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Hyper Duel |
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1993 Technosoft
I hadn't heard of this horizontal shooter before the Random button popped it up, but it's pretty damn good, and has some cool features that add a lot of variety.
It's ostensibly your standard horizontal shooter with distinct R-Type influences, but where it stands out is in its unusual use of the second button. Pressing it turns your spaceship into a sort of Gundam-esque flying robot dude, which can fire at angles rather than just straight ahead. Pressing (or, more commonly, holding) the second button shoots, while pressing the standard shot button turns you back into the spaceship. Moving the joystick up and down angles the robot's cannon, which is a little awkward when you're trying to focus on a single target while also dodgy enemy fire.
Another nice touch is that you can press the second button while holding the first (or vice versa) to activate a special weapon for each of the two craft types. Firing the special weapon depletes the gauge at the bottom of the screen, which is replenished by using normal attacks. So, you've got four different weapons to use at any given time, each with their own distinct advantages.
But of course, that's not all. At the start of the game you're asked to choose one of three crafts, each with its own distinct charms and a unique firing style. Pretty nifty, and a pretty new idea considering this game was made in 1993.
You can also pick up an icon to launch a little miniature version of yourself to help you out, R-Type style. This little miniature mecha or spacecraft operates on its own A.I., and can be damaged just like yourself. Which is a shame sometimes, as they have a bad habit of getting themselves killed in silly ways.
There's a hell of a lot of action going on in this game, and all of it is superbly detailed, with some nice backgrounds and imaginative enemy design. In fact, the whole thing is full of innovation; it's still barely different from other horizontal shooters, but in games of this genre you take your originality wherever you can get it.
I ended up playing this game all the way through, which is rare for me. The weapons are big and satisfying, the sound effects and graphics absolutely excellent for its age, and the action relentless. Curiously, in the last level, a computer-controlled ally (who's even bigger and more powerful than your own ship) turns up to help you out with the final boss, which is a lovely touch following a couple of dozen extra lovely touches.
The only real problem I had with this game was the hilariously cynical difficulty jump between the first and second level. It's a standard practice to let the player have plenty of fun in level one so they don't think the game's too hard, and then bump them off in level two; but this game kinda took it to the extreme. I got all the way through level one with a perfect score and not a ship lost, and then the start of level two took an upward turn in difficulty that was just a little too steep. The same thing happened later at the last level, which took a sudden and violent upward turn in difficulty. This would be fine, except the levels in between were about as hard as each other.
FUN
4. The game's always challenging, but always fair - it even gives you little "Warning!" arrows when something's coming up from behind your ship. The big jump in difficulty between the first and second levels (and the penultimate and final levels) wouldn't be a problem if there was a similar jump between the second and third and so on, but as it is, it seems a little too obviously designed to take your money.
NOTABILITY
3. Three is a high score for a shoot-em-up, trust me. This earns notability on its subtle little touches and surprises, and unique weaponry system that I'm sure must have been an inspiration for Radiant Silvergun.
PRESENTATION
4. For a game made in 1993, this is excellent. Simply cranking it up to a higher resolution would make it look just like a game from five years later. The amount of action on the screen at any given time is just enough to keep you on the edge of being overwhelmed; sometimes it's a little hard to figure out what's going to kill you and what's just debris or background features, but that feeling's pretty rare.
The bosses all have strong personalities and the attention to detail - like the cartridge cases leaping from the guns of your enemies - is breathtaking.
What keeps this game from getting a perfect score on presentation is the music which, although suitably fast-paced and pounding, is ultimately rather forgettable.
ADDICTION
4. I played all the way through to the end, but the end itself came too soon, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about this game if I play it through again. It's still as exciting to play now as it was when I started level one, and I do feel the urge to play it again, so it gets a well-deserved four.
SURVIVAL
5. You wouldn't think this was a game from 1993. It plays as fresh as a daisy, and looks damn near as good as a shooter from the turn of the century. This won't get old for a long time yet, and if you see it on eBay, grab it before I do.
OVERALL
(4+3+4+4+5)/5 = 4 out of a possible 5. And now I'm gonna go play it again.
I hadn't heard of this horizontal shooter before the Random button popped it up, but it's pretty damn good, and has some cool features that add a lot of variety.It's ostensibly your standard horizontal shooter with distinct R-Type influences, but where it stands out is in its unusual use of the second button. Pressing it turns your spaceship into a sort of Gundam-esque flying robot dude, which can fire at angles rather than just straight ahead. Pressing (or, more commonly, holding) the second button shoots, while pressing the standard shot button turns you back into the spaceship. Moving the joystick up and down angles the robot's cannon, which is a little awkward when you're trying to focus on a single target while also dodgy enemy fire.
Another nice touch is that you can press the second button while holding the first (or vice versa) to activate a special weapon for each of the two craft types. Firing the special weapon depletes the gauge at the bottom of the screen, which is replenished by using normal attacks. So, you've got four different weapons to use at any given time, each with their own distinct advantages.
But of course, that's not all. At the start of the game you're asked to choose one of three crafts, each with its own distinct charms and a unique firing style. Pretty nifty, and a pretty new idea considering this game was made in 1993.
You can also pick up an icon to launch a little miniature version of yourself to help you out, R-Type style. This little miniature mecha or spacecraft operates on its own A.I., and can be damaged just like yourself. Which is a shame sometimes, as they have a bad habit of getting themselves killed in silly ways.
There's a hell of a lot of action going on in this game, and all of it is superbly detailed, with some nice backgrounds and imaginative enemy design. In fact, the whole thing is full of innovation; it's still barely different from other horizontal shooters, but in games of this genre you take your originality wherever you can get it.
I ended up playing this game all the way through, which is rare for me. The weapons are big and satisfying, the sound effects and graphics absolutely excellent for its age, and the action relentless. Curiously, in the last level, a computer-controlled ally (who's even bigger and more powerful than your own ship) turns up to help you out with the final boss, which is a lovely touch following a couple of dozen extra lovely touches.
The only real problem I had with this game was the hilariously cynical difficulty jump between the first and second level. It's a standard practice to let the player have plenty of fun in level one so they don't think the game's too hard, and then bump them off in level two; but this game kinda took it to the extreme. I got all the way through level one with a perfect score and not a ship lost, and then the start of level two took an upward turn in difficulty that was just a little too steep. The same thing happened later at the last level, which took a sudden and violent upward turn in difficulty. This would be fine, except the levels in between were about as hard as each other.
FUN
4. The game's always challenging, but always fair - it even gives you little "Warning!" arrows when something's coming up from behind your ship. The big jump in difficulty between the first and second levels (and the penultimate and final levels) wouldn't be a problem if there was a similar jump between the second and third and so on, but as it is, it seems a little too obviously designed to take your money.
NOTABILITY
3. Three is a high score for a shoot-em-up, trust me. This earns notability on its subtle little touches and surprises, and unique weaponry system that I'm sure must have been an inspiration for Radiant Silvergun.
PRESENTATION
4. For a game made in 1993, this is excellent. Simply cranking it up to a higher resolution would make it look just like a game from five years later. The amount of action on the screen at any given time is just enough to keep you on the edge of being overwhelmed; sometimes it's a little hard to figure out what's going to kill you and what's just debris or background features, but that feeling's pretty rare.
The bosses all have strong personalities and the attention to detail - like the cartridge cases leaping from the guns of your enemies - is breathtaking.
What keeps this game from getting a perfect score on presentation is the music which, although suitably fast-paced and pounding, is ultimately rather forgettable.
ADDICTION
4. I played all the way through to the end, but the end itself came too soon, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about this game if I play it through again. It's still as exciting to play now as it was when I started level one, and I do feel the urge to play it again, so it gets a well-deserved four.
SURVIVAL
5. You wouldn't think this was a game from 1993. It plays as fresh as a daisy, and looks damn near as good as a shooter from the turn of the century. This won't get old for a long time yet, and if you see it on eBay, grab it before I do.
OVERALL
(4+3+4+4+5)/5 = 4 out of a possible 5. And now I'm gonna go play it again.
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