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2D SHOOT ‘EM UPS I LIKE #4

Title: Shienryu/Arcade/Warashi/1997/Vertical

Shienryu is a really fun Vertical Shootemup that reminds me of the Raiden series game play wise. The 2D visuals are very pleasing and the controls are spot on. The boss characters are particularly fun, the backdrops and backgrounds are pretty awesome, and the sound design is a winner as well. I recommend this game. It isn’t amazing, but solid all-around.

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2D SHOOT ‘EM UPS I LIKE #3

Title: Soukyugurentai/Arcade/Eighting/1996/Vertical

What a great action game. The wide range lock on attack, along with the great controls offer some depth. The visuals are impressive, even though I usually do not prefer pre-rendering. Here it just seems to work, particularly for the details of the ships themselves. Last but certainly not least, the music and production could really be some of the best any shootemup has to offer. Play this one.

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Title: Pulseman

My Score: 76/100 [Very Good]

Year: 1994

Developer: Game Freak

Platform (s) Originally Released: Mega Drive [JP]

Pros: An Absolute Showcase Of The Mega Drive’s Power, Bright, Trippy, Dizzying Background Visuals, Wacky Story, Excellent Idea For Attacking And Traversing Arsenals, Fits Right Into The Fabulous And Diverse 16-Bit Platforming Library.

Cons: The Average Gameplay Is Secondary To The Rarity And Hardware Pushing Of This Title, Character Is Too Often Compared To Sonic, Mega Man And Mega Man Boss Characters, Control Is Erratic At Times, Stupid Expensive For An Original Copy.

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Pulseman, Mega Drive Longplay

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Title: Panzer Bandit

My Score: 85/100 [Excellent]

Year: 1997

2D Genre: Side-Scrolling Beatemup

Developer: Fill In Cafe

Platform (s) Originally Released: Playstation [Japan]

Pros: One Of The Best And Most Obscure 2D Action Games On A 5th Generation Console, Similar To Guardian Heroes But A Great Deal More Fun And Action Oriented, Really Good Fitting Music, Great Looking Sprites And Good Animation, Highly Satisfying Combat, Particularly The Mid Air Attacks, One Of My Favorite All-Time Video Games, Silly Fun. 

Cons: Dismissal As A Guardian Heroes Clone, Never Released Physically Outside Of Japan, $150.00+ For A Copy, Still Not Widely Known, Played Or Covered.

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2D SHOOT ‘EM UPS I LIKE #2

Title: Hyper Duel/Arcade/Technosoft/1993/Horizontal

Here we have a fun, not terribly difficult, fast paced action game, with some memorable music throughout. You get three ships which vary in shooting range, power etc., which can also morph into mech form on demand. I love the control the mech form gives your fire. You do not get screen clearing bombs in this game. What isn’t impressive in this arcade version are the visuals, backgrounds and colors, which just seem a bit washed out and bland. Apparently, The Sega Saturn port contains the arcade version and a much improved Saturn mode version which spruces up the visuals and remixes the music. I think seeking out a way to play the Saturn version is well worth it.

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Title: Metamorphic Force

My Score: 86/100 [Excellent]

Year: 1993

2D Genre: Side Scrolling Beatemup

Developer: Konami

Platform (s) Originally Released: Arcade

Pros: Somehow Under The Radar But One Of The Premier Side-Scrolling Beatemups Of The 1990s, Beast Transformations Make For A Fun Premise In The Genre And Work To Greater Effect Than In Altered Beast, Excellent Music, Particularly In The Earlier Levels, Has That 1990s Arcade Konami Stamp Of Solidity, Action, Playability And Quality. Really Good Backgrounds And Effects.

Cons: The Visuals, While Good, Aren’t As Crisp And Polished As Many Other Games At The Time Within The Genre.

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2D SHOOT ‘EM UPS I LIKE #1

Title: Battle Garegga/Arcade/Raizing/1996/Vertical

Battle Garegga is an excellent action game. It boasts great music to fit the action, and each plane has spot on control. You will most certainly need that control, because if you are an average player like myself, the rapid fire, camo bullets and blinding shrapnel, will have you dying a ton. This is a very difficult game, for me at least. The pixel art, visuals and presentation are the strengths of this game. The designs of the bosses more than make up for lack of stand out backgrounds or background scrolling effects. The action is too intense to notice anyway. I recommend it to all shootemup fans.

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2D FIGHTERS I LIKE #1

Title: Nitro+Blasterz- Heroines Infinite Duel/PS4/Examu/2016

My least favorite 2D Action Genre is 2D Fighting. This isn’t because I don’t like them, but because I’m not very good at them. I never could pull off every combo and move set like many can. So here we have the first in a series which spotlights the 2D fighters I enjoy playing, or are easy for a novice like myself to jump into. Enjoy this first recommendation, Nitro+Blasterz- Heroines Infinite Duel. This game wins on visual presentation, well drawn anime girls mostly from visual novels and manga, with extremely accessible game play and special moves. It is a little gem, and great for 20-30 Minutes bursts.

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Title: Spider-Man: The Video Game

My Score: 77/100 [Very Good]

Year: 1991

2D Genre: Side-Scrolling Beatemup

Developer: Sega

Platform (s) Originally Released: Arcade

Pros: Large, Colorful Sprites In The Beatemup Stages, Good Animations, Cool Effects Including The Zoom In And Out, Addition Of The Run & Gun Platform Stages, Comic Book, Cartoon Style Action.

Cons: Mini Sprites In Run & Gun Platform Stages, Questionable Sound And Music, Particularly Enemy Sounds.

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Title: Wario Land- Shake It!

My Score: 84/100 [Great]

Year: 2008

Developer: Good-Feel

Platform (s) Originally Released: Nintendo Wii

Pros: Possibly The Most Unheralded 2D Platformer On The Wii Considering How Fun And Solid It Is. Waggle Controls Are Not An Annoyance And Flow With The Game, Great Humor/Character, Pleasing Visuals, Simple To Master Controls, Clever Puzzle Platforming.

Cons: Predictably, Folks Who Just Love To Hate Motion/Waggle Controls Will All But Ignore This Game, Period. It Feels Like Too Many People Have Missed Out On A True Gaming Delight, The Very Definition Of A Gem.

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Title: Keio Flying Squadron 2

Year: 1996

Developer: Victor Entertainment

Platform (s) Originally Released: Sega Saturn JP/EU

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Keio Flying Squadron 2, Saturn Longplay

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Title: Super Double Dragon/Return Of Double Dragon

My Score: 72/100 [Good]

Year: 1992

2D Genre: Side-Scrolling Beatemup

Developer: Technos Japan

Platform (s) Originally Released: Super Nintendo/Super Famicom

Pros: Feels Like A Proper 16-Bit Era Upgrade, Among The Best Console Double Dragon Games, Which Is Saying A Lot, Feels Truer To The Original Arcade Game Than Subsequent Releases, The Block Mechanic.

Cons: Uninspired Background, Enemy, And Boss Design, Some Iffy Music, Abrupt And Unsatisfying Ending, One Of Those Could Have Been Great If Full Time And Effort Were Put Into It Sort Of Games.

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Title: The Punisher [Arcade]

My Score: 90/100 [Among Best Of Genre]

Year: 1993

2D Genre: Side-Scrolling Beatemup

Developer: Capcom

Platform (s) Originally Released: Arcade

Pros: Simple, Meaty, Responsive & Satisfying Controls, Darker & Grittier Than Similar Games, Large, Detailed Final Fight Style Sprites, Super Fun Moves And Weapons, Great Pacing, Extremely Polished, One Of A Handful Of 2D Beatemups That Should Inspire Developers Of Future Retro Titles In The Genre. One Of My Favorite All-Time Video Games.

Cons: Okay Music, Somewhat Bland Backgrounds.

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Title: Fox N Forests

My Score: 78/100 [Very Good]

Year: 2018

Developer: Bonus Level Entertainment

Platform (s) Originally Released: PC/Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Pros: Fun, Solid Game, Evokes Just The Sort Of Really Good SNES Platformer I Would Have Purchased In The Early To Mid 1990s Plus Modern Touches, Some Of The Best 16-Bit Nostalgia Inducing Visuals Found In A Retro Inspired 2D Game, Excellent Period Sounding Music, Clever Use Of Season Swapping Especially In Boss Battles.

Cons: Controls Sometimes Lack Sharpness, Enemy Placement Can Be Jarring, Doesn’t Quite Reach The Heights Of The Legendary Games That Inspired It, Seemed Destined For Shovel Knight Style 2D Retro Greatness But Falls A Bit Short.

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Title: Tiny Toon Adventures- Buster’s Hidden Treasure

Year: 1993

Developer: Konami

Platform (s) Originally Released: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis [PAL/NA]