#Gradius 2 pc engine tv

Again, all that is more interesting than the game, which today is far too simplistic and repetitive to appreciate.Ī relatively well-known arcade conversion from R-Type creators Irem, that comes across as a more action-focused take on Sega’s Shinobi. We’d need this whole review to describe the complex history of this game, which is a sequel to a port of the Wonder Boy coin-op, except with the 1992 equivalent of a YouTube celebrity as the main character – who was swapped out for the American version because no-one knew who he was outside of Japan. It actually came out a couple of months before A Link To The Past in Japan, but again it has nowhere near the depth or variety. Neutopia 2 – Zelda but not as good (pic: Konami)Ī superior sequel that suffers from the same problems as the original but looks and sounds even better. It’s too simplistic for that but it does take a good stab at it and the graphics are much closer to A Link To The Past than the NES original. The closest thing to The Legend Of Zelda on the PC Engine is, predictably, nowhere near as good as Nintendo’s classics. In multiplayer though it’s still a lot of fun, with some tight handling, even if too little of the track is visible at once. There is a two-player mode though.Ī top-down racer similar to Super Sprint and its ilk, which is a genre of game that will be almost unknown to modern gamers.

Lords Of Thunder – the most metal of shooters (pic: Konami)Īn excellent side-scrolling 2D shooter, with great graphics, a fantastic heavy metal soundtrack, and an unusual fantasy style setting – which is particularly odd as it’s a sequel to the sci-fi themed Gate Of Thunder, which unfortunately is not included here.Ī spirited attempt at an Advance Wars clone, whose main problems are dull visuals (the whole game’s set on the Moon) and some predictable and easily exploitable artificial intelligence. That little factoid is more interesting than most of the game though, which is a rubbish platformer with very floaty controls.

#Gradius 2 pc engine tv

Squint a bit and you can see how much Diablo owes to it, except Diablo never had five player co-op on one console.Īnother game based on a Japanese licence, this time of a TV show that was one of the first to feature amateur home video clips sent in by viewers. Its aged graphics make it difficult to appreciate now but this old action role-player was very influential in Japan, even if some will dismiss it as a Gauntlet clone. There are some influences from Bomberman, and the graphics are cute, but it gets old very quickly. All that would be great though if the game wasn’t so slow-paced and, to be honest, a bit dull.Ī single screen puzzle game where you’re bouncing balls around a maze, trying to hit enemies. You collect gold, buy and sell weapons, and keep an eye on your MP gauge. Wannabe mascot Bonk was never going to rival Mario or Sonic but his games have a style all of their own, with a fun sense of humour, plenty of variety in level settings, and Bonk’s ability to clamp onto platforms with his teeth.Ī port of a forgotten Taito coin-op, which is what would today be called an action role-playing game. There’s also all the mod-cons in terms of multiple save states for games, CRT filters to simulate non-HD televisions, and, importantly, the cables are nice and long.īonk’s Revenge -the PC Engine’s attempt at a mascot platformer (pic: Konami) It’s a good system too, with spot-on emulation by the peerless M2 and a great menu system and interface where you switch between using a Japanese PC Engine and an American TurboGrafx-16 with a satisfying snap and screen fade out. If you do you might as well forget it, but if you happen to be a fan of them in particular then this is literally retro heaven. Assuming that it is, that you don’t have anything against 2D shooters. If you’re a fan of 2D retro games then there’s no two ways about it: the PC Engine is a must-have. There’s even Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher, although unfortunately it’s all in Japanese. That includes near arcade perfect conversions of games like R-Type, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, and Gradius, as well as important entries in classic franchises such as Bomberman ‘94, Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood, and Parasol Stars. There are a few surprising omissions, such as pinball sequel Devil’s Crush and what was a very good version of Street Fighter 2, but overall this is a great line-up that has almost every one of the system’s most famous games.