celerystalker
03-20-2016, 10:57 PM
8699870087018702
Sidearms: Hyper Dyne is a late '80s horizontal shooter from Capcom, which was ported to the Turbografx 16 in its time, and later emulated on Capcom Classics vol. 2 for PS2 and Xbox. You play as a humanoid in a power suit and jet pack of sorts, collecting powerups, weapons, and points while desperately trying to stay alive while enemies swarm at you from all angles. Fortunately, you have a nice arsenal at your disposal, as well as the ability to shoot left and right by pressing either the I or II button.
You have a big hit box and a very, very short invincibility upon death, so if you die once in Sidearms, you'll likely die again quickly until the screen clears. Multi-directional weapons such as the shotgun or 3-way are the order or the day, as clearer screens keep you from falling into this trap, and the shotgun can also shoot down enemy bullets. You can change weapons on the fly by pausing with Run, which will show you your speed level and any weapons you've obtained.
Speaking of speed, it's worth noting if you don't have a manual that icons that say "Pow" are not in fact power, but speed. Orange ones speed you up, while blue icons slow you down. Over-correcting is a big danger here, so staying at a comfortable level is very important. To increase weapon power, you pick up multiple of the same weapon icon. Simple, but if you didn't know, seeing "Pow" for speed is confusing.
Other cool features are things like the scrolling changing direction mid-stage, a powerup that gives you extra armor with an 8-way firing addition, nice, quick bosses, and the crazy fast pace of the game. The bosses are exceptionally fair, offering a reasonable fight after scraping to survive each stage instead of relentless cruelty, because the stages themselves are more than willing to lay you to waste. Also, it's cool seeing some of the traditional Capcom bonus items from the era such as barrels, strawberries, and cows. Even some of the sound effects and those icon sprites are shared with Black Tiger, so if you love late '80s Capcom, these feel like a warm blanket.
Sidearms is tough, but in many ways feels like a spiritual successor to Section Z, much as how Black Tiger was to Ghosts 'n Goblins. The Turbografx port is tremendous, and its 3 credit challenge is pretty hard, but totally doable. Sidearms is a quality shooter and a must for Section Z fans, even if it does eschew that game's labyrinthine structure for more traditional design. I love it.
Played this one? Any arcade memories?
Sidearms: Hyper Dyne is a late '80s horizontal shooter from Capcom, which was ported to the Turbografx 16 in its time, and later emulated on Capcom Classics vol. 2 for PS2 and Xbox. You play as a humanoid in a power suit and jet pack of sorts, collecting powerups, weapons, and points while desperately trying to stay alive while enemies swarm at you from all angles. Fortunately, you have a nice arsenal at your disposal, as well as the ability to shoot left and right by pressing either the I or II button.
You have a big hit box and a very, very short invincibility upon death, so if you die once in Sidearms, you'll likely die again quickly until the screen clears. Multi-directional weapons such as the shotgun or 3-way are the order or the day, as clearer screens keep you from falling into this trap, and the shotgun can also shoot down enemy bullets. You can change weapons on the fly by pausing with Run, which will show you your speed level and any weapons you've obtained.
Speaking of speed, it's worth noting if you don't have a manual that icons that say "Pow" are not in fact power, but speed. Orange ones speed you up, while blue icons slow you down. Over-correcting is a big danger here, so staying at a comfortable level is very important. To increase weapon power, you pick up multiple of the same weapon icon. Simple, but if you didn't know, seeing "Pow" for speed is confusing.
Other cool features are things like the scrolling changing direction mid-stage, a powerup that gives you extra armor with an 8-way firing addition, nice, quick bosses, and the crazy fast pace of the game. The bosses are exceptionally fair, offering a reasonable fight after scraping to survive each stage instead of relentless cruelty, because the stages themselves are more than willing to lay you to waste. Also, it's cool seeing some of the traditional Capcom bonus items from the era such as barrels, strawberries, and cows. Even some of the sound effects and those icon sprites are shared with Black Tiger, so if you love late '80s Capcom, these feel like a warm blanket.
Sidearms is tough, but in many ways feels like a spiritual successor to Section Z, much as how Black Tiger was to Ghosts 'n Goblins. The Turbografx port is tremendous, and its 3 credit challenge is pretty hard, but totally doable. Sidearms is a quality shooter and a must for Section Z fans, even if it does eschew that game's labyrinthine structure for more traditional design. I love it.
Played this one? Any arcade memories?