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Here we have all the games in the email030625 Section.
Brilliant Switch
A Bit Special
King of Fighters 96, Samurai Spirits III, Fatal Fury, World Heroes Perfect, Last Resort, Sengoku Densho, Ninja Combat, Fire Suplex, Blazing Star and Baseball Stars 2 make up the roster of Neo Geo back-catalogue titles in this third tribute to the Rolls Royce of consoles. The shooters will stir interest: Last Resort well worth a blast and the Blazing Star was almost always out of most gamer’s financial reach, even back in the day, until now.
Brilliant Switch
A Bit Special
King of Fighters 2000, Art of Fighting, Last Blade, Ninja Commando, Joy Joy Kid, The Super Spy, Ragnagard, Neo Geo Cup 98, plus the star shoot ’em up Pulstar and the original Metal Slug. Enough to retire on for owners of the AES carts, this sublime selection will treat Switch users to some true coin-op classics. Just don’t try inserting the credit card memory card that was transferrable between home AES and arcade MVS versions.
Game of the Week PS4
One on One Beat Em Up
A real fight fest for fans of the genre with both incarnations of Capcom vs SNK, Rival Schools, Fighting Jam, Street Fighter Zero 3, along with Star Gladiator plus double incarnations of Power Stone for a bit less-intense, more chuck away action. A real treat for those that appreciate Capcom’s eye for detail and spit and polish. Just hope you aren’t spitting teeth after a run in with some of these bad boys.
Game of the Week Mega Drive
Platform
Brings back the gaming fun from the Famicom era with a unique twist on the platform genre in that it is played by a car. Drivers must cover as many of the platform levels as possible and in doing so complete the road they drive over. Some mightily impressive sprite rotation techniques as the players car changes direction or it fires a bullet into the pursuing police cars to spin them out of control. Nice backgrounds too with the Statue of Liberty and Big Ben guesting. Well worth its revival on the Mega Drive – a true labour of love from Habit Soft converting the arcade version with features not possible on the Famicom plus a few bonus extras.
Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
Classic Famicom coloured designed bag, officially licensed coming with the piece de resistance of the controller side pocket.
PS2
Simulation
Crazed, manga-inspired action with plenty of speed lines and manga style sound effects in katakana as the anime action comes to life.
Dreamcast
One on One Beat Em Up
Genki would love to diverge more details if only the plot of Hirohiko Araki’s suitably named manga made sense… Recommended to fans with Capcom’s solid fighting engine and JoJo’s insane animation skilfully blended together. The special moves are the cocoa dust on top to fans of the series.
Sega Hardware
Cable
AV cable for the Mega Drive 2. Very versatile and from a stable with a good retro history.
Mega Drive
Shoot Em Up
There’s a certain magic to a plane based shoot ’em up – maybe its the giant enemy planes that must be taken down or the ginormous warships that scale across the screen? But what a Mach speed flight of fancy this treat is being a canned Jaleco 90’s shooter from back in the hey days of the 16Bit wars.
Mega Drive
Shoot Em Up
With only 5,000 copies of the original print rumoured to be in circulation, this is one of the rarer titles for the Mega Drive and the price in Japan of the original often reflects this. Not merely collectable for its low print run though – its the finest shooter on the Mega Drive. The heroine of the title is a witch named Cotton, on a mission to find out why all the sweets have been poisoned. But it times it may seem like Cotton has had a strong dose of dental gas, such are the colourful, almost psychedelic nature of the graphics with genre defining effects. Smashing bosses, clean, creative anime cut scenes, original ‘chase view’ perspective, yet true to its title with free movement – this title is the best example of what the Mega Drive architecture can produce. Michelangelo would surely approve. Thankfully collectors can now own it and not just watch the original with tea cup on Antiques Roadshow.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Genki’s bugbear with Rolling Gunner is the difficulty in taking in the stunning, stainless steel mega bosses and seamlessly scrolling backgrounds in this super Switch side scrolling shooter. The soundtrack hits all the right notes too, inspiring players to keep blasting when it seems like every pixel is out to get you.
Sega Hardware
Cable
AV cable for the older and newer models of the Sega Saturn. Very versatile and from a stable with a good retro history.
Dreamcast
A Bit Special
Ryo continues on his quest for revenge to Hong Kong and the mountains of China. Incredible cinematic experience that incredulously never received a North American release: such craft deserved the widest possible audience.
Game of the Week Switch
Shoot Em Up
The legendary 16 and 32Bit shoot em up Sonic Wings gets rebooted for a revival flight in this updated retro reunion with the cityscapes looking superbly rotoscoped. The plane theme is done too perfection with a variety of planes and pilots to add to the explosion excitement, all looking very militaristic in TATE mode.
Game of the Week Switch
A Bit Special
Two of the most collectable Saturn games rightfully revived by City Connection for more to savour their femme fatale charms.
Advanced Variable Geo has Battle mode where you can take on anyone, or Story mode full of scene setting cinematics where you play as Yuka chan. Very tasty graphics improving over the Super Famicom prequel. Also includes special moves that can only be utilised when on your last legs, evening up one sided bouts.
Saturn shooter Steam Hearts is a sizzlingly hot and saucy shmup brought to the table by the talented Giga. A heady combination of steamy cut scenes and frantic shoot ’em up action is the sort of fan service you can expect in Japan. Genki is grateful that the gameplay is more rewarding than Divine Sealing on the Mega Drive adopting an overhead perspective with shifts in style to keep things fresh. Thankfully the ship can take seven hits before biting the dust which is welcomed with the sheer volume of enemy fire as are the tight controls. A turbo boost can zip the ship through a tight squeeze to the pulsating beats to the soundtrack with a tap on the pad leaving a feeling of great satisfaction to have left behind the enemy hordes. The cut scenes come after defeating an end of level boss which are interesting characters to say the least. The Saturn version had full two player mode and makes good use of the machines 2D powers.
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Standard version of the eagerly awaited shmup port of the Naomi board. 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 Switch Enhanced version includes plenty of extras over the Dreamcast original, like the PS2 port. 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.
Brilliant Switch
Shooter
Amiga fans in the UK used to drool over Turrican with its inspirational rock soundtrack pushing the gamer on to new heights of its run and gun (and sometimes roll) platform action. This fine compilation also includes the much coveted Super Turrican of Super Famicom fame. Anthology One contains Turrican, Turrican 2, Super Turrican, Super Turrican Directors Cut, Mega Turrican Score Attack and Anthology Two contains Turrican 3, Mega Turrican, Mega Turrican Directors Cut, Super Turrican 2 and Super Turrican Score Attack. An awful lot of blast for your buck.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Dream compilation for the new and old generation with the Famicom and Arcade versions of Tiger Heli: Toaplan show their flair for explosive onslaughts as players pilot the helicopter through 1942 style warfare based levels. Gameplay is well thought out and most importantly fair. A very solid Famicom shooter that lead to the Ultimate Tiger sequel, also conveniently included in Arcade, Twin Cobra, PC Engine, Famicom and mega Drive incarnations:
Vertically scrolling helicopter based blaster. Think 1941 with copters for planes. Taito once again showing its expertise in crafting very competent shooters. Also known as Kyukyoku Tiger.
Finally includes a bit of side scrolling fight action in Get Star for some light relief from the bullet barrage.
PS5
Shoot Em Up
Conversion and handing over the torch from the Dreamcast to keep the world of shooters illuminated. Jaw dropping, smoothly animated visuals and attention to detail in smoke plumages and tumbling shrapnel, not forgetting the immense explosions. Arming your copter with a second weapon option as well as targeting adds a tactical aspect to the military themed, vertically scrolling shmup action.