Gain Ground (Arcade)

Super Adventures in Gaming Replay - Game 1

Super AiG is one year old today! So I thought this would be a good time to go back to some of the games I wrote about during the first few months and take another look at them. And maybe do a better job of playing them this time around.

I wouldn't even dare animate that title screen in case the flickering static gave someone an epileptic fit. I don't know what Sega were thinking.

I wrote about the Genesis/Mega Drive version of this way back on the 3rd of February last year. In fact I managed to write about eight lines about the game and finished off by saying "There's just... nothing good about this game at all."

Well how the hell do you know that Ray? You played it for literally 20 seconds according to the timer on the screenshots. You basically just made an idiot of yourself in front of the whole internet. Yeah I think this game definitely requires another look.

I start off with three characters to choose from, each with a cryptic symbol in the corner of their portrait that I don't understand. This one seems to be armed with a pink shirt and a sniper rifle.

But this woman's got a pistol and hand grenades! Less range, but way more explosions.

Or I could play as a naked man with a spear. Hmm... rifle, pistol or spear?

I went with spear and then pistol when I originally played the game, so I'll try the rifle guy for a change.

Yeah, this is pretty much as I remember it. The top of the screen is full of enemies shooting at me with arrows, and I have to shoot them all right back. One hit kills, and the screen doesn't scroll. It's a Gauntlet-style overhead run and gun stripped down to the basics.

Genesis/Mega Drive

The Genesis/Mega Drive port is pretty much identical in gameplay as far as I can tell, but it's got a much lower resolution. The game wasn't really a graphics showcase to begin with though so it's not a massive loss.

Well I shot all the folks on level one, and now I'm doing the same thing on level two. This time they're hiding behind rocks so I have keep running around and dodging arrows to get into a position where I can shoot them. It's a bit awkward because my hero fires in the direction I'm facing, so I have to run towards the enemy arrows to shoot the enemies.

I'm not sure what I get for rescuing that guy on the bridge. I walked into him and he started following me around, being useless.

PC Engine CD

The PC Engine port of the game has almost arcade sized graphics, which means it can't fit an entire level on screen. They got around this by adding scrolling, but that doesn't really help me when I'm getting shot with arrows from off screen.

Though to be fair, the arrows do seem to move slower. Or maybe I'm just moving faster.

Master System

The Master System version on the other hand is just happy doing its own thing. The gameplay's more or less the same, but the levels are different. And rifle guy's wearing purple.

Crap, I get the feeling they really don't want me walking up that left passage. I'm going to need to be more cautious and try to take them on one at a time. But I can't be too cautious, as that timer's ticking down.

Though it seems that this time I've got a second way to finish the level. Usually I need to kill all the enemies, but this time I've got an EXIT. Wait, did the other levels have EXIT boxes too?

Oh crap, they did! I didn't even notice.

Those archers on the ridge are too high to shoot, so I had to make a run for the exit, right through the obvious kill zone. And I made it!

Then I found myself on the same level, but controlling a different character. Seems I have to get all my people in individually. So I made a run for the exit with him too... and I wasn't so lucky this time.

Okay, this crap is getting ridiculous. Even if I manage to kill all these enemies on the ground, I'll just be sniped by those archers on the ledge when I go for the exit.

My characters act like lives, and when I'm all out of heroes I use up a continue. But then I pick up right were I left off, on the same level with all my kills still killed. So at least I won't have to replay the entire fight every time those archers get me.

Well... fuck. There's no way I'm getting through that.

Hang on though, I've got a new character to choose from and she's got a boomerang! Hey, she must have been one of those people who started following me around. It seems I get to keep them if they follow me into the exit, and there's two more of them to grab on this level.

Nope, I ain't ever getting through that gate. It's impossible.

Unless...

Well I did get through the gate, but holy shit that's a lot of knife throwers in there.

I'm not going to continue with this run, but I'm not ready to stop playing just yet. Now that I know I can collect people I want to start over and see who else I can pick up.


LATER

Oh shit, the half naked spear guy has a secondary attack that kills people on ledges! Nice work spear guy, you've suddenly become useful. Well, essential more like. The woman with the grenades might be able to get throw them up onto the ledge too, but they've got a short range and she can only throw them straight up the screen, so I'd get one kill at best.

Hey I think I've figured out those cryptic symbols on the portraits now. They indicate how each character's special attack works. L means it hits low, H means I can hit enemies on ledges, and the green arrows show which directions it can be aimed.

Damn, I can't believe I made it to the exit! Now I just have get up there with the rest of my characters one by one before the timer runs out.

And so at last I reach the final stage... of round 1.

Fortunately these boss enemies prefer to stay put and just breathe fireballs at me, so I can run around and hit them from a distance with my rifle.

Master System

Unlike on the Master System version, where the boss keeps following me around. Why'd they have to tone down the rest of the difficulty, but make this fight tougher?

Rocket beats arrows. Hah, I'm getting sci-fi on their medieval asses.

Though the explosions are pretty lame in this. I have to hit an enemy dead on with my rockets or grenades to get the kill, and anyone next to them will be unharmed.

Apparently it's hard to run while you're carrying a rocket launcher. My poor character just didn't have the speed to dodge the arrows. I guess I chose the wrong character for the task.

I'd be nice if I could swap out characters mid level, but once I've made my choice I'm stuck with it until I get them into an exit or killed. I guess it's designed for two or three players to be on screen at once, each playing a different role in the plan.


Okay I'm done with the arcade version now. It's actually bloody difficult, believe it or not. Though I'll keep playing through the console versions for a little longer.

Genesis/Mega Drive

The game actually reminds me a little of turn based tactics games, only played out in real time. I have to figure out what character to use in each situation, like this Viking archer guy is awesome for this level because he's against other archers in awkward places. His secondary attack arrows have the range and height to take them out, and he's fast enough on his feet to dodge the enemy fire.

On the other hand, it might be a bad idea to bring him out because I risk losing him on a level I could have finished with just the spear guy.

Master System

The Master System version must be much easier, because I'm actually making progress in it. I was actually getting a decent sized team together until I got them all killed and used a continue. Then I used another, and another, and another... apparently this version has infinite credits.

Usually I'd say that's a fantastic thing, but the game continues right where I left off, with the enemies still dead. So there's no need for skill or strategy any more, I can just keep wandering up to the enemies and spraying bullets over and over until I eventually get them all.

EVENTUALLY.

Master System

Whoa, I've reached the final round. I might actually finish this game! In fact it'd be hard not to seeing as I can't die.


BUT THEN...

Master System

Uh... what just happened? Did I lose? I guess I lost. 2 seconds on the level and I didn't even see what killed me. What a shocking reversal of fate, oh well.


You know, I still hate this game. But I can't help but like it too. It's so damn easy to lose a crucial character and have to finish a level without them. But on the other hand, half the appeal of the game is figuring out how to win against impossible odds with the crappy team you have. And if I'm lucky I can grab my poor defeated star player along the way, drag them to the exit, and get them back in the team on the next level.

So I'm giving this my gold star (for not being crap) award, for actually making me want to play it again. Someday.

The moral of the story... I shouldn't turn a game off after playing it for a minute then tell people it's bad on the internet.