I'd have to say that Final Soldier is my all-time favorite U.S. Turbochip

CrackTiger · 07/05/2007, 07:39 PM

But then, who didn't love playing Final Soldier on the TG-16 back in the day?

In the past when Kotaku mentioned import-only releases through out history and used the U.S. console names, it was fine since they assumed their readers were either ignorant or very young.

But today they specifically say:

Quote1991: Hudson Soft releases Final Soldier for TG in the US.

History is cool!

I can't wait to play this on VC!

nat · 07/05/2007, 07:49 PM

It looks like a great title, a space shooter allowing you to change weapons between levels.

Really? The U.S. release sure kicks the shit out of the Japanese version, in that case!

Joe Redifer · 07/06/2007, 12:38 AM

Quote from: guestI can't wait to play this on VC!

Why? Don't you have the real thing?

I was always confused about this game and Super Star Soldier. One is supposed to be complete awesomeness, and the other complete trash. I always forget which is the good one, so I bought neither.

nat · 07/06/2007, 01:06 AM

Neither one is complete trash. Super Star Soldier is more wildly hailed as awesome, but Final Soldier is actually the better game. If you can play import games, get Final Soldier.

Super Star Soldier is... OK.

CrackTiger · 07/06/2007, 02:24 AM

Quote from: Joe Redifer on 07/06/2007, 12:38 AM
Quote from: CrackTigerI can't wait to play this on VC!
Why? Don't you have the real thing?

I was always confused about this game and Super Star Soldier. One is supposed to be complete awesomeness, and the other complete trash. I always forget which is the good one, so I bought neither.

I've never owned it and I don't think I've ever really played the rom either.

Turbo D · 07/06/2007, 02:49 AM

Super Star Soldier is my favorite of the two and is also the harder of the two. Final Soldier is really fun and is a hell of alot easier imo.

Keranu · 07/06/2007, 03:45 AM

Final Soldier is way better in my opinion and good find on that whacked out article, CrackTiger!

Tatsujin · 07/06/2007, 09:27 AM

FS has, how should i say, no straight line. the game looks not finished to me and the weaponary isn't that cool as it is in the other soldiers. but the BGM rocks the hell out.

but for me:

SSS
SB
FS

sorry folks.

NecroPhile · 07/06/2007, 12:13 PM

Quote from: nat on 07/05/2007, 07:49 PMIt looks like a great title, a space shooter allowing you to change weapons between levels.

Really? The U.S. release sure kicks the shit out of the Japanese version, in that case!

Ha-ha-ha!

Of course, I remembered Bonk as pretty awesome until I recently loaded it up on VC.

What the bloody hell? Bonk is still f'n awesome. I aught to track him down and stab him in the nut sack with a rusty pick ax.

The Soldier Series is damn solid, but Soldier Blade is my favorite (third time's the charm).

offsidewing · 07/06/2007, 01:59 PM

Bonk is a solid game. The first Bonk I got was Bonk's Revenge. I got it the first Xmas that it was out. As good of a game as it was (it beat Sonic in the game pro ratings by .5) I still beat it by the time we had Xmas dinner that afternoon.

td741 · 07/06/2007, 02:45 PM

Quote from: nat on 07/05/2007, 07:49 PMIt looks like a great title, a space shooter allowing you to change weapons between levels.

Really? The U.S. release sure kicks the shit out of the Japanese version, in that case!

Umm... I don't think there ever was a US release of Final Soldier? Wasn't Soldier Blade the last of the "Soldier" series games that got a US release?

NecroPhile · 07/06/2007, 03:44 PM

Correct - Sadly, there was no US release of Final Soldier. Oddly enough, it is the second in the series (contrary to what the name implies), and Soldier Blade rode drogue for the series in both regions.

nat · 07/06/2007, 04:21 PM

Quote from: td741 on 07/06/2007, 02:45 PM
Quote from: nat on 07/05/2007, 07:49 PMIt looks like a great title, a space shooter allowing you to change weapons between levels.

Really? The U.S. release sure kicks the shit out of the Japanese version, in that case!
Umm... I don't think there ever was a US release of Final Soldier? Wasn't Soldier Blade the last of the "Soldier" series games that got a US release?

Obviously the sarcasm of CrackTiger and myself didn't ooze so well over the fiber optic lines.

Joe Redifer · 07/06/2007, 04:33 PM

Nat, if it is a US game, why would I need the ability to play imports?

nat · 07/06/2007, 05:00 PM

Don't MAKE me slap you.

terrormask · 07/07/2007, 12:17 AM

How much better is Final Soldier over Super Star Soldier? I never tried Final Soldier but I do have Blazing Lasers and Super Star Soldier and I think their great games.

Tatsujin · 07/07/2007, 12:53 AM

honestly it's below.

nat · 07/07/2007, 01:01 AM

Quote from: Tatsujin on 07/07/2007, 12:53 AMhonestly it's below.

terrormask, it's all opinion. This man's opinion is obviously incorrect.

Final Soldier is a fantastic entry in the series and has a few qualities the others lack (such as being able to set up the types of weapons you can pick up before you actually start playing). It also has some digitized voices like in Gunhed.

Final Soldier is my favorite game out of all of them, and only below Gunhed/Blazing Lazers if you count that as part of the "series". The music doesn't get any better than FS, it has some very memorable bosses (the mechanical eagle springs instantly to mind) and some of the stage backgrounds are just killer.

I know runinruder and Keranu can back me up here.

runinruder · 07/07/2007, 01:09 AM

Final Soldier is much better than Super Star Soldier.

Tatsujin · 07/07/2007, 05:05 AM

Quote from: nat on 07/07/2007, 01:01 AMThis man's opinion is obviously incorrect.

Digi.k · 07/07/2007, 06:02 AM

personally the gameplay is a bit bland but in terms of bgm its one of the best and I quite like the customisation of the weapons.

I got a vid up on youtube if you wanna see:

Joe Redifer · 07/07/2007, 06:44 PM

Oh yeah, and then there is also Soldier Blade. WTF? All these games look the same to me: Fly up and shoot shitloads of squares on the ground and collect orbs. When the timer reaches 5 minutes, it's game over.

Seldane · 07/07/2007, 06:45 PM

How many did they make, and why did they make so many?

CrackTiger · 07/07/2007, 07:17 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 07/07/2007, 06:45 PMHow many did they make, and why did they make so many?

The four games that most people think of as a series are:

Gunhed/BL, Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier and Soldier Blade.

They're all different games, but people seem to go on and on about how there's so many.

Even though there're way more hozirzontal shooters than vertical for PC Engine and nobody seems to have a problem with the 5 similar Sonic games on Genesis.

nat · 07/07/2007, 07:20 PM

On the Turbo, there are four (if you count Gunhed/Blazing Lazers). I do, because I believe they all belong together, in spirit. Three if you don't:

(Gunhed)
Super Star Soldier
Final Soldier
Soldier Blade

There is one on the NES:

Star Soldier

There is one on the Nintendo 64:

Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth

There may be others on other systems but those are the only ones for those three consoles, and the only ones that I own.

Why did they make so many? I don't know, why did they make so fucking many Final Fantasy games?

EDIT: CrackTiger posted his reply while I was typing mine. Since I already took the time to type it all out I'm posting it anyway rather than hit "Delete." And yeah, he's right, they are all different and distinctive games with pretty unique identities.

Turbo D · 07/07/2007, 08:09 PM

there is more than one for the nes, haha. I won't say its name, I'll let you dudes google it

runinruder · 07/07/2007, 08:20 PM

Quote from: nat on 07/07/2007, 07:20 PMOn the Turbo, there are four (if you count Gunhed/Blazing Lazers). I do, because I believe they all belong together, in spirit.

Have you played Nexzr, Nat? It's another space-vert basically in that same Soldier vein, although it requires more memorization than these other ones. Really good game, pretty tough with great music.

Seldane · 07/07/2007, 08:47 PM

Yeah, Star Force is another one for the NES.

Gunhed is almost exactly like Aleste, so I wouldn't include that in the "Soldier" series. By the way, Toho developed Gunhed. I suppose some other company made the "Soldier" games, right?

nat · 07/07/2007, 09:34 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 07/07/2007, 08:47 PMBy the way, Toho developed Gunhed. I suppose some other company made the "Soldier" games, right?

Hudson Soft is credited as having worked on all of the Soldier games, including Gunhed. How big a part they played in the development of each is unknown to me. So Hudson is credited on all four, and the following other companies were credited as well:

Gunhed: Toho/Compile/Sunrise
Super Star Soldier: Kaneko Co. Ltd.
Final Soldier: <none>
Soldier Blade: <none>

So it appears the last two were exclusive Hudson efforts.

Quote from: runinruder on 07/07/2007, 08:20 PMHave you played Nexzr, Nat? It's another space-vert basically in that same Soldier vein, although it requires more memorization than these other ones. Really good game, pretty tough with great music.

I have not, although I probably should have since it's right up my alley. It's on my eventual-buy list. Hmm, I seem to recall there was a copy for sale on here not too long ago. Maybe I should look into that....

Tatsujin · 07/08/2007, 12:26 AM

one of the best shooters on the system (let's say in the top 10), with one of the best red-bock BGM!! just kind of hard. but get used to, it ain't so hard anymore.

Joe Redifer · 07/08/2007, 12:46 AM

CrackTiger, what is the 5th Sonic game on the Genesis? I only count four proper ones:
Sonic
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
Sonic & Knuckles

I think people say there are many because they all look almost 100% identical in motion. A friend sent recently sent me a DVD that was called "Legends of Game Music" or something like that which had videos. I had an extremely hard time telling the difference between Soldier Blade and Final Blade and Blazing Soldier and all of those. They all seem to meld into one game. All you do is shoot squares on the ground, collect orbs, attack a few airborne enemies and an occasional boss. Basically, it's like the 89 different versions of Street Fighter 2.

Keranu · 07/08/2007, 01:18 AM

Quote from: Joe Redifer on 07/07/2007, 06:44 PMOh yeah, and then there is also Soldier Blade. WTF? All these games look the same to me: Fly up and shoot shitloads of squares on the ground and collect orbs. When the timer reaches 5 minutes, it's game over.

Quote from: JoeI think people say there are many because they all look almost 100% identical in motion. A friend sent recently sent me a DVD that was called "Legends of Game Music" or something like that which had videos. I had an extremely hard time telling the difference between Soldier Blade and Final Blade and Blazing Soldier and all of those. They all seem to meld into one game. All you do is shoot squares on the ground, collect orbs, attack a few airborne enemies and an occasional boss. Basically, it's like the 89 different versions of Street Fighter 2.

You seem to be referring to the time trial mode/versions of these games since that's all you do in time/caravan modes of those games and some others. The normal games are a bit different, especially Soldier Blade.

Joe Redifer · 07/08/2007, 01:52 AM

Yeah, caravan. I don't even pretend to know what "caravan" is all about, but it is an odd term for a shooter. Those damn Japanese. Hudson is weird. Gate of Thunder is better than all of these shooters we're discussing combined.

Keranu · 07/08/2007, 02:30 AM

Agreed 100%.

nat · 07/08/2007, 02:35 AM

No way. Gunhed fucking rules, it's only slightly less cool than Gate of Thunder.

ccovell · 07/08/2007, 06:13 AM

Quote from: nat on 07/07/2007, 09:34 PM
Quote from: Seldane on 07/07/2007, 08:47 PMBy the way, Toho developed Gunhed. I suppose some other company made the "Soldier" games, right?
Hudson Soft is credited as having worked on all of the Soldier games, including Gunhed. How big a part they played in the development of each is unknown to me. So Hudson is credited on all four, and the following other companies were credited as well:

Gunhed: Toho/Compile/Sunrise
Super Star Soldier: Kaneko Co. Ltd.
Final Soldier: <none>
Soldier Blade: <none>

Toho is a movie production and publishing company. I believe they -- along with Sunrise -- merely own the rights to the Gunhed movie/franchise, (and handled some of Compile's game publication, like Godzilla on the NES, and Space Megaforce on the SNES.) I bet that Compile did all of the work on Gunhed, AKA PCE Aleste

. The title music even sounds like the well-known Aleste theme.

It should also be noted that several of the PCE's earlier releases were well-known franchises on other systems, with a lame license tagged on. (ie: Bikkuriman World, Gunhed, Doraemon, (Kato & Ken...))

Joe Redifer · 07/08/2007, 06:18 AM

Nat, Blazing Lazers is decent, but there is so much empty space in the game (figuratively) that it kind of makes me not want to play it very often.

Turbo D · 07/08/2007, 08:43 AM

the fifth sonic game on genesis is the forgetable sonic blast. Ya, I didn't even know it was a genesis game for the longest time. I had the superior 3d saturn version, haha.

_Paul · 07/08/2007, 08:52 AM

Gunhed is good, but Joe is right that it feels kind of 'empty'. I don't like the music that much either, although the samples are great, the tunes just aren't up to the standard of SSS or FS.

Turbo D · 07/08/2007, 08:58 AM

i don't really like the scrolling background to much in gunhed. Kinda gets me dizzy and then I get hit by some sort of shrapnel

Seldane · 07/08/2007, 09:01 AM

I think Gunhed is really strange. It doesn't feel like a game. I cannot quite describe it. Perhaps it's that emptiness mentioned earlier. I prefer all the other Aleste games to Gunhed.

esteban · 07/08/2007, 10:44 AM

Quote from: guest on 07/08/2007, 08:52 AMGunhed is good, but Joe is right that it feels kind of 'empty'. I don't like the music that much either, although the samples are great, the tunes just aren't up to the standard of SSS or FS.

Blasphemy! The tunes in BL / GunHed kick ass!

Plus, GunHed is a kick-ass game, it just has a really, really weak second stage (plus, it lasts for too long). Otherwise, it has a few dead spots, but so do all of the games in the Star Soldier series!

If you ask me, GunHed has gone over the speed limit! I speak the Truth.

CrackTiger · 07/08/2007, 11:26 AM

Quote from: Joe Redifer on 07/08/2007, 12:46 AMBlack Tiger, what is the 5th Sonic game on the Genesis? I only count four proper ones:
Sonic
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
Sonic & Knuckles

I think people say there are many because they all look almost 100% identical in motion. A friend sent recently sent me a DVD that was called "Legends of Game Music" or something like that which had videos. I had an extremely hard time telling the difference between Soldier Blade and Final Blade and Blazing Soldier and all of those. They all seem to meld into one game. All you do is shoot squares on the ground, collect orbs, attack a few airborne enemies and an occasional boss. Basically, it's like the 89 different versions of Street Fighter 2.

Sonic CD

I find many other street fighter-type games than the Street Fighter II series look the same, same with Final Fight-type games, many vertical & horizontal shooters in general, RPGs, Genesis platformers, sports... games in general really. But these are games are all part of a series, even if Gunhed technically is only spiritually. They look as different as installments of the Thunder Force series.

I think that just because most players nowadays aren't used to shooters in general, let alone vertical ones that the Turbo/PCE gets a rep for being flooded with them. Its fine for anyone to not be into them, but its really lame for professional reviewers to trash them because there are now three of them on TG-16 VC.

Quote from: nat on 07/08/2007, 02:35 AMNo way. Gunhed fucking rules, it's only slightly less cool than Gate of Thunder.

Gunhed doesn't even compare to Gate of Thunder. Gate of Thunder has the arcade feel.

That doesn't mean that Gunhed sux, but Gate of Thunder is at least as good of a game by most people's standards with aesthetics that are worlds apart.

Seldane · 07/08/2007, 12:06 PM

I haven't heard anything good about that Soldier game from people on other forums that downloaded it on VC, actually. It's gotten quite a lot of criticism.

Keranu · 07/08/2007, 04:19 PM

I love Blazing Lazers. I really think people are exagerrating about the "dead space" in it because the only part with dead space I can think of is level 2. It is, however, a very long game and I think people might be confusing it's length with dead space. It's a really amazing game.

Joe Redifer · 07/08/2007, 07:21 PM

Also on that DVD video my friend gave me with all of those similar shooters was a game where you played as a PC Engine. The gameplay looked similar to the Soldier series, but the graphics were about 100x better since the game wasn't based in outer space, and the music was pretty good as well. What game is this?

esteban · 07/08/2007, 07:27 PM

Quote from: Joe Redifer on 07/08/2007, 07:21 PMAlso on that DVD video my friend gave me with all of those similar shooters was a game where you played as a PC Engine. The gameplay looked similar to the Soldier series, but the graphics were about 100x better since the game wasn't based in outer space, and the music was pretty good as well. What game is this?

Star Parodia (in the States, it was slated to be "Fantasy Star Soldier").

Joe, this game is creative and fun. It's only flaw: way too easy. But it's still worth playing, because it exudes lots of charm, especially for Hudson fans.

nat · 07/08/2007, 07:50 PM

Star Parodia/Fantasy Star Soldier is to the Soldier series what Parodius is to the Gradius series.

If you like Parodius you will likely like Fantasy Star Soldier. In addition to playing as a PC Engine, you can also play as Bomberman and a cartoony version of the ship from Super Star Soldier (I think).

Joe Redifer · 07/08/2007, 07:59 PM

Well... I like Phantasy Star. Can I play as characters from that series?

Keranu · 07/08/2007, 08:35 PM

I love Star Parodia. It would be my favorite of the series unless you count Blazing Lazers as part of it.