Gigamorph Zine

Undercover Cops (1992)

at January 04, 2024

Undercover Cops (アンダーカバーコップス, Andākabākoppusu) is an arcade-style beat 'em up video game developed and published by Irem, originally for the arcades in 1992. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Kung-Fu Master. Players control "city sweepers", a police agent-like group who fight crime by taking down thugs in New York City in the year 2043.

3x3 Eyes: Juuma Houkan (1995)

at January 04, 2024

The second 3x3 Eyes game for the Super Famicom. This time as a side scrolling adventure game with fighting sequences instead of a JRPG.

Warriors of Fate (PSX/1996)

at January 04, 2024

Warriors of Fate, known in Japan as Tenchi wo Kurau 2: Sekiheki no Tatakai, is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game produced by Capcom. It is the second arcade game based on the Tenchi wo Kurau manga, following Dynasty Wars. Originally released to arcades in 1992, home versions of the Sega Saturn and PlayStation were released in 1996. A version for mobile phones followed in 2005. Capcom later included an emulated version of the arcade original as part of the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle released digitally for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on September 18, 2018.

James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (GBA/2003)

at January 04, 2024

James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing is a third-person shooter video game, developed by Griptonite Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). As MI6 agent James Bond, the player must foil an ex-KGB agent who plans to use nanotechnology for world domination.

Everything or Nothing was released in November 2003, several months prior to the release of a home console version. It received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic.

Blazing Lazers

at October 01, 2023

Gunhed,[a] known as Blazing Lazers in North America, is a vertically scrolling shooter game by Hudson Soft and Compile, based on the Japanese film Gunhed. The title was released in 1989, for the PC Engine in Japan and re-skinned for the TurboGrafx-16 in North America, with Gunhed unofficially imported for the PC Engine in Europe. In the game, a fictional galaxy is under attack by an enemy space armada called the Dark Squadron, and this galaxy's only chance for survival is the Gunhed Advanced Star Fighter, who must destroy the Dark Squadron and its Super Weapons. The gameplay features fast vertical scrolling and a wide array of weapons for the player to use.

Blazing Lazers was produced by the same personnel who developed other video game series such as Puyo Puyo and Super Bomberman as well as other games such as Zanac, The Guardian Legend, and DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure. It was one of the first games released for the TurboGrafx-16 and has received critical praise for its graphical capabilities, lack of slowdown, intense gameplay, and sound. The Blazing Lazers version of the game has been released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in North America, Europe and Australia in 2007, and in Japan the following year.This same version was later released in Japan on the PlayStation Network in 2010, and on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

at October 01, 2023

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン) is a beat 'em up arcade game based on the Sailor Moon anime and manga series for the Sega Mega Drive, developed by Arc System Works and TNS, and published by Ma-Ba. It was originally released in 1993 by Angel for the Super Famicom.

The game was released during the series' third metaseries ("Sailor Moon S"), which in a year later, the Sailor Moon series would reach North America. At the same time, the Sailor Moon series was already popular in France and Spain, these countries actually receiving a PAL localization of the original SNES version in November 1994. But despite all the aforementioned, only a Japanese version exists of the Mega Drive version with only Japanese text.

Feda: The Emblem of Justice

at September 20, 2023

Feda: The Emblem of Justice (フェーダエンブレム・オブ・ジャスティス) is a tactical role playing game developed by Max Entertainment and published by Yanoman Games that was originally released for the Super Famicom in 1994. The game centers around two soldiers forced to fight against the now-corrupted empire they used to serve. A version for the Sega Saturn, titled Feda Remake!, was released in 1996. Both versions were released exclusively in Japan.

Vagrant Story

at September 20, 2023

Vagrant Story (ベイグラントストーリー, Beiguranto Sutōrī) is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita consoles. Vagrant Story was primarily developed by the team responsible for Final Fantasy Tactics, with Yasumi Matsuno serving as producer, writer and director.

The game takes place in the kingdom of Valendia and the ruined city of Leá Monde. The story centers on Ashley Riot, an elite agent known as a Riskbreaker, who must travel to Leá Monde to investigate the link between a cult leader and a senior Valendian Parliament member, Duke Bardorba. In the prologue, Ashley is blamed for murdering the duke, and the game discloses the events that happen one week before the murder.

Vagrant Story is unique as a console action-adventure role-playing game in that it features no shops and no player interaction with other characters; instead, the game focuses on weapon creation and modification, as well as elements of puzzle-solving and strategy. The game received critical acclaim from gaming magazines and websites, with some calling it one of the greatest games ever made.

Terranigma

at September 20, 2023

Terranigma[a] is a 1995 action role-playing game developed by Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), with manga artist Kamui Fujiwara acting as the character designer. The game tells the story of the Earth's resurrection by the hands of a boy named Ark, and its progress from the evolution of life to the present day. The game is considered the third and final entry in an unofficial trilogy of action RPGs created by Quintet, also including Soul Blazer (1992) and Illusion of Gaia (1993).

Terranigma was published in Japan by Enix on October 20, 1995, and in Europe and Australia by Nintendo starting in December 1996; the game was not released in North America due to Enix having already closed its U.S. branch by the time localization had finished, and has not been re-released due to complicated issues relating to its rights. The game has been met with critical acclaim for its presentation, gameplay, and story, although it has been criticized for its difficulty.

RoboCop Versus The Terminator (1993)

at September 02, 2023

RoboCop Versus The Terminator is a run and gun game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, and Game Gear in 1993, with later ports to the Sega Genesis and Game Boy in 1994. It is based on the 1992 four-issue comic book mini-series of the same name, which is a crossover between the RoboCop and Terminator franchises. Two characters from the films are portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger from 1984's The Terminator and Peter Weller from 1987's RoboCop and the 1990 sequel, although both actors did not reprise their roles in this game.

The Genesis version was developed by Virgin Games USA and uses an engine written by David Perry.[citation needed] A Nintendo Entertainment System version was planned but not completed.

Splatterhouse 3 (1993)

at September 02, 2023

Released in 1993, it is the third and final game of the original Splatterhouse trilogy. It also bears a resemblance in gameplay to Double Dragon and Final Fight.

Splatterhouse 2 (1992)

at September 02, 2023

Splatterhouse 2 (Splatterhouse Part 2 in Japan) is a side scrolling beat 'em up video game released in 1992 on the Sega Genesis home video game console by Namco. It is the sequel to the original Splatterhouse. The controls and gameplay are basic and are just like the previous game, but the art style is grittier than the first game. It also added gorier enemy deaths and more plot to the game.

Shining Force (1992)

at September 02, 2023

Shining Force is a 1992 turn-based tactical role-playing game for the Sega Genesis console. It is the second entry of the Shining series of video games, following Shining in the Darkness. While primarily a traditional fantasy-themed game, it contains some science fiction elements.

The game has been repeatedly re-released: in Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 for the Dreamcast and Sega Smash Pack 2 for Microsoft Windows, in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and as a standalone game for the Wii Virtual Console and Microsoft Windows via Steam. Additionally, in 2004 a remake was released for the Game Boy Advance under the title Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon and in 2010 the game was released for iOS but was discontinued in 2015. It was re-released again on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2021.

Resident Evil : Survivor (2000)

at August 27, 2023

Resident Evil Survivor is a first-person light gun shooter video game developed by Tose and published by Capcom. It was released on the PlayStation in Japan on January 27, 2000, in Europe on March 31, 2000, and in North America on August 30, 2000. It is a spin-off of the Resident Evil video game series. It is also the first first-person perspective Resident Evil game predating Resident Evil 7: Biohazard by seventeen years. A Microsoft Windows version was released only in China and Taiwan on September 7, 2002.

As the first release of the Gun Survivor series, this game was a major difference from the main Resident Evil series, substituting the third-person perspective of the previous games to a first-person view. The Japanese and European versions of the game were compatible with Namco's GunCon/G-Con 45 light gun, making it one of the first off-rail light gun games, whereas lightgun compatibility was removed from the North American releaseIt was followed by Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)

at August 27, 2023

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is an action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, taking place four years later. It features Dracula's dhampir son Alucard (returning from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) as the protagonist, rising from his slumber to explore Dracula's castle which resurfaced after Richter Belmont vanished.Its design marks a break from previous entries in the series, re-introducing the exploration, nonlinear level design, and role-playing elements first experimented with in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

Symphony of the Night initially sold poorly. However, it gradually gained sales through word-of-mouth and became a sleeper hit, developing a cult following and selling over 700,000 units in the United States and Japan. The game garnered widespread acclaim, often cited by critics as one of the best video games of all time, praising its gameplay innovations, atmosphere, visuals and soundtrack. It is also considered a pioneer of the Metroidvania genre, inspiring numerous exploration-based action-adventure games. Symphony of the Night would have a lasting impact on the Castlevania series, with numerous subsequent mainline entries adopting its gameplay model.

Golden Axe III

at August 22, 2023

Golden Axe III is a game in the Golden Axe series.

Golden Axe III (ゴールデンアックスIII) is the fourth published game in the Golden Axe series, having been released in 1993 a few weeks after Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder (though the story most likely takes place beforehand), and is the third Golden Axe game on the Mega Drive.

The game received largely negative reviews, and was seen by many as a decline in the franchise.

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (1990)

at August 22, 2023

Shadow Dancer, fully titled Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, was released on December 1, 1990 in Japan, with subsequent releases in North America and Europe. The Mega Drive version was rereleased as Virtual Console game for the Wii and is included in the Sega Genesis Collection for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

The main character's identity, originally a nameless ninja in the coin-op game, differs between the supplement materials of the Mega Drive version. In the Japanese version, the ninja was given the name Hayate, who is identified as the biological son of Joe Musashi from the original Shinobi, whereas in the English localization the ninja is actually Joe Musashi himself. The companion dog is named Yamato in both versions. According to the back-story of both versions, the main character sought to avenge the death of a man named Kato, who was Hayate's mentor in the Japanese version and Musashi's student in the English version.

While the basic gameplay remained basically unchanged from the original coin-op game, the Mega Drive features all new stages and bosses, and a slightly different objective: instead of looking for time bombs, the player must now rescue hostages scattered around each stage. The bonus rounds were also changed from a first-person minigame to one in which the player must shoot down ninjas below them while skydiving from a building.

ESWAT: City Under Siege (1990)

at August 22, 2023

ESWAT: City Under Siege, or simply E-SWAT, is a game released in 1990 for the Mega Drive. The game is known for its gameplay, but has been deemed "repetitive."

Interestingly, the game was based on an already existing arcade game. Backbone Entertainment also pitched an idea for another game, but it was scrapped.

Space Harrier

at August 22, 2023

Space Harrier (スペースハリアー Supēsu Hariā) is a third-person rail shooter game developed by Studio 128 and manufactured by Sega for the arcades in 1985. Designed by Yu Suzuki, the game was critically praised for its innovative 16-bit graphics and gameplay thanks to Super Scaler technology and a hydraulic motion simulator cabinet, thus spawning several sequels: Space Harrier 3-D (1988), Space Harrier II (1988) and the spin-off Planet Harriers. It was also ported for several consoles, including the Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear and Sega 32X, and as part of other games like Shenmue, Yakuza 0, Judgment and three Sega Ages games.