Offering major discounts of multiple item purchases! I am a collector of all things and have a massive collection of stamps, sports cards, electronics, video games, and random collectibles I am currently sorting through. I am always adding new items.
Known as "GunHed" in Japan (Based on a Japanese sci-fi film), this top-down shooter from Hudson and Compile is really one of a kind.
I've been a fan of shooters since the 80's and grew up playing games like Gyruss, Galaga, Life Force, etc. I was definitely a Nintendo kid in the late 80's and early 90's and though I always wanted to get my hands on a Turbografx 16, it wasn't until recently that I did.
Blazing Lazers was the first game I threw on when I received my system and I was immediately blown away. The speed is great, the graphics are impressive for 1989, and there is never slow down or the frustrating blinking sprites you get on a lot of NES games that attempt to do too much at once.
The power-up system is fairly unique, as you can switch between weapons by picking up 'Gels' labeled by Roman Numeral I-IV. You can then continue to power up each weapon by picking up purple 'Gels'. The leveling system for weapons ramps up fast and you really need to just not get hit if you want to get really powered up. There are secondary (passive) power-ups too, which consist of a Shield, Homing Missiles, and Multi-Fire. It takes some playing to find the best combinations of the 2 types of weapons, which helps the replay value.
The music is decent but some of the sounds are a bit harsh, unbalanced, and probably could have been better developed (especially for a game that looks and plays so great). When you get a 1-up the music freaks out and there is a sound that plays, followed by silence before the music kicks back in. This seems to be a pretty standard Compile tactic as it's also this way in Zanac for NES, but I found it to be a bit jarring.
Perhaps the most unique feature is the ability to change the speed of your ship's movement (control sensitivity) with the select button on the fly. This is such a cool feature. There are many times where you need to move at lightning speed back and forth on the screen but also times where moving more slowly and precise will be in your best interest.
Overall I would probably give the game a 4.5/5 but that is not an option on ebay. The difficulty is at a good level for fans of the genre. It's not an impossible game but you do need to concentrate. If you own a TG16 and don't have this game, what are you doing? If you don't own a TG16 and are thinking about it, this is a great grame to get your collection going.
May 06, 2015
A decent game worth picking up for your collection on a budget.
When I was growing up I used to play this game (or attempt to) whenever I would visit my cousins. They were a few years older than me and had a lot more NES games than I did. I was exposed to a lot of great games through their purchases (Little Nemo, Demon Sword, Final Fantasy) but this game always stood out. Though I have always had fond memories of the game, I didn't think to hunt it down for my collection until recently.
I remembered this game to be insanely hard. It really isn't. It just takes a little patience and farming when you find which guys drop health. The controls take a little getting used to as well.
The game has a sense of humor that keeps it interesting while the levels seem to get more redundant. It's a relatively short game that can be beat in a half hour or so if you know what you're doing.
I admit I may be more attached to Monster Party from a nostalgic perspective but overall it's a fun game and definitely worth adding to your collection if you can get it cheap. Since it wasn't a super popular or rare game, around 10 bucks is totally worth the price of admission for this sleeper.