Does Treasure's beat 'em up still have its edge?
When the 32 bit wars began, I was firmly entrenched in the Sony PlayStation camp. I believed then, as I do now, that the overall library of games on the PSX was far superior to that of the Sega Saturn. That shouldn’t imply, however, that there weren’t games on the Saturn that could make even the staunchest PlayStation supporter green with envy. The Saturn was capable of pumping out impressive sets of 2D sprites, and in this the PlayStation was a distant second. Games like Astal, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and Albert Odyssey made me desperately want the beefy Sega console, and as soon as I was able to, I plunked down my hard-earned cash for a Saturn. The main reason for this purchase was, of course, Guardian Heroes. I had missed out on many of Treasure’s other games, since I had also sided against Sega in the 16 bit days. Even so, I knew just what kinds of incredible things the quirky Japanese developer was doing with animation and sprite work, and for me, Guardian Heroes was a system seller. Now, 15 years later, Guardian Heroes returns for XBLA with an HD upgrade. Does the game hold up after all these years, and is it worth the 800 MS point asking price? Read on, brave warriors, read on.
They’ve finally done it - a title more niche than the standard bullet hell shooter!
Bangai-O is one of those series that would normally be completely unknown to most players, but given the release and critically acclaimed sequel Bangai-O Spirits on the DS, the series has gained some notoriety. Originally released on the N64 and later ported worldwide to the Dreamcast, Bangai-O offers a unique blend of gameplay that pairs bullet hell shoot-‘em-up mechanics with puzzle solving techniques. Its niche status wasn’t exactly unwarranted - like many of the titles Treasure creates, it was made for a small audience of truly hardcore players looking for intense challenge. That being said, it’s unlikely that the HD remake of the original game will connect with most players.
Can Nintendo’s anthropomorphic wingmen make a comeback? Sure they can. The question is who will make it possible.
What the hell happened to Star Fox? Despite Nintendo being famous for developing and publishing high quality games, the Star Fox series has taken a nosedive. I loved both Star Fox on the SNES, its unreleased sequel for the same system and Star Fox 64, one of the best Nintendo 64 games ever.
An exclusive agreement with Microsoft will bring the two heavy hitters to the system.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced in anticipation of the Tokyo Game Show, that both the classic Treasure Arcade/Saturn shooter, Radiant Silvergun, as well as Fire Pro Wrestling, are coming to the Xbox 360.
The follow-up to the cult N64 classic is finally upon us.
To describe it simply, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the modern imagining of classic arcade shooters. I've spoken about this particular genre before, when I've talked about rRootage in the past, and honestly, it's a genre I love. Sometimes modern imaginings of classic genres fail to capture the essence of what they seek to improve; Sin & Punishment: Star Successor unquestionably avoids this, successfully reviving and improving the classic arcade shooter.
My frothing demand for this game increases.
Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is the sequel to the adrenaline-infused Sin and Punishment, an on-rails import shooter originally. Though originally released on the N64, the was finally able to see the light of day in North American and PAL territories on the Wii's Virtual Console. To put it briefly, the original felt like a cross between StarFox 64 and Galaga, with difficult, but wild, over-the-top bosses thrown into the mix.