Thunder Force II
Free roamingGenre: shooter - vertical
Publisher: Sega
Year: 1989
System: Genesis
Gameplay Score: 2
Gameplay Notes:
Well that wasn't what I was expecting. You fly around overhead and have free rein to go up down. Left or right? I guess subsequent levels have you going horizontally but the first one was the only one I ever saw moves from an overhead perspective. The controls in the overhead are strange and take some getting used to and enemies swarm around you such that it's hard to avoid running into them. You can switch between two different guns, one that only shoots forward and one that shoots both forward and backward. This makes killing things easier but enemies take a lot of hits and often don't seem to take hits consistently. It's like your shots phase right through them. Poor hit detection is not good in a shooter.
Level Design Score: 3
Level Design Notes:
The game alternates between overhead and horizontal shooter levels. The horizontal levels are pretty standard but they're challenging. The vertical levels are confusing. I for life of me I cannot figure out how to complete one. I just fly around endlessly killing stuff and nothing seems to end the level. The only way I even saw the horizontal levels is using the hidden option screen to do a stage select.
Theme Score: 3
Theme Notes:
You're a spaceship in a techno organic environment. Standard stuff.
Art Style Score: 3
Art Style Notes:
Looks like a very early release. The enemy sprites are mostly just circles but bullets are easy to spot and there's a lot of scrolling going on, especially on the vertical levels. However, the scrolling is disorienting as it moves a little slower than your ship. One positive is that there's not a hint of slowdown anywhere in the game.
Audio Score: 3
Audio Notes:
The music is exciting but simple. It's one of the best things about the game for sure. The sound effects however are obnoxious. Your shot is very metallic and grading. A voice plays each time you pick up a power up and it's a garbled female Japanese voice
Overall Score: 50
Review ID: 1323
No comments:
Post a Comment