Part 2
18. Billy Bob
It's gallery shooter with wild west theme. The control is D-pad to move your hand left or right and move your crosshair up or down. Pressing "C" button will fire your revolver gun. Put the crosshair at enemy and press shoot button. Simple! The game becomes more complicated with you having limited bullets and health. Precision seems very crucial in this game.
My advice is to prioritize the cowboys on roof and in window because they aim at you faster than their pardner on the street because they run first at their position and then draw their gun. While the snipers are already in shooting position! Whether you want to shoot them at their head or "balls", it doesn't matter. They die with single hit, anyway.
The situation get hairy when you reach level 5 where they come at you fast and thick. To pick a quote from Time Crisis's back cover, "It's going to take wits, skill, and courage. And one very big gun" is certainly appropriate in this situation. (Presumably) Billy Bob's aim is too slow to reach everyone fast enough. Then he dies bleeding on sandy street of nameless town. If only he equip himself with Gatling Gun. The story will be different.
The game gets the basic right but it becomes dull every so often. Also later stages become unplayable due to slow aim. Some power up will be nice to have.
My rating score: 4.5 / 10
19. Sharks
In this game i become diver that is tasked to kill some certain amount of shark without getting trouble from Green Peace. D-pad to move the diver in desired direction and "C" button to fire the harpoon forward. This grey shark is slow enough so no problem so far. Plus the shark's hitspot is pretty large. You can shoot their fin and they die anyway. Sniper_positivevocalization04.wav
In level 3 and further, there's blue shark which are certainly faster than their grey counterpart. Every shark in this game will get some bloody animation and during that they will block harpoon that you fire. So be careful when you have to deal many of them on 1 side. My tips in this game is: park the diver at the most top plane. That way you diminish the possibility to get attacked from above
Starting level 5, jellyfishes come to play. Even though the game's title is "Shark", i can accept them as enemy because Jellyfish is more dangerous threat to humanity than shark. It's true fact that jellyfishes cause deaths in much bigger number than sharks. Look it up! Anyway, jellyfishes are smaller target than shark and they move erratically like bat or Medusa's head in Castlevania game.
There's no more variation beyond level 5 and above. The game ends after i finish 9th level.
The diver's death animation looks very grim. It's like in Ghosts 'Goblins game but bloody!
It's pretty basic as you can get but it works fairly good. If the game implement limited breath mechanism like in Alley Cat and add some power up item. Even extra score item is fine.
My rating score: 6 / 10
20. Knockout
It's another two-player game on the group. Player take control a boxer whoever lands a hit 15 hit, he wins. The control is: D-Pad to move the boxer left or right. "B" button to jump. "C" button to punch. Not only jump is prohibited in boxing, but he can also jump really high. He should be high jump or basketball athlete.
I like the cartoon expression of both the victor and the fallen.
It's fighting game but you only restricted to standing punch also no health bar and timer. Jumping only to dodge enemy's attack or for repositioning. Simplistic and weird.
My rating score: 2 / 10
21. Intruder
Do you know that carnival game where you have to navigate a metal maze by using rod/stick and when it touch the border you get some Buzz? This game is basically that but you control (probably) an intruder instead. The control is D-Pad to control the guy and "C" button to shoot laser bullet at chest height. There's security robots that lethal to touch and they can get pass the electrified border harmlessly! It goes without saying that touching the border will kill you.
A dead end! Engineer_negativevocalization01.wav
I touch the border because i'm too large. Engineer_paincrticialdeath02.wav
Engineer_paincrticialdeath05.wav . The robot gets me from ankle height. This is the problem with shooting gun only at chest height. I give up! I can't get pass the first level ever.
The player is too big while the maze has barely safety clearance. Too difficult to play and may induce frustration.
My rating score: 0.5 / 10
22. Echo
The game "Echo" tasks you with repeating color rhombuses in same order as demonstrated. Use D-pad to move the highlight cursor between the rhombuses and "C" button to pick the highlighted rhombus. Somehow the 2nd rhombus from the left will let out dog bark while the most right rhombus will let out car's horn.
At 1st level, you need to repeat 4 sequences. Next level will increase the sequence by 1 and i'm defeated at level 3 where i need to repeat 6 sequences. My memory is not great. That's why i'm not good at shell game/thimblerig.
Even though i feel not good at playing this game, it's pretty functional.
My rating score: 4.5 / 10
23. Freeway
It's kind of like Frogger but you have to cross the roads repeatedly to finish 1 level. You control a brown dog that must transfer stuffs from top walkway to bottom walkway where you starts. They're something that your pet dog will probably like to carry with their mouth such as: rubber ball, frisbee, and newspaper, i think. Bone will be more make sense and more durable to me but it's not me who make the game, so be it. The control is D-Pad to move the dog around and "C" button to bark which do nothing to the traffic. Well that makes sense. Dog bark is less loud than average traffic noise, so to speak.
For each new level, the game add more stuff to move. In first level, the traffic move in same direction in each road. Now, it's more chaotic because the some traffic that goes to different direction than other in same road! It goes without saying that the gamed add traffic that goes very fast. The hitspot detection is merciless. If you look closely that the truck only hit the dog by the tail and the game tells the dog to die in pieces. Scout_jeers09.wav
This game ends after 9th level but as you can see on screenshot it's almost impossible to dodge the traffic smoothly in 9th level. Not without savestate, that is. This game is aggravating version of Frogger.
My rating score: 4 / 10
24. Mousetrap
This game is kind of like Game #23 Freeway but with faster pace. You control a cartoon mouse and you move him by using D-Pad. Get all the cheeses and avoid the cat left and right. Simple! But i get trampled by one of them. Spy_jeers05
At least his innards stay inside of him unlike that poor dog. Hey! I notice the TV broadcast Action 52 the movie but i'm not eager to watch it. Everytime the mouse die, the cheeses will be moved randomly and their number is the same when you left off. The randomizer can be advantage or disadvantage to you. Nevertheless, it's good feature.
It's definitely better and faster than Game #23 Freeway.
My rating score: 6.5 / 10
25. Ninja
It's certainly a game about ninja. You control the one who wears black cloth. The control is D-Pad to move the black ninja left or right. "B" button to jump and "C" button to throw shuriken. But there's noticeably delay on shuriken throwing so i advise you to just move along. Either kill or avoid the red ninjas. It takes one shuriken to kill either them or you. You can get pass them without any harm. The goal is you have to travel certain distance on each level. Jumping constantly forward is valid tactic.
Thing get more complicated when there's enemy ninja sneak behind our hero and occasionally throw shuriken. You have to alter your jump accordingly, sometime. Because our hero is ninja, he can change his jump trajectory unlike some Knight who is miraculously able to take on entire demon kingdom and save a princess. Yes. i'm talking about you, Arthur. Somehow this game reminds me of that ninja game on NES where i also toss shurikens at enemies including Chargin' Chuck!
 |
| Hudson Soft's Ninja Hattori-Kun |
Turns out it was Ninja Hattori-Kun which is based on comic with same name made by Fujiko Fujio. You probably know him as the creator of Doraemon or P-Man/Perman. Somehow Ninja Hattori can't jump as high as the nameless ninja so he deserves credit where its due.
It's quite competent action side-scrolling game. But it get boring fairly fast. Also it get tiring that you have to press "right" button on D-Pad to travel this entire flat level.
My rating score: 5 / 10
26. Slalom
It's Ski Free but without the sinister Yeti. You only need to control the skier with D-Pad. No button to jump or anything else. Like Game #25 Ninja, to finish a level you only need to travel a certain distance. Also avoid the tree.
I try to be smart by skiing on left corner and apparently it didn't work. The skier scream painfully upon hitting tree but he retires peacefully afterward. As if he lost the will to life so hard upon failure rather than sustaining fatal injury due to impact.
As i said before that the game is basically Ski-Free but without yeti. Also no ramp, sadly.
My rating score: 4.5 / 10
27. Dauntless
The game is based on the name of WW2 bomber plane belong to United States. So you control single Dauntless plane against Japanese Fighter planes Mitsubishi Zero that appear left and right. The control is D-Pad to move the bomber plane around while "C" button to fire machine gun. Much like Game #25 Ninja, your goal is to survive on certain unwritten distance. But you can't attack the enemies on the left at all. Also some of these clouds obstruct your vision. Enemies or their bullet can hide behind those clouds which feels unfair. That can also happen in Cuphead.
Simple horizontal shoot 'em up but as i mentioned before there's clouds that can hide enemy planes and their bullets. Also you don't have ability to fire backward that feels mandatory to have and there's not much variation going on here.
My rating score: 5 / 10
28. Force One
This game forces [get it? :P] you to pilot some generic space fighter. D-Pad to move your fighter to whatever direction you want and "C" button to shoot your photon projectiles which comes out from both of the wings. That means your fighter's center doesn't covered with bullets when you're firing. There's that small dragon-like thingy that my bullets go through it. Maybe it's pick up item?
Of course, it's not. Bad thing! Bad thing! Demoman_paincrticialdeath02.wav
On next level, there's more of that accursed things! Also the level scrolls faster. Give that the "regular" enemies can do nothing but try to ram me slowly. So the threat come from these bloody wretches.
It's boring shmup game with obnoxious special thing. And like Game #25 Ninja, the level ends when you passing certain unwritten distance.
My rating score: 3.5 / 10
29. Spidey
If you're Spiderman's fans and hope that the game is related to the friendly neighborhood web-slinger, you must be disappointed with this game. You play as red spider and control it with D-pad alone. This game is basically like Game #24. Mousetrap but your enemies can also come at you vertically. Eat all the flies while avoiding rival spiders in red and ants (?). Simple. The trapped flies also randomized upon death like those cheeses in Game #24. Mousetrap.
As i have said before. It's like Game #24. Mousetrap but it's distinctive enough.
My rating score: 6.5 / 10
30. Appleseed
In this game, you take control of this old farmer collecting apples that raining down in this place. You have to avoid the green apples because they're unripe. The control is D-pad to move the old timer left or right and "C" button to make him jump. I don't see the use of jumping. Maybe it's meant to get the red apples faster or dodge the green apples. But it will be better to have slide move instead for that purpose. On next stage, some apples fall diagonally instead of straight vertical. So keep in mind that.
If he gets any of the unripe apple, the farmer goes mad like really angry toward the mild-unpleasant occasion. That's the angry expression if someone put stone on his shoes that he wears or someone break window of his house. He's exaggerating his anger, folk. But boy howdy i very like that expression.
The game has bare minimum gameplay. If they put sliding move, the game becomes less boring. But the game gets special credit because of that old man's angry expression.
My rating score: 5 / 10
31. Skater
The game is so 90s. Just look at him! A boy riding a skateboard while wearing the cap backward. So rad, dude! The control is D-pad to move him around. While "C" button to make him jump 4 meters (13.123 feet)! Moving to sides is significantly slower than forward/backward (realistic). So to avoid the hazards , you have to rely on the skateboarder's high jump (highly unrealistic). They're beach ball and dead cat! I'm on the same page as Angry Video Game Nerd regarding this. Why they put dead cat as the road obstacle? So cruel. There's many better choice like parked car, parked bike, traffic cone, or road block. But no. They decide to put poor lifeless feline there. Bloody psychopath! The goal in every level is to collect some quantity of boombox. Because -again-, it's so 90s.
You wish you were as cool as this kid back in 90s, huh? Jumping on skateboard really high and triplet beach babes wave at you. Obviously jumping over dead cat is probably radical but really not cool, man.
Then the skateboarder get tripped on beach ball. It can't be helped, the level scrolls too fast and the number of hazards is increase significantly. At least he isn't tripped over dead cat.
The game is pretty competent and radical. But the inclusion of those dead cats, man. So uncool!
My rating score: 1.5 / 10
32. Sunday Drive
It's top down driving game. It's not even racing because the theme isn't about racing. It's about casual driving in freeway with 5 lanes in same direction. The control is: D-pad to move anywhere you want and "C" button to sound the horn which does nothing except adding gritty noise into the game. The level finishes when you reach certain unwritten distance like Game #25 Ninja. Those truck drivers certainly rude, swaying from side to side. I think they're the only real threat in this game. Other than that, the game is just smooth ride.
I'm curious what's the death
animation look like. Turns out it's just front part destroyed as opposed to
whole car explodes. But the repair still costs an arm and a leg. I see they animate the airbags there. Nice details.
 |
| Konami's Road Fighter |
It reminds me Konami's Road Fighter but it's less interesting or intense. It doesn't have the bootleg superman for God's sake! Not even the airbags detail can make decent redemption for this game.
My rating score: 2 / 10
33. Star Evil
It's another space shmup but this time with walls The control is quite the same as in Game #28. Force One: D-pad to move the weird spaceship. "C" button to shoot the laser weapon. Don't worry about the cranes as they're foreground object.
The enemies can fly through the walls! But it's okay, my bullets can do the same. I don't see much variation here and beyond. Boring. Next game!
It's basic space shmup with walls.
My rating score: 3.5 / 10
34. Air Command
It's another vertical shmup but this time it's upside down. As per usual in this kind of game, the control is: D-Pad to fly around. and"C" button to shoot bullets. As you can see i get annihilated not long in this game. Maybe because this is the first vertical shmup with enemies that can fire back to me. Keep yourself together, Izenger!
This is lot better. My bullets comes from the plane's nose which leaves my enormous wings defenseless. So my strategy is strafing left and right while constantly shooting. Then no one can get me! Again, there's no more variation in this game.
The game try to catch you off guard by putting you in top screen instead of bottom screen like average vertical shmup. Other than that, there's nothing left to offer
My rating score: 2.5 / 10
In this part of Action of 52 is pretty dull, overall. There's some that nigh unplayable because of irresponsible speed of either enemies or the level's scroll. Yep. That's about it!
