My first console was a ZX Spectrum. This was an 8 bit console that used tape cassettes to load games. It didn't always work, pirated games were everywhere and I had a black bin liner full of random games my dad bought at a car boot sale with the console back then. I'm not quite so old that this was modern, at the time a lot of my friends had Sega Megadrives or a SNES but my family couldn't afford it so I made do. I was jealous at the time but looking back wouldn't change a thing. I had a great time with games like Saboteur, Double Dragon and Lemmings to name a few.
Playing Nemesis 2 was a bit like when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood and brings memories rushing back. The MSX this was made for feels like a very similar computer running off of tapes with the same kind of 8 bit power fueling it and I loved Nemesis's simplicity in it's visuals which endeared me to it straight away. The slow scrolling, neon colours and designs just still look great. In the modern era of hyper detail there is something a little refreshing about it.. At least that is what my rose tinted glasses tell me.
The game itself I actually quite like too, at least up to a point. Nemesis 2 is a spin off to Gradius 1 which was named Nemesis on international release. Nemesis 2 however is actually it's own unique game and I think despite running on hardware far inferior to it's arcade younger brothers of Gradius 2, 3 and 4 actually does far more to push the series than they do. There is an attempt at a story here told through short cutscenes for a start. The level design is more interesting with some levels requiring pillars to be destroyed dropping platforms to allow you space to get through, Ice volcanoes that launch little ships at you etc. Also a shout out to Bottle's review pointing out to me hidden stages after beating the bosses I thought was a neat concept.
Where Nemesis 2 does drop the ball though is in how insanely hard it is. In that, with Gradius 2-4 it is well matched. It has the same power up system allowing you to scroll through abilities to manually use for each power cell you collect. speed, options, lasers, shields etc. While I think that in itself is great, when you die you lose everything often making you as weak as a new born lamb to the same hordes. Whilst the levels themselves are fairly neat the design is brutally unforgiving. Go down the wrong path? Not line up shots at a pillar soon enough? dead. By about level 5 I started to get too frustrated and wasn't having fun so threw up the white flag with it.
A shame but what I did take though was I'm going to give some more MSX games a try in the future.
Playing Nemesis 2 was a bit like when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood and brings memories rushing back. The MSX this was made for feels like a very similar computer running off of tapes with the same kind of 8 bit power fueling it and I loved Nemesis's simplicity in it's visuals which endeared me to it straight away. The slow scrolling, neon colours and designs just still look great. In the modern era of hyper detail there is something a little refreshing about it.. At least that is what my rose tinted glasses tell me.
The game itself I actually quite like too, at least up to a point. Nemesis 2 is a spin off to Gradius 1 which was named Nemesis on international release. Nemesis 2 however is actually it's own unique game and I think despite running on hardware far inferior to it's arcade younger brothers of Gradius 2, 3 and 4 actually does far more to push the series than they do. There is an attempt at a story here told through short cutscenes for a start. The level design is more interesting with some levels requiring pillars to be destroyed dropping platforms to allow you space to get through, Ice volcanoes that launch little ships at you etc. Also a shout out to Bottle's review pointing out to me hidden stages after beating the bosses I thought was a neat concept.
Where Nemesis 2 does drop the ball though is in how insanely hard it is. In that, with Gradius 2-4 it is well matched. It has the same power up system allowing you to scroll through abilities to manually use for each power cell you collect. speed, options, lasers, shields etc. While I think that in itself is great, when you die you lose everything often making you as weak as a new born lamb to the same hordes. Whilst the levels themselves are fairly neat the design is brutally unforgiving. Go down the wrong path? Not line up shots at a pillar soon enough? dead. By about level 5 I started to get too frustrated and wasn't having fun so threw up the white flag with it.
A shame but what I did take though was I'm going to give some more MSX games a try in the future.
FallenGrace
1 year ago