Download

~ DOWNLOAD ~

NEC Avenue

HuCard

1990

I somehow survived for many years without owning either Download episode, and during that time, the CD sequel was the only chapter I was truly curious about. People never seemed to discuss the original except to share a few laughs over its profane death-screen messages. I don't mind a little COMEDY in my shooters, but the THRILLS and SUSPENSE are what really do it for me, so I shunned DL for eons. My brother Alexei was smart enough to give the game a try and, upon doing so, immediately sent word to me that it's not only funny but also thrilling and suspenseful. My interest in it increased minutely, but even when it somehow found its way into my collection, I wasn't all that excited about it. Man, was I in for a surprise.

Download is a great, great shooter. The parallax-heavy graphics are incredible in some areas and deserve a lot more attention than they get (and probably would receive that attention if the game had been released in the US with fellow fancy multilayer sidescrollers Aero Blasters and Dead Moon). DL also boasts a solid soundtrack, fast action, and big bosses who hold their own by firing plenty of bullets, not to mention some well-implemented strategic elements. Pre-stage selection of weaponry is certainly not new to the genre, nor are the "vulcan vs. laser"-type choices that must be made here, but you'll find that your decisions can go a long way towards determining your fate in a given stage. Spreadshots will effectively fend off crafty enemies who move in from above and below, but concentrated beam-fire is your best bet for thwarting frontal assaults. You can boost the offensive capabilities of your armament through the addition of auxiliary missiles or elect to turtle up behind a defense barrier. Even the setting of ship speed, usually a matter handled at take-off and then forgotten about entirely, can come into play during tight segments.

And you'd better make some damn good decisions in preparation for and during the final level, where the game goes absolutely crazy with wild background effects and introduces a host of bizarre enemies.

As a capper to the entertainment, Download tells a strange story via lots of cinemas. No swear words are necessary for this package to be a total blast.

Terraforming

~ TERRAFORMING ~

Right Stuff

Super CD-ROM

1992

I was pretty excited when I first got to play Terraforming, even though I'd read many reviews and commentaries that call it mediocre. I'd been wanting to see it in action for ages, as screen caps had always looked extremely nice. Once I did play and complete it, I was able to say that, yep, the parallax and colors are quite appealing, and yep, it's just an okay shooter.

The problem with the game is that it doesn't really bother to do much except toss wave after wave of standard enemies at you. The environment is seldom a factor (with one rather lame exception to the rule being Stage 5's cavern, which is extremely dark, making it hard to see rocks randomly positioned in the foreground).

There are no midbosses, and the bosses themselves are not at all memorable, with the possible exception of the fish-like guy in Stage 1: you have to crack his head open and then demolish his "brain matter" to finish him off.

Now, the music, while fairly forgettable and relatively laid back, is quite nice while you're actually playing the game. And the wave-after-wave action isn't completely unsatisfying.

But the trip tends to drag on during its latter half. And as the proceedings gradually feel more and more repetitive, the formerly stunning background visuals become messy or mundane. Saturated Stage 6 seems to be the intended money stage as far as effects go, but it really just looks like a big, muddy, wobbly mess.

The next two stages are uninspired space levels where you have to deal with the usual asteroid field and giant ship.

The pretty screenshots we always see are from the first half of the affair.

The game on default is never particularly difficult, but using the right weapons at the right times can definitely make certain stretches and boss battles a lot easier--perhaps too easy. The tougher difficulty levels are more intense, but I doubt that many people will be entertained enough by the core game itself to play through it multiple times and mess with various modes. And with that in mind, I strongly recommend that you don't overpay for the title. Find it fairly cheap (say, $17-30 for the JPN version, as the US one goes for insanely high amounts these days) and it's a decent purchase. You'll probably want to see those appealing early-level graphics first hand.

Ranma 1/2: Toraware no Hanayome

~ RANMA 1/2 2 ~

NCS/Masaya / Tenky

CD-ROM

1991

I've watched some Ranma here and there, but I'm by no means a big fan of it. Still, I absolutely love this game, as it's far more entertaining than anything I've ever seen in the anime. If you like the show at all, then you must get this CD; and if you're thinking about trying some digital comics, this is a great one to start with.

It kicks off with one of my favorite Duo openings, a cool montage featuring amusing skits and well-rendered character images...

...and then the comic proper begins. It's very accessible and extremely easy to play regardless of whether or not you know any Japanese, and if you're at all familiar with the show, you'll be able to get plenty out of the story. The graphics are great, and there are lots of funny moments.

In fact, the comedy here is often more effective in evoking laughter than the hijinks that typically take place in the anime. Take an in-game incident involving Ranma's rival Ryouga, for instance. The poor lad somehow always ends up getting lost in the show, which is funny for about... an episode or so. Of course, Tenky had to include some sort of scene involving that character trait in the game, as there isn't much to The Eternal Lost Boy otherwise.

But instead of taking the anime's usual route of presenting Ryouga as being lost from the outset, they came up with a fresh, funny idea for having him lose his way. During a quiz-based contest to determine who wins vacation tickets, Ryouga thinks of the correct response to the deciding question and needs only take a few steps forward to submit his answer and be on his way to paradise. Sadly, the unfortunate fellow somehow manages to get lost as he's taking those few steps. He ends up running off into the distance, still mad with excitement and under the delusion that he's about to be crowned victor, as everyone else stands around wondering what the fuck just happened.

The game's plot features many such moments that are both funny and inventive. But in a wise move, the writers opted not to ride the jokes all adventure long. Matters become strange and dark late in the drama--even Shadowgate-esque for a stretch!

This is a digital comic of the highest quality, one of the best of the best, but I do have a couple of very minor complaints to make about it. There's an unnecessary maze sequence near the end, and there are menu-driven fight scenes that are largely entertaining but can get tedious at times.

So the game isn't perfect... but, man, is it close.

Kiaidan 00

~ KIAIDAN 00 ~

RIOT / Alfa System / Telenet

Super CD-ROM

1992

Kiaidan makes me feel like I'm in an old Tranzor Z episode. It's a Cinderella-story shoot 'em up that tells of how a goofy young lad assumes control of a giant robot...

...and defeats a cold-hearted crew of master pilots and their monstrous mecha. As you might expect with a premise like that, the boss fights are the highlights of the show. You square off against two-headed dragons, enormous swordsmen, and plenty of other steel behemoths and put them out of commission with special charge attacks that set the whole screen aglow upon connecting. The battles make for extremely memorable and exciting spectacles. I wish the game included a "Kiaidan Alpha" mode in which players would be able to fight only the bosses, one after another.

That's not to say that the stages themselves are unenjoyable. One of them has you fly over a gorgeous snow-covered forest as you contend with families of metal mammoths and armored, hoversled-riding axemen. Another pits you against troops of swift ninjas and caravans of gigantic demon-head tanks.

Admittedly, some spots are somewhat "flat," both visually and action-wise, but those stumble-steps are few and far between.

Here's a bit of a warning: there's a learning curve here, as it takes some time to get comfortable with the rather unusual set of weapons, and trial and error will be required in order to figure out which weapons work best in each location. Also, the game gets pretty hard as you near the end of it. The last level's midboss in particular presents quite a challenge.

You don't have to be a super-pro like me or anything, but you should at least be a decent shooter player if you're going to take this one on. But hey, if you aren't any good and you purchase the disc anyway, at least you'll get to see one of the coolest Game Over screens ever.

Ranma 1/2

~ RANMA 1/2 ~

NCS/Masaya

CD-ROM

1990

Well, I suppose this can be considered a "beat 'em up" of the sidescrolling, single-plane variety. The controls are terribly sloppy: the gameplay is fast but very loose, and there isn't really any way to avoid bumbling into at least some of your enemies as you speed through the levels. At times, you'll be forced to defeat a particular foe, but rarely will this demand more than exploitation of a single simple "technique," be it a matter of repeated heel stomps, simple duck-and-kicks, or plain old button mashing.

But the focus isn't really on the action. In fact, exempting the eighth and final level (most of which takes place in a structure with multiple floors), total play time for a one-life clear doesn't far exceed five minutes. The cinematics are the main draw, and Ranma fans will love how closely events here mirror scenes from the first (and best) season of the show (until the game's story takes a weird turn near its conclusion). You get the best of the early Ranma plot points (including the famous scalping of Akane) in cinemas that are humorous and fairly well done.

The designers did try to spice up the gameplay just a bit by giving you a variety of tasks to complete. Along with partaking in standard punching-and-platforming fare, you'll have to escort Akane to school; win a race; and defeat some of Ranma's longtime adversaries, including the ever-lost Ryouga. Almost all of it is a breeze to get through, and the sloppiness will repel most players immediately; but there is goofy, kitschy appeal to the game (similar to the appeal Night Creatures can have), and those acquainted with the anime will definitely find the interludes and level concepts amusing.