Lee046
1 review liked by Lee046
Sunset Riders
1991
Have you ever played Contra one day, and you thought to yourself “Man… this game is alright, but you know what it really needs? Cowboys… lots of them, and have it all take place in the wild west.” Well, my friend, if you have ever had that oddly specific thought, then Sunset Riders would be the game for you! I hadn’t really heard about this game before, but I found it at yet another barcade that just so happens to be near my house (I am extremely upset that I am just now learning about these places), and it looked pleasant enough, so I decided to give it a shot, and I am really glad that I did. This game is pretty damn great, and it definitely deserves a lot more attention then it did get. It doesn’t do too much to innovate the genre, and it can be seen as generic in comparison to Konami’s other similar titles, but what this game manages to do right is take a bunch of elements from other games, mix them all together, and make an extremely solid experience that holds up incredibly well.
The story is all about taking out the scummiest criminals of the west, which is all this game needs to get you going, the graphics are pretty great, fitting well with the setting and style that the game is going for, while also keeping the same energy that other similar Konami games have, the music is also pretty great, with several tracks having the same soundbites that were in TMNT IV, which I absolutely love hearing in that game, and I also love here, the control is pretty solid, although the movement and aiming can be a bit finicky, although that could be because of the arcade machine I was playing it on, and the gameplay is simple, and plenty of the elements found here have been utilized before in other titles, but the way they are implemented here make the game pretty fun to play as a whole.
The game, like I mentioned earlier, is basically Contra in the wild west, where you take control of one of four bounty hunters, go through several side-scrolling stages, shooting down as many thugs as you can, getting gold and powerups along the way, take on a couple bonus stages in between some of the levels for more points, and taking down the many criminals that stand in your way. The speed, energy, movement, and style used to execute all this makes playing the game feel extremely satisfying, and needless to say, I was having a pretty great time throughout the entire thing. Not to mention, it manages to also shake things up with the stage gimmicks at points, such as having several stages where you are on horseback for most of the stage, and these stages can also be very fun.
In addition, there are several gameplay elements implemented alongside everything else to make it stand out from others. Like with Shinobi, there are plenty of instances in the game where you will need to hop in between two different parts of the level in order to avoid obstacles and take down enemies, except in this case, it is two separate heights in the level, rather then being the background and foreground. This gameplay feature isn’t as highly used or relied on as in Shinobi, but it is utilized for plenty of bosses and gameplay sections, making it feel essential rather than just a useless add-on. Also, if it does count for anything else, the game doesn’t always rely on you to simply just shoot enemies and move forward in order to make progress, such as with a couple of sections in the first stage where you need to dodge a horde of bulls by jumping and running on top of them. It isn’t much, but it does add some more variety, which is appreciated.
From my time with the game, I didn’t really have that many gripes about it, as it was pretty damn solid all around. Although, I could see how others may not be able to get into the game as much as I did. Given how the setting is the old west, there isn’t too much variety when it comes to level themes and design, making the game feel pretty repetitive in that regard. Not to mention, if you aren’t really a fan of the western theme, or you just straight up hate that theme, then you won’t really be getting anything out of the game, and you would be much better off playing some of Konami’s other, similar titles, like Contra or, if you want a similar artstyle to this, the TMNT arcade game. That being said, if you are a fan of the style, or just don’t mind it all that much, and you don’t care about a little repetition here and there, then you would definitely get a kick out of this game.
Overall, while not being the most creative of arcade shooters, this is one of the most well-constructed ones that I have played in a while, and it is definitely a hidden gem amongst the many other arcade titles that Konami have put out over the years. I would definitely recommend it for those who haven’t played it yet, as it is pretty fun, I’ll bet even more so with friends, and who knows, you might just find a new favorite out of this game. Now, I would say that I would like to see a modern day sequel to this in the same style of games like Streets of Rage 4 or TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, but… given what Konami did to Contra, I don’t think I really want that to happen.
Game #268
The story is all about taking out the scummiest criminals of the west, which is all this game needs to get you going, the graphics are pretty great, fitting well with the setting and style that the game is going for, while also keeping the same energy that other similar Konami games have, the music is also pretty great, with several tracks having the same soundbites that were in TMNT IV, which I absolutely love hearing in that game, and I also love here, the control is pretty solid, although the movement and aiming can be a bit finicky, although that could be because of the arcade machine I was playing it on, and the gameplay is simple, and plenty of the elements found here have been utilized before in other titles, but the way they are implemented here make the game pretty fun to play as a whole.
The game, like I mentioned earlier, is basically Contra in the wild west, where you take control of one of four bounty hunters, go through several side-scrolling stages, shooting down as many thugs as you can, getting gold and powerups along the way, take on a couple bonus stages in between some of the levels for more points, and taking down the many criminals that stand in your way. The speed, energy, movement, and style used to execute all this makes playing the game feel extremely satisfying, and needless to say, I was having a pretty great time throughout the entire thing. Not to mention, it manages to also shake things up with the stage gimmicks at points, such as having several stages where you are on horseback for most of the stage, and these stages can also be very fun.
In addition, there are several gameplay elements implemented alongside everything else to make it stand out from others. Like with Shinobi, there are plenty of instances in the game where you will need to hop in between two different parts of the level in order to avoid obstacles and take down enemies, except in this case, it is two separate heights in the level, rather then being the background and foreground. This gameplay feature isn’t as highly used or relied on as in Shinobi, but it is utilized for plenty of bosses and gameplay sections, making it feel essential rather than just a useless add-on. Also, if it does count for anything else, the game doesn’t always rely on you to simply just shoot enemies and move forward in order to make progress, such as with a couple of sections in the first stage where you need to dodge a horde of bulls by jumping and running on top of them. It isn’t much, but it does add some more variety, which is appreciated.
From my time with the game, I didn’t really have that many gripes about it, as it was pretty damn solid all around. Although, I could see how others may not be able to get into the game as much as I did. Given how the setting is the old west, there isn’t too much variety when it comes to level themes and design, making the game feel pretty repetitive in that regard. Not to mention, if you aren’t really a fan of the western theme, or you just straight up hate that theme, then you won’t really be getting anything out of the game, and you would be much better off playing some of Konami’s other, similar titles, like Contra or, if you want a similar artstyle to this, the TMNT arcade game. That being said, if you are a fan of the style, or just don’t mind it all that much, and you don’t care about a little repetition here and there, then you would definitely get a kick out of this game.
Overall, while not being the most creative of arcade shooters, this is one of the most well-constructed ones that I have played in a while, and it is definitely a hidden gem amongst the many other arcade titles that Konami have put out over the years. I would definitely recommend it for those who haven’t played it yet, as it is pretty fun, I’ll bet even more so with friends, and who knows, you might just find a new favorite out of this game. Now, I would say that I would like to see a modern day sequel to this in the same style of games like Streets of Rage 4 or TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, but… given what Konami did to Contra, I don’t think I really want that to happen.
Game #268