stealthrush
1989
Average shooter that has a 2P option. Stages 1-4 difficulty were average but in stage 5 the difficult increased exponentially, especially when the black helicopter formations showed up- that required precision aircraft placement. After stage five the game went back to being average difficulty, surprisingly including the final boss.
Ambitious early experimental board game that utilized the strength of the hardware. Digitized characters on a animated background participate in a collection zany mini-games from matching, jigsaw puzzle, and others. Product of it's time that has decent replay value.
1992
Colorful and quaint 2P exclusive home console action game. Wonderful visual cut scenes with great voice dialog. Gameplay borrows heavily from Bubble Bobble series but with it's own unique twist. Large boss sprites, and decent length to complete. Difficulty increases slightly on the last world leading up to the final boss.
1990
Mediocre maze action game that misses the mark. Variation of the original 1987 arcade game Kid No Hore Hore Daisakusen which featured a more frantic & challenging experience. This version tones down the gameplay exponentially, perhaps appealing to novice players.
1996
A step down in the visual department, still retains sloppy hit detection. Appreciate the tweaks in the stage design that breaks up the monotony of the original. Bosses are less creative, a few broken that are easily defeated.
1997
Beautifully animated cut-scenes with average light gun gameplay.
1996
Collection of nine mini games one of them being a sequel to the puzzle game that has an endless 1P mode and VS Player and VS CPU mode with different difficulty settings. Novelty and product of it's time.
1994
Bare bones clone of the popular puzzle series of the time. Features single-player mode that gives you a high score. Versus mode against a computer opponent or human player that allows you to break Deow'Nz and send them one on their side. A strange mode called Trip'Dance that allows you to create patterns of art and music. Would be a solid score higher if stages changed.
1994
One of the pioneers in the genre to use use fully rendered 3D environments and character models opposed 3D pre-rendered graphics. Good puzzle solving, trial and error pace complete with unique death animations. Short but sweet experience that includes a good introduction and ending cut scene that ties the story together. Would have been a low score for its abysmal frame rate due to lack of hardware knowledge and or hardware limitations. Since I completed it on emulation I was able to boost CPU speed allowing for smoother gameplay in that case would be a higher score.
1994
Space Flopon is the main shooter strategy RPG hybrid game that allows you to visit shops, level up, and defeat bosses on the map. Each skirmish is called a Phase with a wave of enemy ship patterns you must defeat, score is based on accuracy. Score points are currency where you can buy items in the shop. The Final boss takes many shots to defeat. Other games in this compilation are score based and multiplayer.
1994
On the surface a unique concept that may have potential to be fun. In reality a bizarre looking, boring chore of a game. Painfully average graphics, unstable frame rate, headache inducing sound effects including abrupt music changes. Actual gameplay is terribly simple complete with wonky 'pinball' physics that jerk around. Short game with similar stage layouts. Once you get passed the novel idea it becomes dull very quickly, cannot recommend.
1995
Cult classic that hasn't aged well. Ambiance was captured very well starting with the opening scene until the end of the game. The use of only full-motion video animated cut scenes, not digitized actors, opposed to in-game graphics was ambitious at the time. Although that comes at a slow pace loading each video from movement to obtaining items. You can argue the slow pace adds to the haunting atmosphere the game portrays. Short but unforgettable experience.
1997
Charming albeit below average 3D shoot'em up.
2008
Seamless experience but lost the charm of the series.
Distinct pre-rendered graphical style with the characters complete with 3D map locations. Battles are the most satisfying unlocking new abilities and party members. Primary focus on the strategy aspect with a linear story-line and small world map. Role-playing elements come in second by talking to town locals, shops, having a natural story progression. Some optional side-quest are available but not necessary to complete the game.