R-Type

This is another of my favorite video games of all time and also, it's believe it or not my favorite in the shoot em up genre of all time. This is the very first game that started the franchise that is still flying high in the stratosphere to this day. It's a timeless classic that is still played to this day as it has been rereleased on multiple consoles.

This game was one of the very first shooters and video games I've played when I was about seven years old. There was an arcade cabinet of it at the "Jolly Joker" in the Yakima Mall in Yakima, Washington. A place I would go when my mom and aunt were at the end of their shopping venture. Anyway, I saw a cabinet of it and I saw the demos of the game and it looked so cool. I of course played it, though didn't get very far as back then I was still a rookie and not very good at the shoot em up genre at the time. But despite this along with the game's difficulty, I didn't give up, I kept at it and thanks to that game I'm an ace in the shoot em up genre.

The game just has so much going for it which is why it's such a timeless classic. Really like the graphical presentation, which is all well detailed and colorful, each of the levels are something different. The music is great this game as some of the best video game tracks that to this day are remixed and different versions of the main theme that is still played in some of the sequels; once again showing the timelessness of the game.

I like the design of the ship which is interesting, you have the typical maneuver and fire functions but one of the things that makes this different is you have a power gauge, when you press the fire button down long enough you fill that gauge. One you let go you then discharge a more powerful shot that does greater damage. This was awesome as it was something different at the time and no doubt predates the Mega Blaster from the "Mega Man" games later on but also a function in a lot of other shoot em ups. This is very useful because it can destroy the tougher enemies or drain their life down faster most notably for the bosses.

The other thing is this drone device which is practically your sword and shield. This was also cool because with this depending on where you place it, it can act as a shield for any oncoming fire but also as a melee weapon as it can destroy enemies mainly the weaker ones. You can even shoot the drone out making it an offensive melee weapon or bring it a certain distance from you and can always bring it back. It also discharges whatever weapon you collect, like a three-way ricochet laser, strong blaster with missiles, and others.

The game believe or not by it's nature is sort of a puzzle, each of the levels are different which means a different kind of challenge. The levels are memorable along with the bosses in them, two favorite levels are the second level where you're in this alien nest and there are all kinds of weird and messed up aliens fly at you and you nail them before they nail you. Though my favorite level in the game believe it or not is the third level, by its nature the level is one giant boss battle as your taking down a giant flag ship.

And of course, one favorite boss of mine is the first boss who is an obvious homage to the Zenomorph from "Alien/Aliens". I remember seeing this boss as a kid scared me and also, I never even heard or seen the films "Alien" and "Aliens" at the time. Though I was also a little fascinated as it was kind of cool looking at the same time, could almost be a monster from the cartoon show "Inhumanoids".

Anyway, bringing both of these bosses down just gave me a good feeling inside, it's pretty much that old motif of "David vs. Goliath" there is also something empowering about bringing down something that seems more powerful.

There is a steady pace to the game which is something different as most shoot em ups are always about fast pace and acting now. This is different as it's about taking you time and to think before you make your next move or moves. This makes the game all the more be nerve racking because despite the game allowing you take your time from everything going on around you, you also have very little time to react and take action; so you can't afford to stay still for one moment or let your guard down.

And of course, this game is on the hard side, so anyone familiar with hard shoot em ups will expect a lot of deaths. But the difficulty is fair and it's one of those games where perseverance is the key, so you can't expect to get it right the first time. This makes the game an even more rewarding experience because it was your own perseverance and skill that go you though the level. And, the levels are easy to get though, okay got a little easy once I figured everything out. Once you've memorized and know the right places to move and what to do at certain points in time, pretty much the principle on easy if you know how.

"R-Type" is the right kind of game for me and maybe even you.

Rating: 4 stars.