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View Full Version : GOTD 6/22/2016: SonSon (PSP)



celerystalker
06-22-2016, 12:28 AM
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SonSon is an arcade auto-scrolling platformer from Capcom based loosely around The Journey West, like so many other video games have been. Armed with a stolen cloud and magical staff, you must travel across twenty tiered stages in order to save your captured friends and restore peace to the world... so long as you don't get distracted by Krillin and Yamcha's blabbering. Wait...

Anyhow, the game contantly scrolls to the right, and there are six tiers of platforms that can be hopped about upon by pressing up or down. There are no forward jumps in SonSon; the focus is on positioning yourself to avoid enemies and hazards while collecting big points from food, as high score and the related one-ups resultant from them are what this game is all about. There is food all over the place, but the one attack bonus comes from the word "pow," which converts all on-screen foes into valuable food items.

Aside from hopping up and down to evade, you do have your magical staff, which can shoot projectiles about 2/3 the length of the screen, and you can turn around to fire backward. Most enemies die in one shot, but special enemies and roadblocks requite a few extra hits to go down. Each stage culminates in a boss fight in which you must destroy shields and take out enemies on each tier. If you make it through all twenty of them, you get a basic ending before the game loopsagain at a more difficult clip, as this is a score challenge above all else.

As a 1984 game, it looks pretty average, and you can tell Capcom was still working on the style with which their games would be known for most of the late '80s and early '90s. Control is solid, and it's your own fault when you die. The sound is okay, and the challenge is pretty fair. It's a game from the middle ground between the score attacks of the early '80s and the more complex platformers played more for completion of the late '80s, and as such there's not a ton of other games quite like it, such as SNK's Psycho Soldier. It's a fun little game that got a Famicom port, a PC Engine sequel, and emulation on the Capcom Classics compilations, like the one I played here on PSP.

Played this one?

Emperor Megas
06-22-2016, 12:57 AM
I'm an sucker for almost anything based on The Journey West, no matter how loosely, so I really like SonSon. In fact, it was one of my most played games on the PSP. But I have to derail this topic because you mentioned Psycho Soliders, and man, I fucking LOVE that game! It was a MAME staple back in the day, dominating my playlist. Hell, the wife even enjoyed watching me play it, or rather, enjoyed LISTENING to the BGM, and to me singing it like an idiot, and making up our own lyrics:

"She's just a little girl with power inside -- burning bright,
You'd better hide if you are baaaaad...CHICKEN FEET!"

I read online that Athena's theme was the first vocalized video game song. I'm not sure how true that actually is though. In any event, with a fantastic game, Psycho Soliders. It's weird that I never really thought about the similarities to SonSon before now, but yeah, the game play is pretty much identical.

celerystalker
06-22-2016, 10:11 AM
I do actually prefer Psycho Soldier to SonSon, and I brought both on vacation with me. I went with SonSon because it's shorter to play through, and I'm mainly playing through Mother 3 in english in my down time this week while I'm in Florida. I beat it in japanese when it was new, so it's been several years now, and it's nice to finally get to enjoy the smaller nuances of the game. Psycho Soldier has a lot more personality than SonSon, though, and has way better production values having been the later game.

I've heard the same thing about it being one of the earliest if not the first game with a vocal music track, though I'm not sure if that's been substantiated. Love the made-up lyrics!

Steve W
06-23-2016, 04:04 AM
I've never played the PSP version, but I have thrown a couple quarters into the arcade game. Or more accurately, a Capcom multi-arcade cab, parked in the entrance of Mazzio's Pizza outside Waco, Texas. I didn't realize at the time that it had a Journey to the West theme to it, I just thought it was odd. It was at least more interesting looking than some of the games on that Capcom machine, it was like they gathered up their least known and weirdest games and hoped somebody would drop a coin or two into it, if I remember the lineup right.

Now I'm going to have to load up SonSon into MAME. And Psycho Soldier now that I've heard such good things about it.

Emperor Megas
06-23-2016, 05:32 PM
You won't regret it. Psycho Soldiers is the shit, man. And Athena's theme is awesome!

"She'll read your mind and find if youuu beeeeelieve in right oooor wroooooooong!"

I need to play this shit again now. ^_^

bb_hood
06-28-2016, 12:21 AM
I love this game. Its fun and has cool sprites.
SonSon is also a character in Marvel v Capcom 2.. used to play with her alot in the arcade.

Emperor Megas
06-28-2016, 01:36 PM
I love this game. Its fun and has cool sprites.
SonSon is also a character in Marvel v Capcom 2.. used to play with her alot in the arcade.I believe the one in MvsC2 is supposed to be the granddaughter of the one in the original arcade game.

shadowman
06-28-2016, 06:56 PM
I believe the one in MvsC2 is supposed to be the granddaughter of the one in the original arcade game.

Yeah, that's what I remember hearing as well - since the SonSon you play as in the arcade game (and PC Engine sequel) are both guys.

Anyway, I enjoy the arcade version of SonSon quite a bit. Its pretty basic but whenever I boot it up I always find it incredibly addictive, I usually have to keep playing until I manage to complete one run through of the game. Its one of those games where if I can get into the "zone" I can do fairly well, I think when I reach the last 6 stages I have a harder time with the game - the enemy spawn points usually kick my ass at that point for a couple of levels so its as much a matter of hoping I have enough spare lives in stock as it is actually being half decent at the game!

Its a pity the Famicom port was done before Capcom got serious with their home ports. As technically the whole game seems to be converted, and it plays a decent rendition of the arcade tune but the flickering and slowdown really mess up the game - I had a few instances where it was really difficult to see enemies coming, or my controls become non responsive due to the number of enemies on screen at the time. Pity, as with a bit of polish it'd have been a great port.