There are few games that enjoy the sort of cult status Shock Troopers does. As one of the few Neo Geo games that was only released in arcades and not the Neo Geo console as well, the original Shock Troopers wasn’t as widely played as the likes of Metal Slug and SNK’s various fighting games. Those who did manage to play it loved it enough to justify a sequel though, and so Shock Troopers 2nd Squad was born.
Like its predecessor, 2nd Squad – which did get a home release, by the way – has you leading a squad of soldiers through a bunch of enemy-infested locations in order to defeat an evil force. In this case it’s the Dio Corporation, led by a chap called Nakatomi who decides to blow up an entire city. It’s up to the Shock Troopers 2nd Squad to fill Nakatomi up with an unreasonable amount of bullets so that he’ll stop trying to take over the world and just... well, die instead.
The 2nd Squad name isn’t just there to be quirkier than simply calling the game Shock Troopers 2, it does actually give you a completely new team of characters to choose from. While the original game offered eight different Shock Troopers to play as, here there are only four. That’s a little underwhelming, but at least this time there’s a bit more variety: in the first game each character had different special bomb weapons, whereas in 2nd Squad each has a distinctly different main weapon, too.
In fact, most of what defines this game is how much it removes from the original rather than builds on it. As well as the drop from eight characters to four, the Team Battle mode has been removed. This means you can no longer choose three different characters with one life each and switch between them at will, now you can only pick one character with three lives. This is a shame; Team Battle was one of the best aspects of the first Shock Troopers because it added a tactical element to proceedings as you could call up certain characters to handle certain types of battle.
There’s also less choice when it comes to selecting your route through the game. The first Shock Troopers was unique in that it let you choose between three different routes – jungle, valley and mountain – each offering five completely different levels followed by a standard final stage. This time you only get to choose between two routes – Naval Base or Air Base – and the first, fourth and fifth levels are the same regardless of which you choose. This means a total of seven possible different stages, compared to 17 in the first game.
The thing is, while this review so far sounds like it’s going to be lucky to hit a 5, Shock Troopers 2nd Squad is actually a very good game. Judged on its own merits, what’s there is entertaining and gunning down large swathes of bad guys is still greatly satisfying (although there’s a hell of a lot of slowdown at regular intervals).
To its credit, it also adds features that weren’t in the original. You can now jump in and out of vehicles like tanks, jeeps and even mechs, giving it a bit of a Metal Slug feel at times. The boss battles are also much larger than those in the first Shock Troopers, with enormous screen-filling enemies to defeat – many of which have multiple weak spots that have to be taken out.
It also goes with a different art style, though whether it’s better depends on personal taste. Gone are the standard, hand-drawn sprites from the original game, and replacing them are pre-rendered 3D characters that have then been turned into sprites (similar to the technique used in games like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario RPG). Some will think it’s an improvement, others will think it removes a lot of the first game’s charm. All we can say is it’s different: look at both games together and judge for yourself.
Ultimately, Shock Troopers 2nd Squad’s biggest setback is that it’s a sequel to Shock Troopers. Had it been a standalone game there would be nothing to compare it to, but anyone who played the original to death won’t fail to see the cuts that have been made in the sequel. That’s the thing, though; a lot of people didn’t play the original to death. Switch owners in particular, many of whom are discovering this game for the first time, will be able to enjoy it with fresh eyes instead of constantly comparing it to its predecessor.
Conclusion
2nd Squad takes some things away from the first Shock Troopers, but adds some elements of its own. The result is a game that’s either better or worse, depending on your own personal taste. Regardless of that, both games are underrated shooters that are packed with action, and instead of choosing between them, fans of old-school run ‘n’ gun games should really consider adding both to their Switch library.
Comments 28
did not ike i ton first play but it has grown on me, wish they kept the roll mechanic from 1, it works smoother than the jump i rekon. still fun, if you are on the fence between the two, buy the first one, way more replay value IMO
What, an article on Saturday? Did you get trapped in the office?
How many NEO GEO games are now on Switch? They must be a doddle to port.
Saw cleavage in the thumbnail, were hoping for something a tad more ecchi...
Good review.I bought this when I first got my Switch and while I enjoyed it,the slowdown was very off putting.It actually put me off from buying the original.However I gave it another chance last week and got on a lot better with it.I have since bought the original and I'm so glad I did,I absolutely love it.It's as good as it gets for this kind of game.
I knew I recognised the name of the reviewer.Nice to see you here @scully1888 .A Celtic supporter too,nice one
@OorWullie Speaking of Celtic, did you see the Champions League draw? They got kicked in the balls...AGAIN!
I never liked pre rendered graphics, it really looks bad and cheap. I never liked it in any game. I don't even like Rareware classics like Donkey Kong country and many GBA games that used it. Pixel art was much better. In Killer Instinct it was ok, nothing more but at least ok. In every other game is just bad.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yep,it's a nightmare group,I fear the away games but at Parkhead you never know,we've beaten better sides there in the past.The best we can hope for in the end though is 3rd and into the Europa,that would be a great achievement.I predict we'll take a point from PSG at home and get pumped by them away,lose narrowly to Bayern at home and get pumped by them away and beat Anderlecht at home and sneak a draw away.That should be enough for 3rd
@OorWullie I'd settle for 3rd place and is definitely possible. The games at Parkhead will be immense. Then I'd like to see them have a serious go at winning the Europa League. Why not? They could win it. I still think a lot of how close they were in 2003. Look at Ajax, last year's beaten finalist, didn't make the group stages of the CL.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE We've come a long way in such a short time under Rodgers.That Astana side we just put 8 past,knocked Legia Warsaw out in the previous round,the side that beat us 6v1 4 year ago under Deila.Rosenborg who we we put out in the play off,beat Ajax home and away in the Europa qualifier,as you say last seasons finalists. It just shows the gap between us and the other sides outside the big boys isn't so great.
Looks interesting, might buy it.
It's not a REAL @scully88 review without swearing... Still good though! Good to see him here @NintendoLife
Am I mistaken or did this review fail to mention the shockingly awful slowdown in co-op? Do not get this game unless you want to play solo. The original is the way to go with a partner, or alone if you ask me.
@ACK I agree, there's very little slowdown that I've noticed in the original. I didn't word my comment very good.
@OorWullie Oops, deleted my comment when I reread yours. Glad you ultimately got the first one.
Holy damn Shock Trooper 2 is out already. These NeoGeo games came out too quick, I can't keep up with every releases now.
Good review. I like 2nd Squad, but I love the original. Certain things are a matter of taste. I do prefer the pixel art and stage design of the original. They made a lot of changes for the second game, but they didn't all work well to me. And as has been said, slowdown gets to be an issue even in single player.
@trikxy totally agree
I bought the first one on the eshop and love it! I'll probably eventually pick this one up as well.
The first game is definitely better, but it's still good.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Just count the weeks since the Switch launch. They've been weekly since.
@OorWullie - Reviews galore this week. Almost makes me feel bad for complaining last weekend.
@OorWullie I wish you luck in finishing second in the group. Feel free to draw PSG. Twice, even.
It's funny this Review pretty much says the first one is better, but if you read the review on the first one it says the second one is better. They both got a 7
@bimmy-lee I was thinking the same. Maybe our complaints were spotted.
This game is great, but the first one is incredible. Played it to death on Wii with SNK Arcade Classics, and bought it on Switch without hesitation. The 2nd Squad's artstyle really put me off, and though I like the game, I still like the first one more.
Sounds like the military went broke here
I like this one better than the original
I love this game although there are some serious slow down issues.
Makes it a little unplayable for me personally and i wouldn't have purchased it had i have known this at the time.
Upon doing a little research it appears it's not the Switch port, this occurs on all the other versions of the game.
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