In the lore of classic gaming there
are few games that are held in higher fashion than Gunstar Heroes. Some gamers
consider Gunstar Heroes to be the best side-scrolling 2D game ever created. The
action was relentless and the gameplay was classic side-scrolling madness. With
Gunstar Super Heroes gamers are finally treated to a sequel that surprisingly
doesn’t disappoint.
The storyline of Gunstar Super
Heroes is a direct sequel to the original game. The original Gunstar game
revolved around two heroes that stood against the God of Ruin, known as Golden
Silver. The God of Ruin was destroyed but during his destruction four new moons
were created that soon began orbiting Earth. Several years after the destruction
of the God of Ruin the four new moons were colonized. But soon a fifth,
mechanical, moon was discovered that was created by a group called the Empire.
The Empire’s ulterior motive is the resurrection of the God of Ruin. On Earth
the 3YE group has created a new elite force to combat the Empire and the group
has been given the codename of Gunstar Super Heroes.
Honestly the story is secondary to
the gameplay and thankfully the gameplay is oozing in Gunstar Super Heroes. When
you read or hear the term “classic 2D side scrolling” this is the description
that fits Gunstar Super Heroes perfectly. The majority of the game has you
moving from one side of the stage to another side of the stage while blowing up
enemies along the way. But what makes a game fit the “classic 2D side-scrolling”
moniker is the action never gets boring. Sometimes you get a side-scrolling game
that just falls flat because the action is just too repetitive without any
variety to keep you entertained. Gunstar Super Heroes avoids this trap by
keeping you, the gamer, on the edge of your controller by keeping you guessing
as to what will happen next in the game.
Each stage plays out almost exactly
the same in which you move through the levels to ultimately fight a boss.
Gunstar Super Heroes throws some surprises at you frequently by changing the
core gameplay from just a standard 2D side-scrolling game. One stage has you
rescuing baby chickens and another stage has you riding on top of an aircraft
while avoiding fire from enemy aircraft. Then another level has you playing as a
top-down-view shooter and another level plays out similar to a board game where
the dice roll determines which section you will play. Almost every level can
play out as a different game and all of these changes help to create a great
sense of personality for the game. I caught myself smiling and saying how cool
these gameplay changes were during certain parts of the game. You never knew
what to expect on the next level but finding out never made the game seem like a
chore.
The developers, Treasure, even kept
the gun-blasting gameplay interesting by including three different weapons to
use during the game. Each weapon has its own strength and weaknesses to exploit
during the game. Besides multiple weapons your characters have several different
regular attacks you can use during the game. You can perform a jumping uppercut,
a jump kick, a slide kick and a side kick. Of course you can just forget about
all of the kicks and just blow things up by shooting everything in sight with
your guns. It’s your choice but the game is a blast to play either way.
The graphics in the game are
tremendous. Just the first boss fight left me in awe wondering just how powerful
is the GameBoy Advance? The rest of the graphics in the game offer some amazing
effects ranging from 3D zooming and scaling to intense 2D sprite action. The
developers, Treasure, have proven to me that the GameBoy Advance has plenty of
juice remaining waiting to be discovered. For me the only drawback for the
graphics was the repetition in the character models for the enemies. You will
see the same looking enemies coming after you repeatedly.
Probably the only downside to the
game is the length of the gameplay. You will probably blow through most of the
levels very quickly and have the game completed within a day or two (if not
sooner). But one could argue that for this type of game it’s necessary to keep
the game short. Most portable games have to be flexible enough to allow short
“bursts” of gameplay that might last just a few minutes. I’m all for having a 2D
side-scrolling game that has a level that lasts for 10 to 15 minutes but
sometimes we only have a few minutes of time when playing a portable system. The
levels are short in Gunstar Super Heroes but all of the levels are packed with
some of the best action available for the GameBoy Advance.
Gunstar Super Heroes is as a great
game that shouldn’t be overlooked for GameBoy Advance owners. The great graphics
and excellent gameplay will be enough to warm your heart for many a night. But
the short levels will probably have you playing the game more than once. The
game does offer the choice of playing as two different characters but the game
doesn’t change depending on the character (red or blue). Regardless of the
length Gunstar Super Heroes proves that the GameBoy Advance is still a viable
platform that is capable of producing top tier software. Thanks to Sega,
Treasure and all of the Gunstar Hero fans around the world for keeping the dream
alive. Now some of you can finally sleep at night knowing that a true sequel was
developed and released for the classic Gunstar Hero game. Sleep tight because
Gunstar Super Heroes will not disappoint and will require your full attention
when you awake.
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Review Scoring Details for Gunstar Super Heroes |
Gameplay: 9.0
This is a great side scrolling action game that will not disappoint fans of the
first game. For gamers looking for some variety in their side scrolling games
shouldn’t overlook all of the variety found in Gunstar Super Heroes. Almost
every stage plays out like a new game.
Graphics: 9.1
Once again the GameBoy Advance is proving itself to be one of the kings of 2D
gaming and Gunstar Super Heroes is leading the way. Sometimes the screen is
filled with tons of explosions and large characters but I never noticed any
slowdown in the game.
Sound: 9.0
All of the sound effects in the game sounded great with some excellent effects
for the different weapons and explosions. The game includes some great voice
samples for the different boss characters you encounter during the game.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
I mentioned that the game is short but that still doesn’t mean that there isn’t
a challenge. The game offers three levels of difficulty; easy, normal and hard.
In typical Treasure fashion don’t expect a walk through the park as you bump up
the difficulty.
Concept: 8.7
Sometimes we get caught off guard by certain games. I was hoping that Gunstar
Super Heroes was going to be this good but after the last sequel I played
developed by Treasure (Guardian Heroes Advance) I wasn’t expecting too much.
Thankfully my expectations were exceeded because of the amount of variety with
the gameplay in the game. Almost every stage offers something new and unique not
found in the previous stage. However Gunstar Super Heroes is still a 2D game
that will still have the 2D stigma attached too it that is unfairly not accepted
by some gamers. Remember gang there is no school like the old school.
Overall: 9.0
Once again Gunstar Super Heroes is a great game for the GameBoy Advance. Fans of
the original game will not be disappointed with this game. Gamers looking for
something to insert into their GBA slot on their Nintendo DS or something to
play with their shiny new GameBoy Micro, Gunstar Super Heroes is a great game to
try. The great gameplay and the amount of variety of the gameplay are sure to
please almost everyone. The graphics will probably have a few of you
dumbfounded wondering just how powerful GameBoy Advance really is. But
regardless of the tricks or special features used in creating the game, you the
gamer, are the ones rewarded with this great game.
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