M2 Game Reviews
Easy, tiger
We're republishing this 2021 import review because, over two-and-a-half years after its Japanese release, M2 has finally brought Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli to the West, surprise-dropping this Toaplan collection on the US Switch eShop on 16th May. There's no word on a European release just yet, but the base game is available on the US eShop for...
Review Dodonpachi DaiOuJou Blissful Death Re:Incarnation (Switch) - Poetic Bullet-Hell Perfection
Get Hyper
Cave, a shoot-'em-up developer assembled from the ashes of Toaplan, was preparing to fold in 2001. The arcade scene was moving in new directions, relying on increasingly ostentatious Taikan cabinets to compete with the emerging technology of home consoles. For Cave, the 2D shoot 'em up, no matter how unerringly creative, was struggling to...
Hell Wing
M2’s garage doors are open for business again, continuing to pay homage, and in fastidious attention to detail, to the shoot 'em ups of yesteryear. Zero Fire, a portmanteau of collected titles Zero Wing (1989) and Hellfire (1989) represents Toaplan during the height of its glorious arcade tenure. Although released just four months...
Send in the Toaplanes
M2’s ShotTriggers series has been an ongoing pilgrimage of preservation for some of the greatest shoot-em-up’s in arcade history. Hishou Same! Same! Same! combines an early Toaplan series of two: Hishouzame and Same! Same! Same!, known in the West as Flying Shark and Fire Shark, respectively. Both original arcade titles are...
Thou shalt blast a fishy on your little Switchy
Having covered the coin-operated portion of the acclaimed Darius series of shmups (with the exception of G-Darius and Dariusburst, which are on the upcoming Darius Cozmic Revelation), we now come to the console side of the franchise, which is represented almost completely here. Unfortunately, that...
The REAL sushi striker
Taito's beloved Darius series took its sweet game to appear in a dedicated compilation. Until now, only 2006's jam-packed Taito Legends 2 package represented the series with the latter titles Darius Gaiden and G-Darius, but with the release of Darius Cozmic Collection, we finally have a near-complete museum of this venerable...
Review SEGA AGES Thunder Force AC (Switch) - Another Sega Rarity Comes To Switch
AC what they did there
In the early ‘90s, it was believed by many Mega Drive / Genesis fans that Thunder Force II, III and IV were the best examples of the shoot ‘em up genre on their system. It was hard to argue with them: the Thunder Force games delivered an awesome combination of constant action, impressive graphical trickery, ridiculous...
Review SEGA AGES G-LOC: Air Battle (Switch) - A Limited But Hugely Enjoyable Arcade Romp
The LOC of the fly-rish
It’s fair to say that the last few games in the Sega Ages series have been a little underwhelming. Not that they’ve been particularly terrible games, of course – we’re still dealing with classics from a legendary company’s archives – but the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Puyo Puyo 2 are hardly providing us...
Review SEGA AGES Puyo Puyo 2 (Switch) - A Fun But Ultimately Forgettable Puzzler
Same Pu, different game
When we reviewed the Sega Ages version of Puyo Puyo, we wondered why Sega had decided to go with the very first game in the series, and not one of the numerous better sequels. Seven months later, Sega has responded – not to us, we’re not that big-headed – by going back to the Puyo Puyo well and this time giving us a...
Review SEGA AGES Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Switch) - A Fantastic Game, But Who Hasn't Played It By Now?
Hogging the limelight
The Sega Ages series can evoke some strange reactions when it comes to game selection. There can be little denial that the series is at its best when it’s bringing us fantastic ports of Sega classics that don’t usually get the attention they deserve; the likes of Virtua Racing and Fantasy Zone are clear highlights so far...
Review Darius Cozmic Collection (Switch) - Swimming With The Fishes
M2 works its magic once more
Editor's note: This review is for the Japanese version of Darius Cozmic Collection. The game has since been released in the west in two versions: Darius Cozmic Collection Console and Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade. Close your eyes. Now think about “classic shmups.” What titles immediately spring to mind? Gradius?
Review SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone (Switch) - Classic Cute-Em-Up Action With A Great New Mode
Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
Bet you don’t know who Sega’s mascot was for a brief time during the '80s. No, we’re not talking about Alex Kidd – we mean Opa-Opa, the slightly bizarre living spaceship from Sega’s oft-overlooked classic shooter Fantasy Zone. And that game is exactly what we have here, thanks to those gurus at Tokyo-based M2...
Review SEGA AGES Shinobi (Switch) - A True Arcade Classic Comes To Switch
Ninja skills
Arguably one of the most eagerly-awaited entries in M2’s acclaimed Sega Ages series, Sega’s classic ninja side-scroller Shinobi has pounced from the trees like a sneaky ninja to finally hit the Switch in its glorious arcade form. However, is one of Sega’s most beloved games still as awesome as we remember it? We're about to find...
Review ESP Ra.De. Psi (Switch) - The Best Shmup On Nintendo Switch, Period
M2 ShotTriggers' Switch debut is a thing of beauty
Before we begin our review of ESP Ra.De. Psi, M2 ShotTriggers' latest triumph, here's a little history for those who may not be intimately familiar with ESP Ra.De. and its place within the pantheon of shooting games. In 1998, the blossoming shmup developing studio, CAVE, just finished delighting and...
Review SEGA AGES Space Harrier (Switch) - A Tremendous Port Of An Okay Coin-Op
The real dragon quest
We’ll spare you the usual spiel about how the Sega Ages series is offering definitive versions of Sega classics on the Switch: given we’re approaching the 10th release in the series, you probably get the idea by now. Game number 9 is Space Harrier, Sega’s 1985 coin-op that blew arcade-goers away back in the day with its...
Review SEGA AGES Wonder Boy: Monster Land (Switch) - When RPG Meets Arcade Platformer
The boy is back in town
By this point, anyone familiar with the Sega Ages series should already know what to expect: a flawless port of a single game from Sega’s history, complete with a few tweaks and updates here and there to provide the ultimate version of that game. Wonder Boy: Monster Land is the latest offering from Sega and developer M2,...
Review SEGA AGES Virtua Racing (Switch) - A Truly Historic Remaster Effort By M2
It’s hip to be square
The Sega Ages series has quickly established itself as the premium name when it comes to retro gaming on the Switch. While each release is generally more expensive than other old-school offerings on the system, it’s worth it for the pristine emulation, the extreme attention to detail and the way developer M2 improves each...
Can’t Kidd a kidder
In an alternate timeline, Alex Kidd could have remained Sega’s mascot, instead of being unceremoniously dumped by Sega in favour of the much cooler Sonic the Hedgehog and forced into early retirement (a retirement that’s now lasted nearly three decades). Just think: if things had been different and Sonic had never been...
Review SEGA 3D Classics Collection (3DS)
New Age nostalgia
For millions of kids around the world in the late '80s through the '90s, there was no greater debate than SEGA vs Nintendo. Schoolyards were home to impassioned debates about which company's box was the best. Everyone knows who won the war long term, but few know of some of the truly classic titles SEGA fans enjoyed during those...
Review 3D Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (3DS eShop)
Hogging the limelight
It's difficult to believe now, but there was a time when Sonic the Hedgehog games were good. Like, really good. Sega's recent efforts have been average at best, tragically bad at their worst (with a few exceptions here and there, mostly on handheld formats). Sonic the Hedgehog 2 falls into the series 'really good' period and so...
Review 3D Gunstar Heroes (3DS eShop)
Holding out for a hero
Gunstar Heroes charged onto the Sega Mega Drive in 1993, significantly marking the début of quirky developer Treasure - having been formed from ex-Konami staff wanting to go it their own way. Often seen floating near to the top of many 'best game ever' lists, Gunstar Heroes is a bona-fide classic of the 16-bit era that's now...
Review 3D Streets of Rage 2 (3DS eShop)
Grand Upper
There was a time when playground arguments didn't revolve around resolutions, framerates or what PewDiePie's favourite toast topping is. In the early '90s it was simple; which is the best: Final Fight or Streets of Rage? Final Fight was, for a time, exclusive to Nintendo and jealous Mega Drive owners glared with envy at their smug...
Review 3D Thunder Blade (3DS eShop)
Get to the chopper!
There was a time in the late '80s when Thunder Blade machines were a fairly common sight in amusement arcades. Yet even with a decent amount of distribution it was never in the same league as its close cousins; the instant visual assault from Sega's flashier and more exciting looking games such as Out Run, After Burner and Space...
Review 3D Fantasy Zone II (3DS eShop)
Let me be your fantasy
Fantasy Zone II was developed and released for the Sega Master System back in 1987. Unfortunately the limitations of the console (the original Fantasy Zone was built on Sega's more powerful System 16 arcade hardware) crippled the design aspirations; admirable attempts to include new gameplay elements weren't successful and...
The beautiful journey
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. For people of a certain age Out Run represents days long past, a wonderful era when arcades reigned supreme and home systems paled in comparison. During this time, many valiant attempts were made to produce a home version of Yu Suzuki's 1986 driving masterpiece. However, the 'Super Scaler'...
Review 3D Fantasy Zone (3DS eShop)
Blow your mind in a fantasy zone
One of the first 'cute 'em ups' following Konami's Twinbee, Fantasy Zone first launched in Japanese arcades in 1986, but is better known in the west for its decent Master System conversion. Iconic protagonist Opa-Opa also sneaks in cameo appearances in many Sega games, most recently as a playable character in Sonic...
Review 3D After Burner II (3DS eShop)
The need for speed
Classic ports always fare better when handled by a team that approaches the source game's legacy with the utmost respect, and without a hint of hyperbole 3D After Burner II is a truly exceptional retread. Developer M2 has worked wonders with this re-release of Sega's 1987 arcade cabinet, presenting a faithful port that captures...
Review 3D Streets of Rage (3DS eShop)
Street smart
When Nintendo secured the domestic conversion of Capcom's Final Fight for its newly-launched SNES console way back at the dawn of the '90s, it left many Sega fans utterly distraught. Cody, Haggar and Guy's coin-op escapade was the hottest ticket in arcades at a time when the side-scrolling fighter was very much the genre of choice...
Review 3D Galaxy Force II (3DS eShop)
A sense of Super Scale
Galaxy Force II has something of a bad reputation with many players, purely because the domestic ports of the game which followed the arcade release way back in 1988 were, by and large, abysmal. Many fans base their opinion of this on-rails space shooter on the Mega Drive / Genesis version, which was downright unplayable...
Review Shinobi (3DS eShop / GG)
On-the-go ninja, go ninja, go.
The Shinobi series has been sneaking about the gaming world for over two decades, and the 1987 original arcade entry remains a classic to this day. The 1991 Game Gear instalment — also called Shinobi — has now infiltrated the 3DS eShop, and we're happy to say that it's aged better than we would have expected. You...
