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PS2 Sega
Ages 2500 Vol. 30: Galaxy Force II
- New Import |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCS»
The original version of Galaxy Force II was released
in arcades in 1988 and the game made its way onto
the Megadrive and Sega Master System in 1991. To
celebrate the 10th anniversary of Galaxy Force II
back in 1998, Sega released the game on the Sega
Saturn under the original Sega Ages brand which NCS
was still peddling as of last year.
Nearly 20 years after the original release, Sega issues another
re-release of Galaxy Force II for the Sega Ages 2500
series but this time they bundle together the Mega
Drive version, the Master System version, the arcade
original, and a "Neo Classic" version which is a
remake of the original arcade game with cleaned-up
graphics and a 16:9 aspect ratio for a cinematic
experience of sorts. In addition to all of the
gaming goodness, a gallery which contains flyers,
images, and instruction manuals from the original
arcade version as well as the home conversions of
the games may be perused.
For Galaxy Force players who enjoy watching expert players do their
thing, the Theater Mode under the Archives section
features a Master Play recording which features an
ace who blows through the arcade game and the Neo
Classic remake in a single sitting and one credit.
Jan Code: 4988602136852
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NCS Game Notes
» The title screen shows a static image of the
Galaxy Force II ship throttling off into the logo
of the game.
» Press START and the following versions of Galaxy
Force II may be played:
Galaxy Force Neo Classic
Galaxy Force II (Arcade)
Galaxy Force II (Mega Drive)
Galaxy Force II (Master System)
» The original Galaxy Force II is a 3D shooter
where the ship is viewed from behind the thrusters
and plays somewhat like Space Harrier and/or
Afterburner. Maneuver the ship through the expanse
of space and across planets to lock on and destroy
legions of enemy spacecraft.
When your ship runs out of fuel, it sort of
flutters down and crashes.
» Galaxy Force II (Master System)
The title screen looks pretty good and the overall conversion is
decent. There's one level where green walls which
look like pcboards dot the landscape. As they
parse forward, they blink and can potentially
cause seizures but the space levels aren't too
bad, Only the d-pad can be used for movement.
The ARCHIVES section of the game features a Sound Test, a Replay
(record and save/load and view) function, and a
Gallery which contains the original European game
manual which is multi-lingual.
» Galaxy Force II (Mega Drive)
The 16-bit console conversion of the game isn't visually comparable
to the coin-op original but it's decent. The
controls are tough and stubborn. Moving up and
down is a chore but the left and right movement is
easier to handle. Not bad for a cartridge game but
it can't measure up to the arcade original. Only
the d-pad can be used for movement.
The ARCHIVES section features a Replay (record and save/load and
view) function, a Sound Test, and a Gallery which
contains a scan of the Japanese Mega Drive
cartridge insert and the complete Japanese game
manual. There's also a scan of the USA Genesis
cartridge insert and a scan of the front and back
cover of the USA game manual but not of the actual
pages within.
» Galaxy Force II (Arcade)
Press the TRIANGLE button to insert credits and be wowed by an
action-packed 3D tour-de-force from the late 80s.
Uses the L-analog pad for full freedom of movement
as the ship rocks through the cosmos. There's a
Death Star moment in the first level when you
penetrate through the enemy waves and enter a
massive planetoid through its porthole and wreak
havoc within. The ultimate goal is to destroy the
Command Center at the core of the planetoid as
your energy runs precipitously low. The next level
has your ship skimming over a lake of fire as
plumes of flames arc above the sea of lava.
The ARCHIVES section features a REPLAY section where you can watch
an expert blow through the game on a single credit
in 13 minutes and 45 seconds. Check out the
masterful way that he takes apart the starcruiser
at the beginning of the first level. At the end of
the replay and after the congratulations message,
he signs his name "T 9."
There's also a Replay (record and save/load and view) function
where you can store your own game play to memory
card, a Sound Test, and a Gallery which contains
30 pages of flyers, promotional material, arcade
game manual, scans of the Saturn game packaging,
the Sega Saturn version game manual. There's also
a THEATER section in the ARCHIVES which shows the
original Galaxy Force arcade machine with footage
from April 11, 1988. Someone dressed in a shiny
spacesuit and helmet walks into the smoky room and
plays the game. The arcade game was mounted on a
rotoscoping platform where the player would sit
and it would spin 360 degrees while playing. The
video lasts for about 2 minutes.
» Galaxy Force Neo Classic
Sega basically cleaned up the graphics from the arcade version
of Galaxy Force II and got rid of the aliasing for
a smoother, prettier looking game. All of the
levels are the same and play the same as the
coin-op original. The third level is pretty
however with the green alien plants and exploding
beetle conglomerations. The waterfalls are a nice
touch.
The ARCHIVES section features a REPLAY section where a master
player finishes the game in one sitting in 13
minutes and 45 seconds and a replay function for
your own save/loads. A Sound Test is also
available. There was one point on the sixth level
of the Master Play replay where we thought he was
going to eat dirt but he toughs it out and
destroys the Command Center with 66 energy units
remaining. The game ends after that and a corny
congratulations message plays followed by the High
Score entry which he signs "T.A."
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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2007. All rights
reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of
this document may be made without express written
consent of National Console Support, Inc. |
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