SEGA AGES Thunder Force AC Review

SEGA AGES Thunder Force AC
Developed by: TechnoSoft
Ported by: M2
Published by: SEGA
Date of Release: May 28, 2020
Price: $7.99


Over the years, the Thunder Force series by TechnoSoft has been a staple of the SHMUP genre. From the first top-down free roaming entry on the Sharp X1 to the modern sidecrolling Thunder Force VI on the PlayStation 2, the series has covered a lot of ground. However the two most popular entries by far were released on the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive, and they were Thunder Force III and IV respectively (though thunder Force IV was inexplicably renamed "Lightening Force" in North America). Thunder Force III was remade as an arcade game shortly after launch, and it is this version that has been lovingly ported to the Nintendo Switch by M2 as SEGA AGES: Thunder Force AC.



The SEGA AGES port of Thunder Force AC has the usual M2 quality of life improvements such as settings to tinker with the games various options on the fly, aspect ration and filtering options (even a really decent arcade cabinet view!) and a new kids mode to ease up on the difficulty for series newcomers. The sound from the original game has been vastly cleaned up as well, with the soundtrack coming through crisp and clear. As always with M2's ports, the completely remappable controls are tight and input lag is minimal. As well the gorgeously flowing pixel art with its parallax scrolling backgrounds are a treat for the eyes, and this port captures them perfectly, and the CRT filter included gives a decent representation of how games looked on the bulky tubes of yesteryear. =



On top of all the other enhancements that M2 has added to Thunder Force AC there is also the option to use save states at any time you need. On the higher difficulties this can be particularly useful. M2 also added online leaderboards as well, so you can have bragging rights over your high scores. All in all this is par for the course for a SEGA AGES title, where they take the best of the best and then add enough extra features to elevate these masterpieces to even further heights. Just as with the SEGA AGES port of Lightening Force/Thunder Force IV before it, this is a solid addition to the switch's SHMUP library. If you're a fan of the genre, then you shouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

Missile Command Recharged Switch Review

Missile Command Recharged
Developed/Published by: Atari
Date of Release: May 27, 2020
Price: $2.99
eShop page

Back in 1980 Atari released an arcade game called Missile Command which saw players defending cities by shooting down incoming missiles. Though simple, the gameplay was addictive and fast-paced, and drew in a lot of players, and quickly relieved them of their quarters. Reportedly
during development, the programmer for the game ended up having vivid nightmares about cities getting nuked. Pretty heavy stuff to be caused by a simple game with vector graphics. Anyway, Missile Command went on to be one of Atari's big hits, right up there with Asteroids and Centipede. It's been ported to many home consoles, PCs, mobile devices, and it just keeps going, the simple and classic gameplay still drawing players in to this day.



And now here we are in 2020, 40 years after the original release too the world by nuclear storm. Atari has brought the old classic back with Missile Command Recharged for the Nintendo switch and, what can I say, it's Missile Command. Except better. It's had an aesthetically pleasing makeover graphically, as well as the inclusion of a new soundtrack scoring the action onscreen. Also new is a few gameplay changes with the addition of various power-ups to enhance the experience. But other than that it's Missile Command. The controls are tight, the gameplay is tried and true, and none of the new enhancements get in the way of the classic action. And on top of that it's only $2.99. If that doesn't catch your interest, there's really not much I can do. It's Missile Command for people who love Missile Command. And that's a perfectly good thing IMO.

Shantae and The Seven Sirens Switch Review

Shantae and The Seven Sirens
Developed/Published by Wayforward
Date of Release: May 28, 2020
Price: $29.99



Back in 2002 when the original Shantae launched on the GameBoy Color to relative obscurity due to being released at the end of the handhelds lifecycle, little did the world know that the ambitious metroidvania adventure would become a cult classic. Now in 2020, with three sequels under it's belt, Shantae has become one of Wayforward's hottest properties. Shantae and The Seven Sirens is the fifth and most ambitious game yet in the franchise, with a return to it's metroidvania roots (after 1/2 Genie Hero's somewhat disappointing foray (only disappointing in the sense that there was less to discover) into the world of linear platforming). Shantae and The Seven Sirens is a full-fat metroidvania, and features a full automap, ability-based progression, secrets, and all the other trappings of the genre.



Not only that, but as usual for a Shantae adventure the production values are through the roof. The game opens with an anime intro by Studio Trigger, and has several animated cutscenes throughout to introduce important moments. The soundtrack is great as usual, though strangely doesn't seem to feature the longtime series composer Jake Kaufman, and is lacking his famous boss theme (which seemed to get even more amped up with each installment). Not sure what is up there, as his music has an awesome flair to it. Regardless, the score is decent, despite lacking some really rocking battle tracks. The graphics are their usual hand drawn greatness, and the animations are as smooth as it gets. Shantae's transformations are as adorable as ever, and because they're used as dynamic abilities rather than having top pick them through dancing (that's reserved for casting magic now) it really makes the flow of the game feel better. Then we have the perfectly tight controls whether playing in handheld or with a pro controller. Speaking of handheld, the game looks very crisp on the Switch's LCD, this is definitely a choice title for playing on the go.



All in all Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a technically proficient metroidvania adventure, though it's slightly on the short side. The humor is off the wall as expected of the series, and the writing is excellent. I just wish that there was a bit more content, hopefully Wayforward will add some new game modes down the line like they did with half Genie Hero. Other than that I have no other complaints, as this is a top notch game. I still wonder though why the original composer wasn't involved however. Regardless it all seems to have worked out in the end. Anyone who has a craving for a good metroidvania, or who are fans of Shantae should pick Seven Sirens up immediately!