If you have been following my reviews on this website for a good while now, you would know that I primarily stick to arcade and Nintendo platforms when it comes to the games I talk about. There are a few reasons for this, such as how I am slowly combing my way through every single NES game I can comb through until I get sick of it, there are some pretty noteworthy titles on the SNES I want to check out, and there have been so many different games and franchises released in the arcades that I missed over the years, and I want to cover as many of them as possible. But… what about Sega? Sure, I have covered plenty of Sega games on this website already, such as Sonic, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Alex Ki- gags... sorry, almost threw up because of the midness. But compared to what I have reviewed from those other platforms that I mentioned earlier, I have covered very little from Sega’s side of things, especially with lesser recognized titles. So, I decided that I wanted to try (big emphasis on TRY) to give some more Genesis games some time in the spotlight, starting with one I have been wanting to try out for a while now, Gunstar Heroes.
I myself had never played Gunstar Heroes until before this review, nor too many of the other games that Treasure has developed over the years, but it’s not like I haven’t heard of it before. I first saw it in action through the original episode by The Charityfraudist, and from what I saw, it looked pretty neat overall, but it was nothing that was gonna make me be like “Yes, inject it into my veins NOW”. But, since I have played through more and more retro games over the past couple years, I decided that it was about time I finally checked it out, and HOT DAMN, I was definitely missing out on some peak content right here. Many have called this one of the best games on the Sega Genesis, and they were not kidding, because for being the very first game ever made by Treasure, it is fantastic! Sure, it isn’t the most original game out there in terms of gameplay, but what it manages to do with the gameplay style it takes on is not only really unique, but also manages to be extremely fun, fast, and engaging throughout the entire thing.
The story is pretty simple for what this game is, where an evil empire led by Colonel Red has brainwashed Gunstar Green to find a set of mystical gems for him to rule the world, and so it is up to the remaining members of Gunstar to save their brother and stop this empire, which is basic enough, but you can get behind it easily and still have a good time, the graphics are really good, with many of the environments, characters, enemies, and bosses having great designs, while also having plenty of smooth and detailed animations that look extremely impressive for the system, the music is great, having plenty of wonderful tunes that have stuck with me after playing through, while also not sounding too much like other Genesis music (you know, with the twanging and all), which is refreshing, the control is as good as it needs to be, with a good movement speed and customization to fit your run ‘n gun play style, although the jumping is… complete trash 90% of the time, and the gameplay is familiar for those well-versed in the genre, but it still manages to bring plenty of fun and unique elements to the table where you won’t be bored.
The game is a run ‘n gun platformer, where you take control of either Gunstar Red or Blue, take on a set of seven different stages throughout plenty of different environments, take out many different enemies of various shapes and sizes using either your main weapon, or even by uses slides and throwing mechanics to shake things up, gather plenty of different powerups, weapon types, and health along the way to give you an edge over the forces of the evil empire, and take on plenty of bosses that either range from pretty damn easy, quite challenging, or fun and creative. Most of what is found here in terms of the mechanics has been done plenty of times before in other run n’ gun games, and there isn’t anything too new to be found here that can catch your attention, but it does manage to shake things up enough to where you don’t really care too much about that.
In terms of the basics, not too much has changed about it, but there is one aspect about the main gameplay that can be seen as more creative then the others, and that is in terms of its weapons. While you are gunning down numerous soldiers, you can carry up to two weapon orbs at once, and depending on what you are carrying at that point, it will change up what kind of weapon you can fire. This can make it so that you can make a more powerful version of a weapon you already have equipped, or you can even combine different weapon types to gain different combinations, and it is very fun to experiment with these to see which one works best and will get the job done in the best way possible for you.
Aside from that though, there isn’t much that the game has going for it fundamentally. It is more or less a standard run ‘n gun game when you break it down, but for once in my life, I don’t really care about that. There are so many different things that I managed to love and appreciate about the game regardless, such as the fun art style and animations, the fast-paced gameplay that managed to keep things fresh the entire time, and plenty of different stage types that also kept me engaged. There were several of these I ended up really liking, such as a stage where you are riding around in a mine cart that can be flipped onto the ceiling or opposite wall, a stage which turns the game into a shmup that tested your skills and made you focus on many directions other than what was in front of you, and even a stage that takes you through a board game, rolling dice to determine what space you land on, which can either make you fight a boss, give you an item, or even detriment you if you are unlucky. I loved seeing these variations pop up from time to time, ESPECIALLY the board game one, since I am a huge sucker for that kind of gameplay, especially when it manages to shake things up in a normal game that make things more interesting.
Overall, despite not expanding upon the genre too heavily, I found myself really loving my time with Gunstar Heroes, and I am disappointed in myself that I didn’t get to it sooner. Sure, I wouldn’t say that it is the best run ‘n gun game ever made, and it was still pretty basic fun co-op action that you could get from plenty of other games, but it manages to pull off what it wants to do in a seemingly flawless package, which is something I can definitely appreciate. I would definitely recommend it for those who love run ‘n gun games, as well as those who have experience with some of Treasures other titles, because again, for the first game they ever made as a company, they knocked it out of the park. Then again, if you are familiar with their other games, you have probably already played this one, but WHATEVER! Hoo man, that was pretty refreshing. So, what did these guys make after this?........................ what the fu-
Game #458
I myself had never played Gunstar Heroes until before this review, nor too many of the other games that Treasure has developed over the years, but it’s not like I haven’t heard of it before. I first saw it in action through the original episode by The Charityfraudist, and from what I saw, it looked pretty neat overall, but it was nothing that was gonna make me be like “Yes, inject it into my veins NOW”. But, since I have played through more and more retro games over the past couple years, I decided that it was about time I finally checked it out, and HOT DAMN, I was definitely missing out on some peak content right here. Many have called this one of the best games on the Sega Genesis, and they were not kidding, because for being the very first game ever made by Treasure, it is fantastic! Sure, it isn’t the most original game out there in terms of gameplay, but what it manages to do with the gameplay style it takes on is not only really unique, but also manages to be extremely fun, fast, and engaging throughout the entire thing.
The story is pretty simple for what this game is, where an evil empire led by Colonel Red has brainwashed Gunstar Green to find a set of mystical gems for him to rule the world, and so it is up to the remaining members of Gunstar to save their brother and stop this empire, which is basic enough, but you can get behind it easily and still have a good time, the graphics are really good, with many of the environments, characters, enemies, and bosses having great designs, while also having plenty of smooth and detailed animations that look extremely impressive for the system, the music is great, having plenty of wonderful tunes that have stuck with me after playing through, while also not sounding too much like other Genesis music (you know, with the twanging and all), which is refreshing, the control is as good as it needs to be, with a good movement speed and customization to fit your run ‘n gun play style, although the jumping is… complete trash 90% of the time, and the gameplay is familiar for those well-versed in the genre, but it still manages to bring plenty of fun and unique elements to the table where you won’t be bored.
The game is a run ‘n gun platformer, where you take control of either Gunstar Red or Blue, take on a set of seven different stages throughout plenty of different environments, take out many different enemies of various shapes and sizes using either your main weapon, or even by uses slides and throwing mechanics to shake things up, gather plenty of different powerups, weapon types, and health along the way to give you an edge over the forces of the evil empire, and take on plenty of bosses that either range from pretty damn easy, quite challenging, or fun and creative. Most of what is found here in terms of the mechanics has been done plenty of times before in other run n’ gun games, and there isn’t anything too new to be found here that can catch your attention, but it does manage to shake things up enough to where you don’t really care too much about that.
In terms of the basics, not too much has changed about it, but there is one aspect about the main gameplay that can be seen as more creative then the others, and that is in terms of its weapons. While you are gunning down numerous soldiers, you can carry up to two weapon orbs at once, and depending on what you are carrying at that point, it will change up what kind of weapon you can fire. This can make it so that you can make a more powerful version of a weapon you already have equipped, or you can even combine different weapon types to gain different combinations, and it is very fun to experiment with these to see which one works best and will get the job done in the best way possible for you.
Aside from that though, there isn’t much that the game has going for it fundamentally. It is more or less a standard run ‘n gun game when you break it down, but for once in my life, I don’t really care about that. There are so many different things that I managed to love and appreciate about the game regardless, such as the fun art style and animations, the fast-paced gameplay that managed to keep things fresh the entire time, and plenty of different stage types that also kept me engaged. There were several of these I ended up really liking, such as a stage where you are riding around in a mine cart that can be flipped onto the ceiling or opposite wall, a stage which turns the game into a shmup that tested your skills and made you focus on many directions other than what was in front of you, and even a stage that takes you through a board game, rolling dice to determine what space you land on, which can either make you fight a boss, give you an item, or even detriment you if you are unlucky. I loved seeing these variations pop up from time to time, ESPECIALLY the board game one, since I am a huge sucker for that kind of gameplay, especially when it manages to shake things up in a normal game that make things more interesting.
Overall, despite not expanding upon the genre too heavily, I found myself really loving my time with Gunstar Heroes, and I am disappointed in myself that I didn’t get to it sooner. Sure, I wouldn’t say that it is the best run ‘n gun game ever made, and it was still pretty basic fun co-op action that you could get from plenty of other games, but it manages to pull off what it wants to do in a seemingly flawless package, which is something I can definitely appreciate. I would definitely recommend it for those who love run ‘n gun games, as well as those who have experience with some of Treasures other titles, because again, for the first game they ever made as a company, they knocked it out of the park. Then again, if you are familiar with their other games, you have probably already played this one, but WHATEVER! Hoo man, that was pretty refreshing. So, what did these guys make after this?........................ what the fu-
Game #458