Trouble Shooter Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Vic Tokai Publisher: Vic Tokai Year of Release: 1991 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Released as Battle Mania in Japan, Trouble Shooter stars Madison and Crystal, a pair of female mercenaries hired to rescue Prince Eldon from the clutches of a crime outfit known as the Black Ball. The game is a side-ways scrolling shoot 'em up, spread across six stages of blasting action, although there's an off-beat aesthetic to the game which lends it a unique sense of identity. For one thing, the way Madison and Crystal free-float through the air on their jetpacks feels reminiscent of Capcom's Forgotten Worlds. Although it's not possible to fire in a full 360 degree arc in this particular game, the secondary character can be made to orbit the primary, and the direction they're aiming can be flipped as appropriate to shoot to the left or the right. Small ships drop occasional power-up tokens that boost the effectiveness of your weapons, and others might provide barrier shields that destroy things it comes into contact with. The equipment you choose at the outset of each mission dictates the behaviour of your overcharge ability, which, provided you have sufficient juice, can be used to unleash powerful screen-clearing effects. Each of the game's stages involves blasting waves of enemies, before the inevitable end-of-level boss encounter. However, the size and orientation of the player sprites means there's greater emphasis on positioning, which needs to be carefully considered when trying to avoid enemy projectiles. Knowledge of when and where enemies will appear becomes important, so that you know when to flip shooting directions to give cover to the rear, or when to focus fire forward to deal with more powerful foes. The addition of the Prince to your squad in stage 5 bolsters your powers further, but the fact he travels in the opposite direction to yours makes for a slightly bewildering effect. Overall, I quite enjoyed Trouble Shooter. The graphics are vibrant, and the female protagonists at least make for something different to the usual space ship or mech-bot we're used to seeing in this kind of thing. The game's soundtrack can be something of an acquired taste, with some over-enthusiastic drumming throughout, but it's decent enough. If you're looking for something different in the way of shooters, this is worth a look. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Attract mode 02:37 Stage 01 06:49 Stage 02 11:51 Stage 03 16:45 Stage 04 23:02 Stage 05 29:14 Stage 06 34:02 Ending