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Sorry for the early post. I've been working through a migraine today, and now that it's easing up a bit, I figured I'd try and post before going to bed early.

Top Hunter is a game I wouldn't have put up here other than the fact that in recent years it's become much easier to play. Aside from being available for download on various services, it was included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 on PSP, PS2, and Wii, not to mention the popular 161 in 1 MVS multi-cart. I like to try to keep these posts to interesting games that don't get a lot of discussion, but are inexpensive and likelt to already be in many people's collections, just not always given priority. Anyway, now that it's pretty available, it's a great game to play!

Top Hunter is an action/platformer centering around two space-faring bounty hunters, Roddy and Cathy, who are chasing a gang of pirates. You hop and bop, punch, throw, and shoot your way through interesting stages comprised of a front andrear plane. Much like Guardian Heroes or Code of Princess, you can hop between these planes at the press of a button, allowing you to nab power-ups, dodge hazards, confront enemies, or find secret bonus levels. The layers add a lot of depth (see what I did there?) to the game, allowing different approaches to each stage and boss fight.

Roddy and Cathy (it is 2 player simultaneous co-op) have a wide array of moves aside from those already mentioned. Roddy has alien DNA, and can stretch his arms like Stretch Armstrong to grab enemies, levers, and anything else in reach to pick up and use or chuck. Cathy can do the same with an extending mechanical arm like she's Nathan Spencer. Both can execute Fatal Fury-esque special moves as well, such as fireballs, uppercuts, rapid punches/kicks, and even a move that is suspiciously reminiscent of Terry Bogard's Power Dunk. There are also giant robots that can grab and crush all manner of jerks to really help you out, padding out your arsenal nicely.

The game is tough but fair as arcade games go, but the home version is tougher due to limiting continues, whereas you can feed credits into the MVS version all day. It has a light, adventurous soundtrack that sounds very different than most Neo Geo games, and it looks absolutely tremendous for a 1994 game, with characters and backgrounds that look beautiful even by modern standards.

The PS2 version has a couple of quirks, mostly in choppy loading for bonus areas. It feels just a tad sluggish compared to playing it on my AES. Still, it's pretty close, and I hear the Wii version runs damn near perfectly. I haven't tried PSP or any download services, but given modern emulation, I'm sure many run it excellently.

I really love Top Hunter. It's not as frantic as Metal Slug or Spin Master, but is just as good-looking and has satisfying gameplay. Plus, if you haven't played it yet, you can finally see where Roddy and Cathy from Card Fighter's Clash on NGPC are from!

Played it? Anyone able to confirm the Wii running it better?