!! (screenshot taken by author)

Replay Value

Before beginning the game, you can choose between three difficulty settings: easy, normal or hard. To add an extra element of difficulty, you can also set your energy bar levels to either easy, normal or hard. When you complete the game, after the end of game scenes and credits, you get a score and a rating. As far as I know, your score makes no difference to the game ending. This adds to the replay value of the game as it encourages additional run throughs.

Each character has an individual move set and special attack but there doesn’t seem to be a difference in strength, agility etc. This encourages you to replay the game trying out the different characters.

As with these types of games, two-player co-op modes only add to the fun. To further increase the replay value of the game, the Mega Drive version also contained a Duel mode and a Player vs Player mode. In the Duel mode, you select a player and must compete in fights with differing numbers and strengths of aliens. The more rounds you win, the higher your overall score at the end. I received a score of 82 and the title “Champion”. During these battles there is no way to regain your energy so use your weapons sparingly. In the Player vs Player mode, you and your opponent select one of the three main protagonists each to fight in a one on one battle. The first player to win two rounds, wins the fight. Sadly, this is a bit naff due to the fact that you only have a limited move set. There is not enough variation in attack combinations to make these battles interesting.

Did I Complete The Game?

Yes, I have completed this game many times over the years in both one and two-player modes, but only in easy mode.

What The Critics Said:

Mean Machines: “An absolutely outstanding conversion from the coin-op, with great graphics and highly enjoyable one or two-player action. The big problem is that it’s just too easy. For some unknown reason, the import version was harder, but even then, it’s not that difficult to finish. Those new to the Mega Drive scene will really enjoy the action – experts, though, are warned that they might just find themselves finishing this prematurely. Overall 78%“.[1]

Sega Pro: “A space age Golden Axe. One or two players can choose from three characters and then walk through eight levels packed with superbly animated and intricately detailed aliens. Great fun as each of the players has a special weapon and executes them in an amusing way. For instance, the robot takes off his (head) and self-destructs as he walks off screen. Way too easy, though. Overall 79%”.[2]

Sega Power: “The game is, if anything, pitched a little too easy, and although the sound effects, music (especially the dance tunes) and graphics are excellent, there is little left to grab you after you’ve heard and seen them all. But as an original theme for a blast-‘em up, it’s got a lot of guts (urgh!). Easily a worthy of addition to your Sega collection. Overall 83%”.[3]

Sega Power: “Horizontal scrolling blast-‘em up in the vein of high-tech Golden Axe.Great 3D shooting sections and ultra-high-speed scroll, but crippled by easy gameplay. Overall 3/5”.[4]

My Verdict:

“I have great memories playing this game with my sister and brother. Its looks great, plays great, and the mix of beat ‘em up and shooter adds some nice variety. The replay value is there too, and I think this is an underrated game from the Mega Drive catalogue. However, it must be said that titles such as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage are still superior in every aspect: Story, graphics, music…the lot.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Alien Storm? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Review: Mega Drive – Alien Storm’. Mean Machines. (October 1992). Issue 1:137.

[2] ‘Sega Showdown – Alien Storm’. Sega Pro. (November 1991). Issue 1:19.

[3] ‘Reviews – Alien Storm’. Sega Power. (April 1991). Issue 23:40.

[4] Jarrett, S., ‘The Hard Line – Alien Storm’. Sega Power. (April 1991). Issue 23:52.

by lawrenceofcanadia

Star Wars: Rebel Assault – Review

Star Wars is one of the most loved franchises in movie history, and has a place in the hearts of millions of cinema goers everywhere. Now it’s your turn to get into the cockpit and help fight against the evil Galactic Empire. May the Force be with you!

Title screen (Screenshot taken by the author)

Star Wars: Rebel Assault is a rail shooter developed and published by LucasArts, and released in 1993 for DOS, MAC, Sega-CD, and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. I chose to review the version downloaded from Steam. There is a spoiler below so watch out for it.

Training missions will see you flying through canyons at high speed… (screenshot taken by the author)

Plot

The game is set during Star Wars: A New Hope, although for some reason, the Battle of Hoth seems to takes place too. You play as Rookie 1, who is a trainee Rebel pilot. Once you complete the trainee missions, you are sent to take on the Empire in battles that see you navigate asteroid belts, fly in close proximity to a Star Destroyer and many other hazardous situations.

Gameplay

Throughout the 15 levels, there are three aspects to this game. First person shooter, overhead view, and third person view, depending on which level you are on.

…tracking and shooting Imperial Probes… (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

Star Wars: Rebel Assault had so much potential, and as a Star Wars fan I loathe to criticise the franchise, but the gameplay really lets this game down, to the point where the fun of playing was drained out of the experience. An example of this is during the battle scenes. The cross hair used to aim is so jittery, and because you don’t have control of the craft, aiming is incredibly difficult and accuracy goes in the toilet. Using a mouse as oppose to a joystick or joypad surprisingly only makes things worse. Flying through the canyons and through caves also becomes frustrating because it is difficult to gauge when you are going to hit obstacles. The attempt to make the game 3D simply plays havoc with your depth perception, especially because this is a rail shooter and you have no real control over the craft.

…and traversing through asteroid fields. (screenshot taken by the author)

Graphics

For the time, the graphics looked great! Nowadays, the pixelated film footage from the movies looks fuzzy and cheap, and for some reason the original dialogue containing voices of the original actors has been replaced, which detracts from the game because it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Music

The SFX and music are authentic music and sounds from the movie which really adds to the atmosphere of the game, making you believe you are in a Star Wars movie.

Cut scenes from the original movie was added which I thought looked great at the time (screenshot taken by the author)

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Another odd factor was that the ending of A New Hope was re-written for this game. There is no sign of Luke, Wedge or Han Solo, and it’s you who destroys the Death Star. You are then shown the ceremony at the end of A New Hope and see Luke Skywalker as he walks down to collect his medal…how come you aren’t awarded a medal? Unless that is supposed to be you of course, which wouldn’t make sense if you choose your pilot to be female.

One mission sees you take on a Star Destroyer (screenshot taken by the author)

Did I Complete The Game:

Sadly, I could not get past the asteroid field in Chapter 6 and became so frustrated that I decided not to continue playing.

What The Critics Said:

NEXT Generation: “The clips from the Star Wars movies, the music, and the 3D rendered graphics are all great – however, they all function as little more than window dressing for a not-so-hot, shooter-style game. The control is none too solid, and the gameplay is rudimentary. Overall 2/5.”[1]

NEXT Generation: “Yes the gameplay is silky and yes, the music and visuals are terrific, but this is, after all, an “arcade” game, and the rails here will get old fairly quickly. If you’re really into Star Wars, Rebel Assault will make you happy. Overall 2/5.”[2]

Computer Gaming World: “Rebel Assault is a gorgeous, fast-paced shooter that is a lot of fun to play. The problem is, the fun is too short lived, and the game certainly doesn’t lure us back to play again and again (No rating given).”[3]

Electronic Gaming Monthly: “Being a Star Wars fan I tried to give this one a chance but to no avail…The digitalised looking graphics are just too grainy, and the gameplay is simple and not interesting enough to maintain your level of attention. Overall 5.75/10.”[4]

My Verdict:

“For me, this game was a cheap way to cash-in on the Star Wars franchise and has very few redeeming features. The music and some of the graphics are the only reason why this game gets a 2-star rating instead of a 1-star rating. The controls are simply awful.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Star Wars: Rebel Assault? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Review:PC – Rebel Assault’. NEXT Generation. (March 1995). Volume 1 Issue 3:89.

[2] ‘Review:PC – Rebel Assault’. NEXT Generation. (December 1995). Volume 1 Issue 12:195.

[3] Schuytema, P.C., ‘Begger’s Canyon Anyone?”. Computer Gaming World. (February 1993). Issue 115:176-8.

[4] ‘Review Crew:PC – Rebel Assault’. Electronic Gaming Monthly. (July 1994). Volume 7 Issue 7:38.