Brilliant
Here we have all the games in the Brilliant Section.
šBrilliant!
Brilliant Switch
A Bit Special
Ten of the dream team of SNK gaming that set pulses racing in their day, yet still bring a type of gaming not easily found these days to the modern arena. King of Fighters 95, Metal Slug 4, Samurai Spirits, Fatal Fury 2, Shock Troopers 2, Ghost Pilots, Baseball Stars, Mutation Nation, Big Tournament Golf, and Stakes Winner looking very fine and glad youāre mine.
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Brilliant PS4
Shoot Em Up
Granted most modern shooters end up in a screen full of rainbow coloured bullets (though that said old school shooters were never short of a projectile or two.) But Cave has certainly grabbed Genki’s goat in going for a World War style of isometric background buildings as detailed polygon biplanes float into place having caught the eye with a neat bit of scaling. Plenty of on ground action as pilots fly their female characters through the on-screen onslaught. Superb stuff demonstrating Caves rich arcade heritage.
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Brilliant Super Famicom
Shoot Em Up
Graphically pleasing with liberal use of colour as you guide Willow on her broomstick quest for wish-granting sweets accompanied by her fairy friend Silk. Success is rewarded with an appropriately off kilter end of level tea break. Intriguingly Willow gets to select her favourite weaponry before the offset and in game Silk can be used to attack along with the fire dragon, star frenzy or lightning assaults depending on which crystals have been collected.
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Brilliant PS2
Simulation
A more modern gaming genre in the shape of a game aimed at ladies dating. Plenty of bishonen style young men to chat to in this visual novel.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Captures the beautiful designs and the comical expression of the Dragon Quest universe monsters and they brighten up any spot you may locate them to show your Square Enix loyalty and appreciation.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Captures the zany spirit and epoch defining designs of Akira Toyama’s ever popular DragonBall characters. A fine tribute to the series.
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Brilliant Mega Drive
Platform
Action varies from New York to surfing on the back of dolphins with the green haired heroine able to use an exploding boomerang to repels attacks. Bizarre bosses ranging from a tank to a jelly monster hidden away in a cave. A cult classic well recommended to fans of the Valis series.
Brilliant Nintendo Hardware
Controller
Sticks to the fine layout of the SFC original, but also has a special mode for use with Garou Densetsu 2 to allow simple execution of special moves. Overall a very smooth pad is jet black finish.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
The fun, stunned expression of Cactuar captured in this delightful festival mask from the eternal Final Fantasy series.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern make up the five super heroes and heroines realised in cute, cartoony, binary art form in these soft toys.
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Brilliant PS4
One on One Beat Em Up
A veritable dojo of martial artists and super heroes with the full roster being made of: X-Men, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom 2 and The Punisher. Only The Punisher hasnāt featured on Genki in previous format releases being a coin-op, but the Final Fight format will feel very much at home to Capcom connoisseurs and cognoscenti.
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Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Mushihimesama was developed by the hardcore’s most coveted Cave and welcomed to the Switch with open arms. Yet the love of the developer by it hardened crew is rarely reciprocated as cruel patterns of projectiles spray across the screen – a hard love that’s for sure. The title translates as Insect Princess and a genetically enhanced horde of creepy crawlies await the pretty princess. As you’d expect multiplier mayhem awaits those prepared to go easy on the smart bombs with the seasoned vet soon clocking up massive scores.
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Brilliant Famicom Cart
Platform
The Nyankies instead of Yankees comes from the sound a cat makes in Japanese. Captures a cheesy Eighties feel with ease as the cat heroes swing through downtown Manhattan. The game is full of innovative touches such as hoover feet and being able to grab on to platforms, Bionic Commando style. Known as Rockin Kats in the West and also abbreviated to NY Nyankies.
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Brilliant Gamecube
Action
A request from Shigeru Miyamoto lead to the orginal creator of Pac Man producing this update where in a novel twist the player can control the ghosts. Available only as a demo disk from Club Nintendo, Pac Man is reinvented by controlling the ghosts making for amazing multiplayer matches. The way it works is to have Pacman play via the GameBoy Advance link up so that the ghosts cannot see Pac’s position, only that of the 3D maze on the television screen.
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Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
What more could we possibly add? Once the Saturn was the only system on which it was possible to sample this masterpiece of programming, unless you managed to track down the ST-V Titan motherboard. And Treasure got the Saturn performing veritable cartwheels in terms of graphical boundaries which are pushed into the outer stratosphere. But just as much time has been spent on the play mechanics with a highly original weapons system. Sheer class on the Switch for all to savour.
šBrilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
What more could we possibly add? Once the Saturn was the only system on which it was possible to sample this masterpiece of programming, unless you managed to track down the ST-V Titan motherboard. And Treasure got the Saturn performing veritable cartwheels in terms of graphical boundaries which are pushed into the outer stratosphere. But just as much time has been spent on the play mechanics with a highly original weapons system. Sheer class on the Switch for all to savour.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Six different Sega designs to these shopper bags to make you the envy of your local supermarket, if not gaming convention. Two styles to represent each of the Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast.
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Brilliant Switch
Action
Cult developer Beep turn their fine hand to a 2D slash ’em up with a real nod to the fine retro heritage that exists in this genre whilst clever use of pseudo 3D to keep the player perspiring and their adrenalin flowing. Gamers of a certain vintage will lap this up and be left positively purring.
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Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Fatal Fury starts in these tribute artworks that sit perfectly on desktops. The pull back design shows the artwork in motion adding to the effect. Neo Geo devotees will lap this up.
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Brilliant Mega Drive
Action
The original cart is a rather rare side scrolling beat ’em up from Kemco with solid 2D visuals and gameplay that they don’t make quite like they used to. Each character has their own special move – the hand grenade can certainly have its use at times. Simultaneous two player mode adds to the enjoyment of this very playable romp.
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Brilliant Super Famicom
Action
The original cart is a rather rare side scrolling beat ’em up from Kemco with solid 2D visuals and gameplay that they don’t make quite like they used to. Each character has their own special move – the hand grenade can certainly have its use at times. Simultaneous two player mode adds to the enjoyment of this very playable romp.
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Brilliant Soundtracks
Soundtrack
Three vinyl record disks in a fitting tribute to the side scrolling beat ’em up’s fabulous score. Thirty five tracks to savour – the ultimate getting ready for a night out album, hopefully without recreating the fight scenes!
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Brilliant Figures
Figure
1/48 scale colour resin kit tribute to the Game Arts Famicom shoot em up that featured a mecha style robot that can transform into a space ship with formidable, and much needed, laser. The mecha kit also features a mini tribute to the space ship. A real work of fan devotion from cult publisher Beep Japan.
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Brilliant Gamecube
Action
Classic title from a golden era of gaming where players take on the role of knight tasked with clearing mazes. Set apart by Namcots flair for appealing sprite graphics and some fine gameplay blending quick thinking and fast pacing to create a title as loved today in updates such as this and on virtual consoles.
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Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Switch version and eagerly awaited shmup port of the Naomi board based Dreamcast blast that also found a home on the 360 and PS2. The crux of this shooters story is the ability to capture enemy ships and either use them as a shield or send them spinning off out of control with a deft joypad flick. The home version includes the original arcade mode, along with a story, arrange and training modes plus the chance to tweak with the controls and screen dimensions. Story mode adds speech to the levels along with various endings depending on which character the player selected. Arrange is a mish mash of the arcade and story modes that must be completed on a measly single credit.
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Brilliant Figures
Figure
Charming anime figure to brighten up any desktop only available in Japan as an arcade coin-op prize, until now.
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Brilliant Gamecube
Sports
Minna no Golf style graphics with fine attention to detail such as the rainbow after the shower and weather sound effects adding to the uber kawaii look and feel good factor, yet its the unique control system untilising the analogue stick to make shots that makes Wai Wai head the leaderboard. Proper course design with realistic 3D so you can visually judge the run of the greens. And the cussing and yelping of the players helps endear you to the game further. Four player mode with just a single controller too.
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Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Mech robots scrapping it out in this conversion of the rare Saturn shooter Wolf Fang. Seemingly inspired by Cybernator on the Super Famicom with the of the era obligatory FMV to establish its 32bit pedigree. The Assault Suits Valken influence can be seen in the tiny humans on screen such as when you have to hit the ejector seat from the mech but still battle bravely on. The mech attributes can be set which makes a big difference to your in-game powers. Skull Fang is an old school vertical scrolling shoot ’em up with arcade roots in its Data East heritage. All very nicely presented as you’d expect from a Japanese title. Tough, but not too unforgiving for grizzled shooter heads.