Operation Wolf

~ OPERATION WOLF ~

Taito / NEC Avenue

HuCard

1990

Operation Wolf is extremely good at what it does with the limited concepts it explores, and it makes no pretense of being something grander than what it is. With that being the case, matters are made very convenient for prospective buyers. Do you enjoy moving crosshairs around a screen and blasting shit up? I do, and I had a great time with OW.

Admittedly, I had some concerns going in. I wasn't sure that a directional pad would work well for Wolf's brand of gameplay. Fortunately, the ol' PCE controller actually does OW justice: the action is smooth and fun, as quick targeting and precise shooting are possible.

I was also a little worried that the "soldier/helicopter/tank" enemy roster would wear thin rather quickly, but there's a decent amount of variety within each subgroup, with gunboats, knife hurlers, paratroopers, and many other breeds of foot soldier and vehicle joining the fray.

My third concern was that the quick little mission OW offers would amount to nothing more than a forgettable in-and-out jaunt. Well, Wolf is hardly epic, but it really doesn't need to be. It serves perfectly for pick-up-and-play-and-go fifteen-minute-burst sessions.

And hey, it's kind of funny in a misguided sort of way, with its eloquent "YOU DEAD" game-over message and silly-looking cutscenes.

Mr. Heli

~ MR. HELI ~

Irem

HuCard

1989

I like some of the ideas Irem came up with for this game. Instead of zooming along in one direction like craft do in most other shooters, your Heli is kind of a "free roamer," as he's able to look around for secrets and blast up rocks to reveal hidden crystals or power-ups (which can be bought with the crystals, introducing a wee bit of strategy).

The gameplay feels pretty good when you're fluttering about with spread fire and multi-missiles, and it's fun to stumble upon obscured niches in the environments.

Contrary to what you might expect from an Irem shooter, you can wing your way through almost every part of the game without bothering to memorize anything, as most of the enemies offer very little in the ways of pursuit and resistance. In most places, it's easy enough to flee from your foes if you're low on power and not a problem to bust them up if you're high. (It's worth keeping in mind that you're occasionally rewarded for facing and defeating tougher enemies rather than flying away.) While you're cruising along, you'll just need to keep in mind that there are a couple of spots where you can get killed in the blink of an eye if you're not being careful.

Although the game does rev up the capabilities of the enemy forces if you're powered up and doing well (a shooter methodology I always call bullshit on), things are easy enough that it's not really much of a concern except in one or two instances (the fifth mini-boss in particular goes from being a church mouse to a demon if you confront him at full strength).

While the game is a bit of a fan favorite, there are quite a few things I don't like about it. Everyone loves the orange 'copter, but I find him annoying, as I hate chubby hitboxes. The primitive graphics are just a small step above NES quality, while the music that I've actually noticed is cutesy, twinkly, lullaby-like crap (except for one brief sinister part of the last level's theme, which is cool).

The slowdown in spots is atrocious: calling to mind Rayxanber II, there was a time when I was in the fifth level with full fire and a lot of enemies about, and the slowdown became so bad that my gun stopped firing. (Thankfully, the ol' Ray II trick of placing the turbo switch in the middle position works here as well.)

Speaking of slowdown-ridden stretches, players must endure some extremely stupid "find the door in the empty dark room" parts that seem to have no point whatsoever except perhaps to show the pathetic degree of slowdown a PCE game can exhibit when there aren't even any enemies present.

Those who persist through the mire will at least get to partake in some worthwhile end-of-level showdowns. While we're not talking rocket science here, most of the bosses do demand that you think a little in order to come up with the most effective methods for beating them. The thought-provoking duels account for most of the enjoyment I get out of the game.

Mystic Formula

~ MYSTIC FORMULA ~

Micro Cabin Corp.

Super CD-ROM

1993

Even though most reviews of it depict it as being lackluster, I'd always found Mystic Formula intriguing before I finally got the chance to play it. Its visuals and apparent gameplay style reminded me of Elemental Master, which is one of my favorite Genesis games. Plus, its characters always look quite cool in artwork and cinema screenshots. As it turns out, MF isn't a straightforward shooter a la EM; rather, it's an overhead-view blaster of Last Alert's ilk. Unfortunately, it lacks LA's cool weaponry, diverse mission objectives, and explorable environments.

My experience with it commenced in wretched fashion. It wasted no time before disappointingly establishing that most of its cinemas would be of the "small window" variety, and said cinemas give way to awful in-game graphics. Gameplay-wise, it came off as a poor man's Last Alert, and it had me fighting vexatious little bats rather than soldiers and machines.

Things pick up a bit after the horrible start, however. The opposing army gets its act together and throws a few reasonably cool beasts and robots your way. You can commandeer enemy mecha and vehicles and grab icons that make allies appear and fight by your side.

But the problem is that the whole game is way, way, way too easy. I beat it the first time I played it and easily disposed of Hard mode the next time. The bosses, though they look kind of cool, are weaklings.

The "toughest" parts come during the first and third stages, when those swarming bats attack you. Beyond those sections, the game is cake. One serpent midboss does absolutely nothing except sloooowly follow you around the screen--even in Hard mode.

Still, the action is adequate if not particularly exciting or challenging. And the music is pretty good--not memorable, but pretty good. That's some lukewarm praise, but in Mystic Formula's case, it adds up to "better than expected." When I first acquired the disc, I happened to be playing through a long RPG, and it did provide a nice-enough break from that lengthy undertaking. But that's probably all it'll wind up being if you buy it: a decent "break" game. It won't occupy your attention for long. Sadly, $40 seems to be the typical asking price for it, and it really isn't worth that much. I got it for half that amount, and I was satisfied with the purchase.

Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire

~ SAPPHIRE ~

Hudson Soft

Arcade CD-ROM

1995

It'd been a while since I'd last played this highly sought-after vert. Every now and then, I'd take it off my game shelf and toss it around my house just for the hell of it, but today I remembered that it's an excellent shooter and that throwing discs around is the act of a madman. So I played it and reacquainted myself with its awesome action and visuals.

I'd forgotten just how incredible the bosses and midbosses and plain old BIG-ass enemies are. You never know what this game's gonna throw at you next. In one area, a ring of dark mages summons a gigantic rock monster who breathes fire and hurls enormous boulders. In another, you meet a bizarre monk who transforms himself into a dragon amid a dreary downpour. This is right after you've dealt with a giant laser-firing phoenix and a mechanical serpent.

And none of those things are actual bosses. The boss mecha are multiform BEASTS who leave you little room to maneuver with their impressive attack methods.

People complain that, at a length of five levels, the game is too short; but hell, it delivers enough visual variety and remarkable enemies to serve multiple shooters, let alone one. And it makes for a brief experience only if you credit feed and bomb your way along like a baby. If you leave the default settings alone and try to 1CC the game, you'll find whole new layers of depth and strategy. You've gotta conserve your bombs, memorize enemy blast patterns, and counter the mega-attacks launched by your stout adversaries. To me, the effort seems like a successful melding of 16-bit-era aesthetics and level concepts with modern manic action and strategy elements.

Still, there are those who complain that the four selectable ships are too slow. Well, this certainly isn't a problem with one of the machines, and it really shouldn't be an issue with two others. Heck, I played through the game with the slowest craft and had a blast, and any other player who welcomes challenge will appreciate the alterations in strategy called for when using said craft. When it comes right down to it, if you know what you're doing, the ships don't feel slow because you understand where you need to be and how to make it there.

The only thing I don't like is the wailing music--the end-credits "solo" in particular is high-pitched cacophony. Fans of Lords of Thunder's soundtrack will love it, though. And even I dig the crunchy boss-track riff.

It's kind of pointless to ponder whether or not this famously expensive game is "worth it." I spent a lot of money on it, but I'm very glad I own it, and I've had plenty of fun with it. Weighing things objectively, I'd say Sapphire is the best vertical shooter of its time.

Chiki Chiki Boys

~ CHIKI CHIKI BOYS ~

NEC Avenue / Capcom

Super CD-ROM

1994

Chiki makes for some good, clean platforming fun, but it's the sort of CD game that seems like it could've just as easily been done on HuCard. It plays kind of like a linear, simplistic Dynastic Hero, and it's ridiculously easy (to the extent that it makes breezy Schbibin Man 3 seem as brutally difficult as Gaiares). I completed it on my very first try and never actually felt threatened at any point. There are some good ideas here as far as level and enemy designs go (you'll travel through cloudy combat zones via sliding rope hooks, face Deep Blue-esque shoals of hard-charging sea creatures, bash through brittle doors of sunken-ship cabins, and rush from a crumbling tower while beasts plummet to their doom all around you), but I breezed through the game so quickly and effortlessly that I didn't really come to appreciate any of them, and I wasn't eager to do a repeat run afterwards. The good news? The music during the end credits is very nice.

Chiki features stages that are quite bright and colorful, and it gives you some interesting locations to explore.

There's a good bit of variety in the gameplay, as some stages have you fly or swim instead of doing the usual dash-and-leap stuff.

Some of the bosses are neat in concept, but they're all feeble in battle. The entire adventure comprises a single path of little resistance.

You'll often find that your enemies don't even seem to be paying any attention to you.

On the off chance that they do spot you, remember that they're more scared of you than you are of them.

I just had to prove to myself that it is indeed possible to get hit.