| paleface [sys=PSP; cat=Shooter_Vert; reg=JPN] |
| | | Now this game came out mighty fine on the PSP. It's funny, 'cause I've never really got all that excited about a Star Soldier game, but this one just really impresses in a number of ways.
Graphically, for one, with a spiffy, stylish menu screen, and fast, slowdown-free in-game graphics. It's still got the overly orange and yellow block tile thing going on throughout the stages, but somehow it's less ugly on the small handheld screen. And then, they've expanded the viewable area to take full advantage of the PSP's 16x9 screen, and it just feels like an unusually epic view of a vertical shooter. I mean, this is really the way to go for vertical shmups. Man! Let's have more like this.
Just to make sure we're all on the same page: you turn the PSP sideways (on its end) when playing this game, as you're supposed to be this little ship flying "up" the length of the screen. It may sound like it would be awkward to hold the system that way and still use both the d-pad and face buttons, but I was surprised how easy it was to do. The game is even polite enough to give you a warning screen to tell you to rotate the system. Aww.
Aside from normal or arcade play or whatever, which I think is pretty much a port of the stages and enemies from the port that showed up on GC not too long ago (see entry 264), you've also got the usual Star Solder 2 and 5-minute score/time attack modes, across the same old "caravan" levels. The game stores your high score for both, and gives you what looks suspiciously like an Internet rank code. It also saves a replay of the winning game session automatically, and you can play it back from the high score screen. Neat!
The real new stuff, though, are the additional ships. You start with three ships, two of which have all-new guns and charge-fire weapons. These fill out the game nicely, offering ships that move faster/slower than the default ship, with less/more firepower. I really like the big charge beam weapon on the fast, backwards-firing ship; it's fun to sweep across the entire screen with the thing, taking out bunches of ships and point tiles in one or two big swoops. There may be more for all I know--the title screen itself shows a few things I've yet to unlock.
I think this is my favorite Star Soldier. The thing just has a gorgeous sapphire glow on the PSP. Oh, and no load times to speak of. Great porting job here by Hudson. |
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| | | | I am told by my musically-anal friend CorranFox that the music here is heavily remixed from the GC version's. |
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