Galaga '90

~ GALAGA '90 ~

Namco / NEC

HuCard

1989

There used to be a code of ethics for vertical shooting that was followed by human and alien alike. Mankind was allowed a craft that would reside at the bottom of the screen as the invading armada aligned itself at the opposite end. Each side was granted its weapon of choice (a pea shooter, without fail). And they went at it. No world-obliterating armaments and none of that “change speeds on the fly” nonsense. You shot from one end, they shot from the other--battle done mano-a-mano, with one winner emerging. Galaga ‘90, the old guard's ultimate revenge, takes us back to the times when wars were waged with dignity.

Now, the fact that we’re traveling back a few years doesn’t mean that we have to be crude--Galaga ‘90 does “old school” with style. Take those pitch-black backgrounds from Atari classics and adorn them with flashing stars of various appealing colors. The twinkling luminaries slowly descend as we head into battle, some plummeting more quickly than others. This gorgeous “snowfall” is accompanied by pretty images of enormous satellites and icy planets in the distance. Who needs Mode 7 and swirling lava and other such junk when we’ve got simple, sincere beauty such as this?

Of course, you’ll probably be more concerned about the myriad intergalactic creatures who prance about the attractive canvas. Winged insect-like beasts and chubby alien miscreants alike surge onto the playfield, partake in fancy flying antics, and settle into their battle positions (rows near the top of the screen). It’s a likable bunch, to be sure. You’ve got your “Big Bangs,” who inflate themselves when you nail them with your missiles and ultimately pop like balloons. There are the charismatic “BOOMs,” who spontaneously give birth to mini-renditions of themselves upon being slaughtered. And then there’s the tough fella--the “Man of War.” This character is certainly an adept fighter--he uses his steel-plated wings to defend himself prior to launching his attacks--but he’s also smart: watch as he positions himself in front of his allies, thus protecting with his armor not only himself but also his comrades.

While they may appear meek, your enemies become extremely fast late in the adventure, making them tough to take down as they soar about the screen in erratic patterns, firing missiles at you all the while. These guys aren’t only relentless; they’re downright ferocious, and they make the experience a hell of a lot more intense than you’d ever expect it to be based on initial impressions. Nonetheless, Galaga ‘90 always remembers not to take itself too seriously, as you'll discover when your screen starts flashing with an unforgettable message: "THAT IS GALACTIC DANCING." Wacky tunes begin playing as your insect-like foes do the improbable: they call off their assault to... dance. But don't you stop firing away, as you’ve just stumbled upon Galaga ‘90's take on bonus rounds.

Well, it’s got charm in spades. It’s got length, for sure, as it presents twenty-nine levels to blast through. It makes for a good challenge, as anyone who has been crushed by a surging Bodyguard can attest to. Its replay value is quite high, especially considering the respective sights to be seen over four separate routes through the adventure (you gain access to alternative paths by acquiring special capsules and performing "dimension warps"). It even exhibits beauty, which is the last thing one would expect from a game that, in essence, revisits and pays homage to relics.

But what makes Galaga ‘90 truly special is the way it can put a player in a zone like few other shooters can. Once you’ve honed your skills, identified your adversaries’ assault patterns, and developed your strategy for attack... once you find yourself wiping out entire waves of enemies one after another and see your supply of reserve ships increasing while your score soars... this is when you’ll be not only hooked but also immersed. You’ll discover that zone of intense concentration that nothing can shake you from. This sort of feeling--this unwavering focus and the pride one feels from maintaining a high level of performance--is what keeps one coming back for more. The game becomes more enjoyable after you beat it, as you return time and time again to take additional shots at breaking personal records. Galaga ‘90, a TurboChip with a simple premise and a rather mundane exterior, becomes in the eyes of the player who has experienced it not only unique but also extraordinary.

You choose between a standard single-craft model or a double-ship right at the beginning. You can upgrade to the mighty triple fighter later on.

"Boss Galaga" uses his tractor beam to capture ships from your stock. Allowing him to do so and then merging with the craft he abducted after striking him down is actually a method of upgrading.

The graphics aren't all about simple stars on black.

Blast up the galactic dancers. Perfection is celebrated with fireworks.

Snag dark-blue capsules to perform dimension warps, which take you to tougher paths. Only by traveling the most challenging route can you see the best ending.

Most areas feature single-screen engagements, but some sections scroll vertically.

The boss creatures are pretty neat. Sadly, there are very few of 'em.

Yawara 2

~ YAWARA! 2 ~

SOFIX / Hudson Soft

Super CD-ROM

1994

Yawara and the stumblebum journalist who starred in the first game are relegated to supporting roles here, which is fine by me, as I didn't like them much to begin with. But taking their place at the forefront is an awkward, ungainly moron who's less appealing than, well, just about every other character who has ever been granted a starring role in a video game.

She and a bunch of other klutzes train under an old, irascible coach and then participate in a series of boring, predictable judo matches.

There's plenty of whining, crying, and dull conversing to endure. There's also some "humor," most of which involves large people falling on small people.

Hilarious! Almost as funny as the below-average graphics and poor chip music (I should note that the vocal numbers actually aren't too bad).

The digital comic isn't the only "attraction" here, though. Among the extras are a judo mini-game; a quiz mode; a cooking lesson; and unlockable options that allow you to listen to the game's tunes and partake in othello matches, among other things.

Unfortunately, the "added bonuses" don't suffice to make the game worth a look.

Columns

~ COLUMNS ~

Telenet / Sega

HuCard

1991

Porting Columns to the PC Engine wasn't exactly a high-risk proposition for Telenet. Still, they did a job worthy of commendation with this conversion; it's a fine rendition of Sega's solid gemstone-placement puzzler. The PCE stands tall in performing the semi-brooding soundtrack (which was always the game's greatest strength). And I must say that I really dig the cover art.

Columns is no Puyo Puyo in any respect, as it lacks that title's charisma, charm, and vigor. It isn't as clever in concept as seminal Tetris, nor is it as addictive. But it remains one of the more enjoyable well-puzzle games released during its day, and playing it can actually be rather relaxing: you may find yourself in a comfortable zone amidst the methodical block-dropping and atmospheric score.

Your job is to make gems vanish by lining up three or more of a kind. There's a brief tutorial just in case you're baffled by that incredibly complicated concept.

Practice mode offers more options for customizing your play experience than does Arcade...

...but the mode you choose might just come down to which of the respective color sets you prefer.

Your point total will really soar if you can knock out lots of blocks at once and set off chain reactions.

Most of your chains will be pleasant surprises rather than products of clever maneuvering, but you can put yourself in position for success by setting up diagonal connections and combinations.

"Wildcard" gemsets will occasionally bail you out of jams.

Chase H.Q.

~ CHASE H.Q. ~

Taito

HuCard

1992

Enamored with the idea of hopping into a cop car and chasing down fleeing fugitives, a bunch of my buddies back in seventh grade were really into the Chase H.Q. arcade game. I, on the other hand, wasn't very interested in it and didn't even bother to give it a chance. I also failed to purchase the TurboChip rendition when it was released, and I was never in any particular hurry to obtain it, as it seemed to take a lot of heat in reviews. Now that I own it, I wish I had acted sooner; and I wonder what the heck is wrong with the people who pan it.

Maybe those people don't like the gameplay. At first, the controls do seem quite loose: your vehicle is prone to slipping and sliding every which way. But making wise use of your brakes and turbo boosts can mean all the difference in the world, and once you're in the zone, the action feels great, and the game actually becomes super easy... while remaining a lot of fun.

I mean, I don't get how anyone couldn't have fun chasing after criminals and ramming into their vehicles, which begin to flame up as parts go flying off, with sirens blaring all the while. No, it's not the deepest or most sophisticated game concept in the world, but I can't help but get a kick out of it. In fact, Chase H.Q. is at its best when it keeps things simple: little things that it incorporates in apparent attempts at depth, like gear shifting and forking roads, come off as frivolous and unnecessary.

Get briefed on your absconding adversaries, and then hit the road to track 'em down.

Not that you'll have much of a chance to admire them while you're playing, but the backdrops are pretty nice. Unfortunately, there aren't many of them, and you'll notice that ones employed for early levels get reused later in the game.

Once you catch up to the criminals, you'll be granted plenty of extra time to finish the job. Their car will start to flame up as you pummel it with your own.

Try to pound on the crooks' vehicles from the side rather than from behind. You'll have a much better chance of scoring multiple hits each time you move in.

Such despicable villains! The big house awaits them.

This is the "bad ending" screen. You'll need to go back and practice more...

...if you want to access the sixth stage and hunt down the real head villain.

Dead Moon

~ DEAD MOON ~

Natsume

HuCard

1991

Unlike, say, Gate of Thunder, Dead Moon isn't the sort of shooter that I can play and enjoy at any given time. Instead, it's a game that I'll power up only after spending a few years away from it. Once I do return to it, I inevitably find myself surprised at how enjoyable it is and proceed to soar through it three or four consecutive times. It's kind of sad, though, that once I wrap up those three or four trips, I always feel I've had my fill and can go three or four more years before giving the game another look.

DM has a lot going for it, including nice music (the intense melody that Scene 3 kicks off with is actually the sort of tune I'd expect to hear in a Castlevania game) and beautiful backdrops that feature stunning parallax. It also boasts a solid control scheme (aside from the requirement that the action be paused for ship-speed adjustments, but those aren't really necessary), post-stage play data, acceptable weapons that all come in handy, consistent pacing with hardly any dead space, and stage environments that connect up logically.

But there are two problems: the enemy armada is rather lame, largely consisting of nondescript "shapes," and there's nothing unique to speak of--no cool power-up system, no interesting theme, no memorable boss fights. The game's most distinct element is the automatic "about-face" that your ship performs when a boss decides to switch sides with it--not exactly the trump card you'd expect from an exceptional shooter.

Indeed, Dead Moon isn't exceptional. It's merely a good game that kinda lacks its own identity.

Here's a harsh contrast for you: the attractive multilayer backdrops and the all-too-basic enemy designs.

The skeletal bosses are a little more interesting than their "balls and blocks" henchmen, but fighting with fossils eventually gets a bit dull.

The midbosses are traditional pieces of machinery, the likes of which you can find in any ol' Gradius clone.

The weapons are serviceable. There's nothing at all original about green waves, red rings, and blue lasers, but at least here they look pretty cool and all have their useful moments.

Forget the "turning around during boss battles" stuff; the coolest thing about Dead Moon is that its levels connect up logically. For instance, your ship descends into a lake at the end of Scene 4, and then Scene 5, logically enough, takes place underwater. This might seem insignificant, but sensible level progression was often considered unnecessary in old-school-shooter game design.

At the end of each round, your kill stats are presented for a bit of extra fun (and a lot of bonus points).