Do you think Axelay is 'Not Worth It'???

[erik]

Just thought I would do a poll on an EGM Retro Roundup where they asessed Axelay for the SNES as being 'Not Worth It' as being a downloadble game. I was at first pretty outraged about it, because I personally own the game. It even made EGM's Top 100 list in 1997(#91). However, I carefully considered the evidence and came to the conclusion that it really is a pretty shallow game. It does look great with its Mode-7 stages, but the weapons are crappy with few powerups. I'm afraid EGM is right, as this game is nowhere near as fun as Gate of Thunder, Thunderforce III or Space Megaforce. I would suggest playing Salamander on the PC Engine for a classic Konami shooter. It doesn't look anywhere near as good, but it is lot more endearing. Your opinions??

[Kid Ice]

It's not not worth it.

[poloplayr]

I love the game. Great SNES Shmup.

[kedawa]

the graphics were a trip when the game was new, even in the side-scrolling stages, but it just isn't that fun.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I'd say it's worth it, it has a pretty nice weapon system and some amazing bosses. I would pay $4.99 for it but maybe not $9.99.

[parallaxscroll]

No way. Axelay is one of the very best SNES shmups. It's an amazingly good game. One of the best 16-bit shmups and also awesome for a game that was never in arcades. Concidering people including me bought it for $49.99 in 1992, I'd say it's worth $5, even $10 today.

[DigitalSpace]

It's not not worth it.

What he said.

(Looking forward to Sotenga's post.)

[darkhades]

I always felt Axelay was given too much credit. I kept my mouth shut about it over the years, as I was afraid of being persecuted. Their are far better shooters on the SNES, in my opinion.....SPACE MEGAFORCE....WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

[DigitalSpace]

SPACE MEGAFORCE....WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

Space Megaforce is my favorite shmup on the SNES.

("SPACE MEGAFORCE! Presented by Toho.")

[erik]

I always felt Axelay was given too much credit. I kept my mouth shut about it over the years, as I was afraid of being persecuted. Their are far better shooters on the SNES, in my opinion.....SPACE MEGAFORCE....WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

Yeah,
I felt that way too, but always tried to convince myself that it was outstanding. Then I played Gate of Thunder and Space Megaforce and found that they are MUCH more fun. Shooters like GoT or Thunderforce III may not have mode-7 effects but they have aged much better than Axelay.

[Dire 51]

I think Axelay is worth it, but I may be one of the few that doesn't think Space Megaforce is worth it. I mean, it's a great game and all, but when it came time to rebuild my SNES collection, Axelay was a must-buy, whereas Space Megaforce was "I owned it once, I'm done."

Different strokes and all that, I guess.

[Cauterize]

Does Axelay's scrolling enviroment give anyone else a headache?

[tomaitheous]

Since no one else mentioned it, it's not mode7 in Axelay. It's basically a line scroll effect, but veritcal. The reason why they didn't use mode7 is that you can't have multiple BGs with mode7. I though Axelay was amazing back then, and think it's decent now. There might be better, but that's not a reason not to own it. If you love shooters that is. I like Super EDF and that game is definitely mediocre by most people's opinions.

[kupomogli]

I don't think any game is worth paying for unless you get a physical copy.

[kainemaxwell]

One of the SNES' best shumps and worth it.

[Poofta!]

5 bucks isnt much these days, if thats what it comes down to, pick it up -- even if just to prove it to yourself. 10 bucks may be stretching it. personally i think its an OK game but there are many many better ones to spend your time (and money) on. so it wont see much/any play in my house.

[Octopod]

Axelay is a good game. I dont think any DL is worth it though. Just buy the cart.

[Richter Belmount]

Axelay is ok......

However I much rather prefer gate of thunder , blazing lazers , zonk and lords of thunder ,I know I picked all turbo grafx games just there now... But I do personally like contra 3 rendering ranger and Un Squadron the most for Super Nintendo.

[Captain Wrong]

$5 yes. $10 no. Haven't played this one in years but sold it without too much thought a while ago.

[7th lutz]

$5.00 yes, but for $10.00 not.

I haven't played for a Xelay for a while, but it didn't seem memorable to me some of the other shooters in my collection like Thunderforce 3, M.U.S.H.A.

It is says a lot since I own over 60 or 70 shumps iat least in physical form and that doesn't count the 3 shumps on the vc for the turbo duo or tg-16 cd.

[fahlim003]

Has Bio Metal been released on VC yet? I doubt it, although that is probably one of the best shooters on SNES. I wonder what EGM will say about that one.

[j_factor]

It's okay. The graphics are more of a gimmick than something that actually looks all that great. There's nothing wrong with the gameplay per se, but it's a smidge on the bland side. I think it gets extra attention due to being on a system without very many good shooters.

[Kid Fenris]

I played through Axelay again a few months ago, and it holds up fairly well: the level designs are constantly throwing new stuff at you, the damage system is fairer than one-hit kills, and the weapons are far more inventive and visually striking than the comparatively generic arsenals of shooters like, well, Thunder Force III and Gate of Thunder. Axelay's often disparaged because it's not as fast as other games of the era, but the simplified pace makes each challenge more distinct. It's the Chrono Trigger of 16-bit shooters.

Space Megaforce isn't bad, but it's not one of Compile's best. It suffers the same problem as Blazing Lazers, in that the levels are too long and too repetitive. It can get quite boring, particularly when you've powered up a weapon to its fullest, and the whole thing feels rather hackneyed compared to MUSHA or Spriggan.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I think Axelay is worth at least five bucks, but I always hated one thing: The difficulty. Not in normal, mind you. Hard mode. I really, REALLY hate bosses in shooters that take around five to ten minutes to beat. It's the same issue I had with Contra IV, the damn bosses take too long to beat. I get tired and / or bored and just walk away. :\

[Sotenga]

What he said.

(Looking forward to Sotenga's post.)

Oh hell! I've been invited to this one. I'm embarrased to admit that my current focus of games is on fighters, so I've let my attention to shmups lax a bit... many apologies, especially to Dire. :embarrassed:

But to address the topic, Axelay is very much worth it. Some may peg it for being more style over substance, but I believe its gameplay accurately matches the quality of its astounding graphics and sound. There are not a lot of shmups out there (at least, not many I know of) that offer BOTH vertical and horizontal-style shmuppage, and Axelay handles both perspectives very well. I believe the weapon system is fine and unique, particularly as it emphasizes not getting hit by anything, large or small, in order to retain your arsenal (and of course, the obvious reason of avoiding death). Six stages is short by today's standards, but as in Contra 3, quality over quantity persists here; each stage lasts a fair long while and they each have their own very unique feel, in contrast to some shmups that have a lot of stages but the levels feel a bit samey to each other (like the aforementioned Space Megaforce, which I think is a fine game, but is perhaps TOO long for a shmup). The bosses are simply magnificent; the Regenertoid at the end of the third level is one of my favorite battles in the history of forever. The game is indeed challenging, but not so much that it's impossible. Hard mode is indeed beatable, but you've really got to work for it. It got a hell of a lot of play and replay out of me, and it's one of my favorite games of all time.

Do take my opinion with a dash of salt, though. I'm ludicrously biased towards Konami, particularly their action games, shmups included with that territory. I won't deny that nostalgia tints my view, as I've owned Axelay since it was newly released back in 1992. I'm not saying the game is perfect (for example, the fifth world is REALLY frustrating with some of the horseshit it pulls), but even without that sentimental attachment, I still see it as a great game to have. Whether or not it's worth $10 to you depends on how much of a shmup fan you are. Myself? I'd say yes.

(Just about what ye expected, Josh? :-D)

[bombman]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the SFAM Macross shooter yet...

[PresidentLeever]

I always liked Axelay, but then again I haven't played it in years.

someone mentioned super aleste, now that's a great one.

UN squadron was also good, I loved the little strategy thing they did.

[DigitalSpace]

Here's something I came across while looking through some images on IrFanView yesterday. From DP's meseta days:
http://i38.tinypic.com/fwsy2v.jpg