Side-Scrolling shooters were a classic – back in the times – when individuals or a handful of guys could actually bring their creative ideas to live – and create a video game in few weeks. (no multi-million 3d grafix, just innovation, sprites and pixels)

It was amazing what some programmers managed to get out of a Sega Mega Drive (called “Genesis” in USA) or a SuperNintendo or Playstation1 or Sega Saturn…

The mother of all of them is probably “Space Invaders” 😀

Space Invaders Championship 1980

Space Invaders Championship 1980

This review will go through SuperNintendo side scrolling shooters – discuss their concepts – their innovative features – their damn hardness difficulty (challenging the playaz is good – but don’t frustrate ’em – some games are just ridiculous hard (example: NES game “BlueShadowWay”   – superb multiplayer ninja game… but ridiculous hard – unless you play that as a full-time job – there is no chance you will ever see the final boss… or possibly defeat em)

Well implemented controls and Multi-Player capabilities guarantee bonus-points :-p (it’s just more fun together against a hole horde of AI enemies…)

so let’s start:

System used: znes SuperNintendo Emulator on Debian Linux MATE (Gnome2)

[cc lang=”bash” escaped=”true” width=”600″]

uname -a
Linux DebianWorkstation 3.16.0-4-686-pae #1 SMP Debian 3.16.36-1+deb8u1 (2016-09-03) i686 GNU/Linux
cat /etc/debian_version
8.6

# you can install it like this
su; # become root
sudo bash; # become even more root
apt-get update; # update package definitions
apt-get install zsnes; # install package
apt-cache showpkg zsnes; # show info about the package
Package: zsnes
Versions:
1.510+bz2-8 (/var/lib/apt/lists/ftp.uni-erlangen.de_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-i386_Packages) (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-i386_Packages) (/var/lib/dpkg/status)
Description Language:
File: /var/lib/apt/lists/ftp.uni-erlangen.de_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-i386_Packages
MD5: 23c1e4d12b6b8895961a29f2fd91570b
Description Language: en
File: /var/lib/apt/lists/ftp.uni-erlangen.de_debian_dists_jessie_main_i18n_Translation-en
MD5: 23c1e4d12b6b8895961a29f2fd91570b

Reverse Depends:
zsnes-dbg,zsnes 1.510+bz2-8
games-emulator,zsnes
Dependencies:
1.510+bz2-8 – libc6 (2 2.7) libgcc1 (2 1:4.1.1) libgl1-mesa-glx (16 (null)) libgl1 (0 (null)) libncurses5 (2 5.5-5~) libpng12-0 (2 1.2.13-4) libsdl1.2debian (2 1.2.11) libstdc++6 (2 4.1.1) libtinfo5 (0 (null)) zlib1g (2 1:1.2.2.3)
Provides:
1.510+bz2-8 –
[/cc]

The general concept

The general concept is – you are steering something that shoots.

Your ammo is (usually) unlimited – so you keep the button mostly pressed.

So it’s mostly about creative steering your ship or entity through the masses of incoming attack waves of enemy-ships and fire.

At the same time you collect powerups that increase your firepower or shielding – Usually if you get one single hit – that’s it… 😀 you lose all your powerups – here it would be nice of kind of detect if the player has difficulties – and maybe add more powerups to the same level the player just repeated the third time… because it was too hard 😀

max possible score is: 80

Axeley (score: 53 points)

  • concept / story / setting:
    • very very interesting… in the tradition of space invaders – things move vertical and not horizontal.
    • some enemies are encircling you – mean!
    • it also has some sort of “arm your ship setup screen” – but you can’t actually chose anything?
    • if you get hit – you won’t explode instantly – but the weapon you just used gets damaged – so you have to fight with the one’s left over – after 3 hits thats it.
    • 9 of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • you can switch between 3 weapons – while firing the same rockets with a secondary button (don’t keep two buttons pressed – you won’t be able to steer on a keyboard)
      • one weapon is funny – it starts to shoot behind you and then moves forwards – if you release the button it moves back – then stops
    • 9 of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • there is no limit how far left and right you can steer…
    • steering has the feeling of “lag” or some physics – VERY NICE! 🙂
    • 9 of 10p
  • action level:
    • 6 of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • its not easy but also not frustrating
    • 6 of 10p
  • grafix:
    • okay
    • 6 of 10p
  • music:
    • very good sound effects! and even speech!
    • 8 of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: 53p

BioMetal (score: 43 points)

  • concept / story / setting:
    • space-ship flyes through a pretty dark universe and shoots techno-organic alien-spaceships that fly in in overwhelming swarms… right on! 8 of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • you can activate a shield that recharges when not used… (blue balls). The shield actually has different modes that you can cycle through 1. charge (no shield) 2. attack (bigger circle around your ship) 3. guard (smaller circle around your ship) 8 of 10p
  • multiplayer?: does not seem like it 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls: ok 8 of 10p
  • action level: pretty good 7 of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty: hard
    • you have continues and lifes
    • when losing a life – you can keep your powerups
    • when using a continue you will have to do the whole level all over again
    • even on easy i tried several times but could not defeat the first boss, the boss was able to shoot through my shield? not nice 😀 5 of 10p
  • grafix: good 8 of 10p
  • music: techno-funky! funky! heavy bass 😀 but a little bit nerve-wracking 4 of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: 48p – “pretty nice”

Gradius 3 (score: 45 points)

wow! it has an intro 😀

wtf? very confusing settings you will have to choose from… no idea how they influence the game…

 

  • concept / story / setting:
    • space ship shooting technology, dragons, ugly sandworms 5 of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • confusing amount of badly explained options 5 of 10p
  • multiplayer?: yes 10 of 10p
  • controls:
    • lasers and rockets are the same button – HURRAY! 😀
    • speed is pretty slow which gives you time to react… handling okay 8 of 10p
  • action level:
    • lame – 3 of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • can be adjusted, easy is not easy – 5 of 10p
  • grafix:
    • lame 4 of 10p
  • music: unobtrusive 5 of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: 45p

Thunder Spirit (score: 37 points)

 

  • concept / story / setting:
    • space ship scrolling through the forset?
    • shooting again – bio-technological things… that have way more firepower than the ship one is steering…  3 of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • you can cycle through different firing mode – more firepower to the front – or some back and front… 8 of 10p
  • multiplayer?: no 0 of 10p
  • controls: okay 8 of 10p
  • action level: okay 5 of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty: very hard, can not set difficulty 3 of 10p
  • grafix: okay, not impressed… 5 of 10p
  • music: okay 5 of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: 37p – “lame”, no motivation

 

Darius Twin

  • concept / story / setting:
    • you are shooting biotech-space-fish…
  • innovative features:
  • multiplayer?: YES 😀
  • controls:
    • you will have to keep two buttons pressed – lasers and rockets have separate key 😀 making it impossible to play with a keyboard that can not handle more than 3 buttons at the same time…
  • action level:
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
  • grafix:
    • nice intro 🙂
  • music:
    • EPIC!
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total:

 

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Name

  • concept / story / setting:
    • X of 10p
  • innovative features:
    • X of 10p
  • multiplayer?:
    • Yes! 10 of 10p
    • No 🙁 0 of 10p
  • controls:
    • X of 10p
  • action level:
    • X of 10p
  • hardcoreness / difficulty:
    • X of 10p
  • grafix:
    • X of 10p
  • music:
    • X of 10p
  • overall ranking / highscore / points total: X of 10p

Links:

https://videochums.com/top10/super-nintendo-shoot-em-ups

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