AL82 Retrogaming Longplays | Rolling Thunder Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] @AL82RetrogamingLongplays | Uploaded 5 months ago | Updated 12 hours ago
Game Info
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Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1986
Game Review & Impressions
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Although familiar with Rolling Thunder, I hadn't really appreciated just how refined the gameplay of Namco's platformer really is. Sure, it's difficult as heck, but the general flow of the game -- shooting bad guys with split-second timing before ducking into cover behind a convenient door -- is actually really satisfying. Use of the upper and lower play areas is key to avoiding the neon-coloured goons which besiege you on all sides, so quick reactions are the order of the day.
Chapters
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TBC
Game Info
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Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1986
Game Review & Impressions
---------------------------------------------------
Although familiar with Rolling Thunder, I hadn't really appreciated just how refined the gameplay of Namco's platformer really is. Sure, it's difficult as heck, but the general flow of the game -- shooting bad guys with split-second timing before ducking into cover behind a convenient door -- is actually really satisfying. Use of the upper and lower play areas is key to avoiding the neon-coloured goons which besiege you on all sides, so quick reactions are the order of the day.
Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
TBC
![Rolling Thunder Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V8vORk77Ufc/hqdefault.jpg "Rolling Thunder Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1986
Game Review & Impressions
Although familiar with Rolling Thunder, I hadnt really appreciated just how refined the gameplay of Namcos platformer really is. Sure, its difficult as heck, but the general flow of the game shooting bad guys with split-second timing before ducking into cover behind a convenient door is actually really satisfying. Use of the upper and lower play areas is key to avoiding the neon-coloured goons which besiege you on all sides, so quick reactions are the order of the day.
Chapters
TBC")
![Steel Gunner Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VDbgIKXfMCU/hqdefault.jpg "Steel Gunner Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
Im quite partial to a decent lightgun shooter, so when I stumbled across Steel Gunner online I thought Id give it a shot. Blasting waves of cyborg droids and hover tanks looked super cool, and being from Namco it must surely be fun, right?
In terms of aesthetics, its definitely up there with the best of them. The artwork and sprite scaling effects are consistently excellent, which makes this one of the best in class for the period of its release. Sound and music are also fantastic, with sampled audio, music and plenty of rumbling explosions. In short, it definitely captures your attention.
As for the gameplay, I was less impressed. This game is HARD and offers little in the way of concession or assistance, no power-ups. Unlike similar titles in the genre, theres no visual cue either through flashing or some kind of telegraphing animation to indicate when an enemy is going to shoot. This makes the experience particularly fraught because the only way to survive is to learn where and when enemies appear, and to be an absolutely crack shot. Theres also a perceptible lag between firing your gun and the projectile connecting with whatever you were aiming at; I found I had to lead targets to drop the shots where they needed to land, which takes some getting used to.
In my opinion, Steel Gunner would be much more enjoyable in co-op mode with a friend. Twice the cover and twice the firepower would make things considerably more manageable, but the solo experience just feels frustrating. I cant say this issue is unique to Steel Gunner; it is a coin-op after all, designed to relieve you of your cash, but having some power-ups or extra weapons to make things a bit easier would have been a welcome addition.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:10 Stage 1
04:30 Stage 2
08:30 Stage 3
12:19 Stage 4
15:00 Final boss")
![Ta*o Taido Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VDra5pbkGB0/hqdefault.jpg "Ta*o Taido Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Video System
Publisher: Video System
Year of Release:1993
Game Review & Impressions
Another game to pop up on my socials which I thought weird enough to warrant a long play is this versus fighting game from Video System.
The developers opted to use a combat system with just two buttons. Executing special moves is as simple as holding down both buttons, waiting for your character to power up, then pushing the joystick in one of the eight different directions and let go of the buttons. The direction of the stick on release dictates which type of move is executed, but this is all rather moot when theyre all equally crap. In fact, the combat in this game is just terrible, period.
Ta*o Taido is a long way from Street Fighter or Fatal Fury in its production values. Some of the character art is reasonable, but is then let down by poor animation, most of which seems to involve stilted pirouettes and cartwheel-esque flailing. Theres not much to recommend this, and there are plenty of better games to play.
Chapters
TBC")
![Tecmo Knight Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VwZSUlE7nJs/hqdefault.jpg "Tecmo Knight Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
Also known as Wild Fang, Tecmo Knight is a side-scrolling fighting game created by, as the name implies, Tecmo. The gameplay is based very closely on Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden, which Tecmo released a year or so earlier, but is no where near as entertaining. In fact, the only thing I can say that is really memorable about this is the level of gore - you literally punch heads clean off the enemies, which is rather amusing for the first 10 minutes or so, and the intro is rather shocking for its time.
The player has the ability to transform between a guy mounted on the shoulders of an even bigger guy, who pummels enemies with his oversized ham-like fists, and a mounted on the back of a tiger. The tiger is certainly the more agile of the two modes, and your attack a spiked ball on the end of a chain has extended reach, but does less damage. Each transformation consumes a number of stars, shown above the character bar in the bottom left of the screen, and must be topped up by collecting the skulls of defeated opponents. The third and final form, a fire-breathing wyvern, can only be activated by collecting a specific power-up dropped by enemies, something that appears so rarely that it might as well have been removed from the game altogether.
Tecmo Knights worst crime is that its simply too dull. The combat isnt rewarding and the difficulty too punishing to really recommend this, certainly when compared to Shadow Warriors. The initial novelty of the bestial enemies and gore wear thin before too long, and I doubt anyone will bother to continue beyond their initial credit.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:30 Stage 1
04:05 Stage 2
08:20 Stage 3
11:20 Stage 4
15:19 Stage 5
19:37 Final boss & ending
23:38 Bonus: Continue screen")
![Rabio Lepus Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] [JP]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W7n3AnxGUsw/hqdefault.jpg "Rabio Lepus Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] [JP]
Game Info
Developer: Video System
Publisher: Video System
Year of Release: 1987
Game Review & Impressions
Known as Rabbit Punch is Western territories, Rabio Lepus is quite an enigmatic shooter. It looks and feels like a hybrid of R-Type and Gradius, albeit one starring a weird rabbit-shaped droid that can fly and shoots plasma bolts.
As shooters go, this is pretty formulaic, although its approach to power-ups and weapons is quite novel. Tapping the fire button close to enemies will initiate a proximity attack, biffing the enemy with pneumatic-powered fist. This is more powerful than your default blaster, but you run the risk of taking damage, or losing a life, if you mis-time the attack.
The most powerful and useful weapon by far is the smart missile launcher. These home in on enemies and are great for getting out of tight spots, but with only a limited amount of ammunition on hand, these should be used sparingly. More missiles can be found by shooting the rotating tin cans littering each of the levels, but you can never hold so many that you can afford to relax.
If youre in the mood for a shooter thats quirky and a little bit different, Rabio Lepus is worth a look.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
1:35 Stage 1
3:12 Stage 2
4:40 Stage 3
6:16 Stage 4
7:04 Stage 5
8:41 Stage 6
10:19 Stage 7
11:53 Stage 8
12:54 Stage 9
14:38 Stage 10
16:29 Stage 11
18:31 Stage 12
18:53 Ending
#arcade #retrogaming #longplay")
![Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WUbzO6NA_IA/hqdefault.jpg "Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Year of Release: 1986
Game Review & Impressions
An arcade-only release starring Segas one-time mascot, Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars is a fairly average platform game that was never going to set anyones heart racing.
Theres not an awful lot I can say about this. The music is reasonable enough I suppose, and the graphics arent terrible, but its just dull! Levels are just your typical obstacle courses full of hazards and enemies to avoid, and theres the occasional power-up to collect, but doing the same thing for the entire 40 minutes the game lasts is pretty monotonous.
Chapters
TBC")
![Lightning Swords Longplay (Arcade) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WatK_cYb_p0/hqdefault.jpg "Lightning Swords Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
Game Info
Developer: Irem
Publisher: Irem
Year of Release: 1991
Game Review & Impressions
Also know as Ken-Go, Lightning Swords is a side-scrolling platformer by Irem, which evokes undertones of Ninja Spirit and Shinobi. You assume control of Blue Dragon, a samurai-style warrior possessed of superior sword skills and much agility, who embarks on a quest to seek revenge for the death of Princess Orchid, who is seen to be slain by a troupe of nefarious individuals in the games intro.
Whereas most games of this type generally focus on ranged combat, the sword is your principle form of both offense and defence. Tapping the attack button unleashes an arcing slash with your blade, which hits anything in front of the hero, while holding down the attack button will start charging a more devastating wave attack, which unleashes as wave of energy capable of hitting enemies at range. Youll also enter a guard stance during the charge sequence, which can deflect enemy projectiles and attacks, and much of the game becomes one of timing to block and unleash attacks to overcome the majority of the games perils.
Its possible to upgrade your weapons power by collecting swords dropped by more powerful foes, and youll want to be on the lookout for tokens which refill the timer at the bottom of the screen. The time limit is as aggressive as the actual foes youll face, so you need to be pushing forward continually. Its also interesting to note that collecting any power-up or item you collect bestows a brief moment of invulnerability, which can be used to great advantage; this is a tactic which can really help in later stages of the game when youre trying to deal with environmental hazards and legions of foes, often simultaneously.
This wasnt a game Id ever heard of before, but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite some slightly cludgy controls and jumping, this was an interesting take on the side-scroller genre. It looks and sounds great and, given some time and practice, worth persevering with.
Information & Trivia
- Ken-Go (Japanese title)
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:27 Stage 1
03:50 Stage 2
05:52 Stage 3
07:56 Stage 4
10:23 Stage 5
13:55 Ending")
![Skyblazer Longplay (SNES) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WuVccgaIOo8/hqdefault.jpg "Skyblazer Longplay (SNES) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Ukiyotei Company
Publisher: Sony Imagesoft
Year of Release: 1994
Game Review & Impressions
Not a game I was familiar with, Skyblazer is, I guess, something akin to Capcoms Mega Man franchise in terms of gameplay, albeit with a focus on sword and sorcery, rather than cyber-tech. Players progress through a series of stages, the order of which is at their own discretion, collecting new abilities and powers to unlock later stages, overcoming various enemies and environmental hazards along the way.
What really stands out here is the presentation. The artwork is superb; detailed sprites, decent animation and a wonderfully vibrant colour palette!
Chapters
TBC")
![Strike Gunner S.T.G. Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XWzTpXvk28c/hqdefault.jpg "Strike Gunner S.T.G. Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Athena
Publisher: Tecmo
Year of Release: 1991
Game Review & Impressions
Yet another vertical shooter Id never heard of, Strike Gunner is an interesting entry chiefly because it forces players to choose their weapon/equipment loadout before each level commences. A piece of hardware remains active for the entirety of a single stage only, cannot be changed, and must be recharged by collecting power cannisters dropped by enemies. Certain weapons or shield mods are more advantageous when tackling certain end-of-level bosses, or dealing with certain formations of regular enemies, although this aspect of the game doesnt really begin to make itself apparent until the latter half of the game.
As for the rest of the game, its decent enough. Presentation is pretty good, if a little understated. Theres something tangible and gritty about the sprite artwork I found particularly cool, and the gameplay is OK, if not exemplary. This isnt a classic, but good enough for some fun.
Chapters
TBC")
![Wolfchild Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XzxtM_xUHCU/hqdefault.jpg "Wolfchild Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS]
Wolfchild Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS]")
![Little Samson Longplay (NES) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YJF-Y68_zww/hqdefault.jpg "Little Samson Longplay (NES) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Takeru
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
Attractive and quirky platformer where you unlock additional playable characters the further you progress in the story. Each has their own abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out which to use and when is a major aspect of the game.
Chapters
TBC")
![Dimahoo Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YPFKPIyPmAk/hqdefault.jpg "Dimahoo Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Raizing
Publisher: Capcom
Year of Release: 2000
Game Review & Impressions
Ever since the mid 90s, vertical shoot em ups became progressively more complex beasts, layering additional mechanics with increasingly vibrant graphics to stay relevant. Dimahoo is no different in this regard, boasting some truly stunning pixel artwork, plus a game loop not too dissimilar to that to the later Ikaruga and similar titles, which involves additional strategy and skills on the part of the player.
To earn some truly preposterous high scores in Dimahoo, players need to power up their primary weapon bar through successive levels of charge. When the bar located bottom left for player 1 and bottom right for player 2 reaches level 8 and begins flashing, a brief period of overcharge can be activated. Destroying enemies with the force beam which manifests in front of the player ship at this point causes them to drop RPG-themed bonus items, including armour, food, potions and so forth. These items convey no special powers or upgrades, other than to award bonus points at the end of the level, not unlike the prize bonus system from Smash T.V.
Further leaning into its RPG trappings, Dimahoos enemies possess resistances to ice or fire attacks. If you want to maximise damage and increase chances of success, youll need to figure out which waves and bosses are vulnerable to a specific element. Its worth noting its not a total bust if you have the wrong element type equipped, just that things take a bit longer to kill.
Of course, you dont have to bother with any of this if you dont want to. Unlike some of the later Raiden games, Dimahoo doesnt punish you if you fail to reach a certain score level. In fact, players can even choose to stick with the default weapon type and forgo the specials system entirely, if they so wish. The default weapon lacks the overcharge ability, but does damage all enemies equally; theres no way to revert to the default weapon once collecting a fire or ice token, other than dying, but its an interesting option nonetheless.
Stunning to look at, Dimahoo still holds its own, even in a world where gaming had gone almost exclusively 3D. Capcoms CPS-2 arcade hardware, on which the game is based, does a sterling job throwing huge numbers of sprites around the screen with nary a drop in frame rate. Coupled with engaging gameplay mechanics and excellent controls, Dimahoo is definitely worth revisiting today.
Chapters
TBC")
