Gunstar Super Heroes
Believe the hype! We go hands-on with Treasure's long-awaited, run-and-gun shooter!
Preview by Chris Scantleberry (Email)
October 9th 2005
All nitpicks aside, the single-player adventure comes loaded with challenges. With five different worlds to explore, each area has its own distinct appeal. Fans will be dazzled to discover all the old foes from the original including Orange, Seven Force, as well as Pink and her stomp-happy robot make their respective appearances. Although it was great to see familiar bosses and levels, that ultimately made the experience fairly predictable.
In a special tribute for old-school vets, Treasure even went the extra mile by incorporating a few "easter eggs", featuring elements from classic 16-bit Genesis titles. A few examples include the Afterburner-inspired aerial level in the first level; collecting chicks ala Flicky, and there's even a very memorable boss battle taken from Strider. Who says Treasure doesn't love ya?
Overall, I love the level designs, but there is some lack of cohesion logically connecting all of them. Some just seem out of place and tacked on (even the ones in the mini-game are a bit, odd). While it's a minor matter, some purists just looking to find a complaint may be a tad bothered by it. Frankly, I can't blame them. After all, I can't be the only one who doesn't think fighting a huge stuffed bear is rather random.
Despite the absence of a few treasured nuances, fans are bound to find this long-awaited sequel to be a solid 2D run-and-gun treat. The original Gunstar Heroes was easily one of the best games to be released during the 16-bit era and I predict a similar level of success will be seen with this release. Forget whatever negative banter that you may have read -- anyone drinking Haterade needs to switch to a cup of optimism. Given what I've seen so far, color me impressed, Treasure. I can't wait to see what they whip up next, and hopefully, we won't have to wait another decade to enjoy it.
