This is another under the radar game for one of my favorite console systems the NES. Yeah, the game is another "Ninja Gaiden" clone, clone games for certain genres and types are inevitable but as I said before it doesn't matter to me as long as the game is fun. This isn't a game that is a classic in my book but it's interesting because of what it was trying to accomplish.
The plotline is good, it's creative and strange as it seems like a mix of both sci-fi and fantasy. In a strange way you can say the game is a mix of both "Miami Vice", "The Terminator" and "Big Trouble in Little China" all put in a blender and making a tasty smoothie. The plot is an evil organization using black magic to make and create most of its machines and mutants. Though by its nature the plotline is pretty basic as this evil organization wants to use this to rule the world, (yeah well get in line and take a number guys) and your character Hart is the only one that can stop them. Yeah, that's it in a nutshell, but like with most of these games were here for the action and it delivers on that.
The graphics are decent from the background, color scheme and character animation it does a good job at creating a noirish action fantasy atmosphere. The music is also decent, the track isn't really memorable at least in my book, but there serviceable for the levels in the game as they give tunes for action. The action is solid, difficulty is on the medium side not too hard but not too easy, and the control is responsive. For the platform action sequences there similar to "Ninja Gaiden" as you are armed with three types of weapons. One which is a light saber, I really like that you swing it in an overhead arc which helps in taking out certain enemies in the air. The other two are the basic gun and grenade which help if you have to hit enemies from a distance or for the grenades more power. Bosses are also decent looking if nothing mindblowing and the battles with them are actually slightly easy at least in my book.
One thing that makes the game slightly unique is how it makes itself into sort of a multi genre game which I always find cool as it keeps the game fresh and is still something rarely done in video games. This give the game a slight challenge curve as you have a certain number of seconds to suddenly adjust to a different type of gaming technique and style.
There are two different gaming sequences, one is a shump but here you are driving a car which I think is cool and something I rarely see in shumps as in that genre it's the standard plane, jet fighter, and star fighter; the only other shump I've seen a land vehicle used is the arcade game "Last Duel" another under the radar gem.
This sequence is a basic shump as you are just shooting at everything that moves while getting to point A and B safely. I like in that sequence you actually get to drive through a bunch of random barrels and boxes that are just in your way for no apparent reason except for effect.
The other sequence is a light gun shooter, much like with "Operation Wolf", "Lethal Enforcers' and others. It's the basic kind where you simply go in one direction and bad guys come like in any shooting gallery come out in random places and you have to nail as many of them as possible before they nail you.
The games only misfires for me are the story it's not memorable, I do appreciate that the game was trying to tell a story which was actually decent, creative, and slight amount of intrigue but I feel lacks weight, there needed to be some character depth for the main character or the plot needed more elaboration so I can be more invested in what I was doing.
The shooting and driving shmup sequence are really in the game that much, them only in it a couple of times, I would of like a couple more and for them to be differentiated a little more. Also feel there could have been more weight to them as well, like for the shooting sequences there could have been different types of guns to use as well as Health in places; as well as the car shump sequences.
This is another under the radar vintage NES game that is worth a shot, it will give you a vice for action.
Rating: 3 stars
The plotline is good, it's creative and strange as it seems like a mix of both sci-fi and fantasy. In a strange way you can say the game is a mix of both "Miami Vice", "The Terminator" and "Big Trouble in Little China" all put in a blender and making a tasty smoothie. The plot is an evil organization using black magic to make and create most of its machines and mutants. Though by its nature the plotline is pretty basic as this evil organization wants to use this to rule the world, (yeah well get in line and take a number guys) and your character Hart is the only one that can stop them. Yeah, that's it in a nutshell, but like with most of these games were here for the action and it delivers on that.
The graphics are decent from the background, color scheme and character animation it does a good job at creating a noirish action fantasy atmosphere. The music is also decent, the track isn't really memorable at least in my book, but there serviceable for the levels in the game as they give tunes for action. The action is solid, difficulty is on the medium side not too hard but not too easy, and the control is responsive. For the platform action sequences there similar to "Ninja Gaiden" as you are armed with three types of weapons. One which is a light saber, I really like that you swing it in an overhead arc which helps in taking out certain enemies in the air. The other two are the basic gun and grenade which help if you have to hit enemies from a distance or for the grenades more power. Bosses are also decent looking if nothing mindblowing and the battles with them are actually slightly easy at least in my book.
One thing that makes the game slightly unique is how it makes itself into sort of a multi genre game which I always find cool as it keeps the game fresh and is still something rarely done in video games. This give the game a slight challenge curve as you have a certain number of seconds to suddenly adjust to a different type of gaming technique and style.
There are two different gaming sequences, one is a shump but here you are driving a car which I think is cool and something I rarely see in shumps as in that genre it's the standard plane, jet fighter, and star fighter; the only other shump I've seen a land vehicle used is the arcade game "Last Duel" another under the radar gem.
This sequence is a basic shump as you are just shooting at everything that moves while getting to point A and B safely. I like in that sequence you actually get to drive through a bunch of random barrels and boxes that are just in your way for no apparent reason except for effect.
The other sequence is a light gun shooter, much like with "Operation Wolf", "Lethal Enforcers' and others. It's the basic kind where you simply go in one direction and bad guys come like in any shooting gallery come out in random places and you have to nail as many of them as possible before they nail you.
The games only misfires for me are the story it's not memorable, I do appreciate that the game was trying to tell a story which was actually decent, creative, and slight amount of intrigue but I feel lacks weight, there needed to be some character depth for the main character or the plot needed more elaboration so I can be more invested in what I was doing.
The shooting and driving shmup sequence are really in the game that much, them only in it a couple of times, I would of like a couple more and for them to be differentiated a little more. Also feel there could have been more weight to them as well, like for the shooting sequences there could have been different types of guns to use as well as Health in places; as well as the car shump sequences.
This is another under the radar vintage NES game that is worth a shot, it will give you a vice for action.
Rating: 3 stars
