| paleface [sys=PCE; cat=Beat_em_up; loc=JPN] |
| | | Seems like a very good port of what was never the greatest beat-em-up to see the light of day in the arcade. The AI is dumb, the controls crusty, and action quite monotonous. On the plus side, the graphics retain the arcade's crisp cut-out look, the backgrounds are pretty, the game runs fast, and there are lots of dudes to beat up.
Let's see, you can punch, kick, or jump. Jumping is awkward, you can't really just jump from walking, you kind of have to stop and then press up-diagonal, and still it just jumps straight up a lot of the time from standing still. You can kick and punch very quickly, alternating sides if you want, and you'll have to do that as enemies dutifully truck right up to you from both sides, trying, for some reason to grab you (which also inexplicably hurts you).
The bosses look impressively large but can't counter a rapid flurry of punches or kicks if you can back them in to a corner. Still, a few hits while you try to back them down can do you in--heck, any guy with a pistol takes off half your life with one shot, and when all you can do to dodge is duck, this can be difficult. I'd be really impressed to see someone single-credit this, actually--I'm sure it's possible but you would need to have the patterns of the mid-boss guys (fellows with clubs, pistols, motorcycles, etc) memorized very well.
Vigilante is a game of precision, really too much so. Not being able to move up/down really hurts the game, but I suppose beat-em-ups had to start somewhere. Not a wonderful game, but I feel inclinded to respect it somehow. Also surprised that this is by Irem, better known for their shooters (such as R-Type--see entry 438). |
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