G: Firepower 2000

This game released by Sunsoft back in 1992 was one of the many games I spent time playing with my older brother back in the day. Firepower 2000 is a vertical shoot 'em up that consists of a steadier pace of action. The game has you in control of a green jeep if you're player 1 and a yellow helicopter if you're on the second controller. While these two vehicles function the same there are some differences between them. The jeep cannot collide with dirigibles, but loses a life when touching a terrain vehicle or containers that hold shields and power ups. The helicopter can avoid all ground vehicles, but loses a life when colliding with an air vehicle. Both vehicles are perfectly vulnerable to all projectiles. They both have their advantages, but the jeep ends up coming out on top considering most of the enemies in the game are flying.

The game plays similarly to most shooters out there. You have your various weapons that you must use to plow through enemies while getting the occasional power up. The movement in this game I'm mixed on. When firing you are locked in the direction you were aiming when you started while moving and to change direction you have to stop re-position yourself in the desired position first. It took some time to get used to, but it didn't take long at all and in some cases I feel that this type of movement can be advantageous. You can move in area you wish while also keeping your aim on the enemy.

In terms of the combat I feel that it has a lot of weight to it and this is greatly due to the excellent sound effects in this game. Explosions are tense and grabbing power ups has a nice ding to them. The weapons are pretty diverse for how short the game is. You'll get a total of five different weapons in the game and about four power-ups. I believe actually the weapons could be a quite bit more diverse. The bullet and laser feel too similar even with power-ups to increase their proficiency. The power-up special moves are really powerful in this game capable of defeating most enemies in one hit. The explosion ring is probably the most powerful as I only used it twice on a boss and it was defeated.

Speaking of bosses this game is quite hard. My brother and I never beat this game when we were children and I honestly couldn't manage to do it this time around without the use of save states. The enemies are plentiful in this game and you can find yourself dodging a multitude of missiles and particles. One touch equals death in this game, but you get numerous lives however, starting off with four in the first level and you can replenish lives by gathering a certain number of golden star points throughout the levels. The bosses are relatively easy compared to path you take to reach them. The first one is okay, the second can be difficult if you're not watching your spacing carefully, the third is easy once you figure out how to avoid its largest attack, the fourth is easy, the fifth is even easier, and the final level doesn't have one.

The game turns out to all around to be a decent package. The final portion of the game ends so abruptly however that I felt that the last segment was rushed. It's not a game I'd recommend to everyone even though I had fun with it. I feel it could have done some things a bit better like the lackluster soundtrack, and weapon diversity. If you're a fan of the genre I say give it a try at least.

6/10