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Post by Stan on Feb 27, 2006 22:51:19 GMT
Been awhile guys, mainly because the people on the list took a bit to respond. Our pal here took his time, but he took his time well thinking and debating. And what did he pick? Let it loose man, let it loose.
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Post by RetroReserve on Feb 27, 2006 23:34:48 GMT
Right, I had to check all the previous Game of the Week threads this week because I wasn't sure whether this game had already been picked and I'm surpsied that I hasn't.
My choice for this time is:
SPACE HARRIER
As Space Harrier you must blast your way through 18 levels to rid the peaceful dragon's home land of vicious monsters.
I first played this game in the arcades and was blown away by the graphics which were some of the best I'd seen at the time. At the time I didn't realise it was available for the SMS, so was delighted when I saved up enough pocket money to buy another games and found this in the second hand section of the shop for a bargain (at the time) £16. This was at a time when I only had about 6 or 7 games so I found myself playing it quite alot.
Visually, going back to it now I can see it has aged quite alot with some of the enemies being quite blocky. But back in the day this was like having the arcade game in my living room. The game also have some smooth scrolling and an impressive illusion of depth.
The music is good too. The in-game music is varied and doesn't get annoying and the sound effects are impressive too. The game even has some speech in it.
I still find the game fun today but I can't play it as long as I used to because it soon gets a bit tedious. Also it can be hard to tell when you about to hit an enemy or bullet which can lead to a frustating death.
The game is quite long with the 18 stages taking some time to work through which adds to the challenge.
Overall, although I realise the game has it's problems. I find it easy to overlook them and and enjoy the simple shooting action.
And the dragon bosses are cool.
(Some screenshots to follow tomorrow)
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Post by anagrama on Mar 1, 2006 11:51:36 GMT
Great fuggin' choice man!  One of my all-time Sega faves, narrowly behind OutRun. Also surprised this hasn't come up before. I've seen the SMS version get dumped on by several people in the past, both here and other forums, but that's with the hindsight of almost 20 years worth of better conversions - blocky or not, the SMS incarnation must have looked pretty damn amazing in 1987 (I'd love to see a NES try and do anything of this caliber!). Will get stuck into it pronto... |
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Post by psychofox on Mar 1, 2006 14:18:08 GMT
Retro - I agree with everything you have said. Back in the day this game was simply amazing. This is one of the first games I can remember playing on the SMS and I was so over awed by the graphics on it.
I always used to like the cool names of all the baddies & planets in it.
And am I right in thinking there is a question about it in Alex Kidd in High Tech World?
Great choice mate.
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Post by Stan on Mar 2, 2006 20:11:22 GMT
You know, I just don't like this game. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Seriously, what's with the blocky graphics and the near impossibility to actually get through a stage without dying?
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Post by anagrama on Mar 2, 2006 20:14:10 GMT
You just suck Stan. Go play Championship Hockey or something  |
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Post by Stan on Mar 2, 2006 20:17:11 GMT
No, see I rule at suck. This just sucks. I mean, honestly, has anyone seriously beaten this game raw?
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Post by King Henry VIII on Mar 3, 2006 10:30:01 GMT
Ive never played it... although i have it.
Im going to get it out and have a damn good hard bash at it.
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Post by Stan on Mar 3, 2006 13:48:11 GMT
And then you'll agree with me I hope. I just can't get into this game, I tried again, but yet again it fails me.
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Post by Hades on Mar 4, 2006 4:00:21 GMT
Space Harrier rules!
This is one of my favourite Sega games, I was addicted to this game like crack when I first got it. I've never beaten it though, only can get up to level 12 I think it was. But still loved it. Admitedly the SMS version isn't that crash hot compared to some of the later conversions, but it's the one I played first and the one I have the most memories with.
"GET READY!"
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Post by Stan on Mar 9, 2006 13:59:02 GMT
What do people think about the blocky graphics and tendecny to not see enemies before they hit you factor in this game? It really, really gets on my nerves.
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Post by rheffera on Mar 11, 2006 5:19:18 GMT
The graphics aren't all that bad..but i do find it hard to judge where the enemys are going to hit in relation to me(i sometimes actually move into enemies) but thats just the scrolling effect which is there to make it harder otherwise it would be far too easy
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Post by Jo Musashi on Mar 11, 2006 13:36:22 GMT
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! This was the first SMS game I ever bought!!! And it's still one of my favourites. Pretty much everything said so far, I agree with...great music, levels & enemies, awesome graphics (and yes Stan, they are blocky...because it's a dual 16-bit arcade game running on an 8-bit home console! Come on man, the gfx are amazing for an 8-bit system It IS difficult to advance...but when did high difficulty automatically make a game bad? It's certainly possible to complete the game on the console (not emu)...I've done it once before. Admittedly, it took some severe training and the use of continues, but it's worth it to fight the last boss, Haya-Oh (my spelling could be off, I completed the game in 1989 after all which, AFAIK, is not in the arcade version. I still remember seeing this game in the arcades as well, it was pretty much a standard in the late 80s. See www.geocities.com/sabulente/mysmsstory.html for a pic of the unit at a Niagara Falls arcade. I still enjoy listening to the music; "Main Theme" is one of the best video game tunes ever with its disco bassline, I never tire of it. While the SMS version has been surpassed in my collection by the version on Shenmue IIx, I still play it occasionally, and I won't ever forget that it's the game that really defines Sega for me (although Shinobi is my favourite game) - the game was made in 1985, looks 5 years ahead of its time with its 3D scrolling, used an advanced arcade cabinet, has awesome music, and involved a concept that was fairly unique with some great character design. The game is simply amazing, whatever the format. |
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Phil
Sonic the Hedgehog
Posts: 2,195
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Post by Phil on Mar 11, 2006 21:15:53 GMT
Stan leave Space Harrier alone, the game is pretty good, very difficult but a decent effort for the time.
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Post by Jo Musashi on Mar 11, 2006 22:58:24 GMT
Whoops, forgot to pimp my review: www.geocities.com/sabulente/harrier.htmlAlso, anyone ever notice the enemy Harrier sits on at the title screen is, other than the head, a clone of the "Dom" from Mobile Suit Gundam 0079? |
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One of my all-time Sega faves, narrowly behind OutRun. Also surprised this hasn't come up before.
