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The
Star Soldier |
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| Artist touch: What could be more freaky then a giant snake on fire in deep space? This is cool art but it doesn't really tell me this is a shooter though. Cover art rating: 7/10 |
Month
it won: March 2006 (Konami, October 1988) |
Special note: Although
the Salamander series is popular in Japan this is the only game in that
series to make it to North America so far. |
| Introduction and Story: |
| In
my third Nintendo Entertainment System game of this special 6
Stud or Dud part series I'm looking back at one of most underrated
titles (in my opinion at least) for the system. Konami's Life Force
is another one of their space shoot em ups where you pick the weapons
you want and blast anything that gets in the way over several cool looking
stages. See why I'm so upset at Konami for not giving me a sequel! In the game there is a giant salamander ripping through the galaxy destroying entire planets on its mission for food. Your planet is next on the chopping block and in a last ditch effort to fight back you or a friend must journey through 6 different levels has you try to destroy the planet of Zelos and the dangerous salamander end boss in both vertical and side scrolling stages. If you fail your whole world will be wiped out completely. No pressure, eh? |
| Controls and Game Play: | |
The
story not only sounds pretty grim but the game itself is damn hard! When
you first start out the adventure inside the organic stage you have to
fly through walls but may or may not actually grow around you. It sure
doesn't get any easier in the next levels but at least the controls are
very user friendly so you can't blame them when you die. OK, this may
be one tough game but if you loved Konami's other difficult shooter Gradius
then you will feel right at home here. Like
Gradius you fly through several forced scrolling stages and you can also
upgrade your ship with six different power ups (Speed, Missiles, Ripple,
Laser, Options, and Force Field) for help. You can even upgrade your Missiles
and Lasers multiple times but the big difference between the two games
is the full two player support now. Instead of taking turns you and a
friend can fight evil aliens together or you can just be a total jerk
and steal all the power ups for yourself to get the higher points.
Another new edition to Life Force is the ability to continue in the same
place after you lose a life making the game a lot less frustrating then
the insanely difficult Gradius. |
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| Graphics and Sounds: | |
 I don't know what that thing is but it looks cool. |
Sure,
the game plays fine but one of the coolest things things about Life Force
here is the game's absolutely stunning graphics. In level 3 for example
you actually get to see several giant solar flares shoot across the entire
screen. I was so freaked out from seeing one of those things for the first
time that it nearly made me wet my pants and it killed me instantly before I could even react (again, this
is a very tough game). That stage also has well animated fire from both
the top and bottom to show off what this old gray box can still do. Each
of the six different stages comes with its own theme like old ruins or
organic fresh and these strange worlds each come with a unique group of
enemies or obstacles so the game never feels repetitious (unlike some
other lamer and less popular shooters like Trevor McFur and Mission
Cobra). Each stage also has their own boss opponent and they are not
only huge and menacing but they are fairly detailed as well. Konami not only did a great job on the graphics but the game even sounds amazing. All the weapons here sound fairly realistic (although I still don't have a clue what a Ripple Laser would sound like in real life, the game makes me believe that's what it is) and the cool sci-fi music even fits the levels well too. Some of the best music in my opinion is in later Fortress and Egypt-like levels here and I actually replayed the game again and again just to see and hear these unique stages one more time. |
| The Bottomline: |
| Even though this game plays a lot Gradius, this is not the real Gradius II as some people may think. We never saw the true sequel released over here (again, screw you Konami!), this is more of a spin off of that popular arcade shooter. Sadly, the series is much more popular in Japan and we didn't see many of the other sequels to this game either. That's a shame because with its sharp looks, great music, and full two player support there is a lot to like here. If you like shooters and if you are searching for a tough but fun game then Life Force is definitely a must have for your NES collection! |
| Conclusion: | |
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LIFE FORCE overall rating: 95/100 For 1 or 2 players graphics: 9/10 sound: 9/10 gameplay: 7/10 replay: 8/10 -StarSoldier (Ryan Genno) 2006 See other Games of the Month |
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For those who feel that