"-The Fighting In This Area Is Ferocious. Only Fate Will Determine If We Live Or Die. Only A Madman Would Take On This Mission....Luckily They Found Me!"
Overview
Overview
Based on the Japanese anime and manga " Area 88 " U.N. Squadron is a sidescrolling military shooter for the Super Nintendo. Ported from capcom's CP 1 arcade system, it's Your job as part of the u.n. squadron to blow up as many enemy planes as possible, racking up money to spend on better weapons and planes as you progress. The story's has you taking down a terrorist airial fighter group known as Project 4, who probably to take over the world or something.
The game starts by asking you to choose from three pilots, all with slightly different planes which differ in power and range.
Characters:
Shin Kazama
Contrary to popular belief, shin's actually a guy. A character for those who want a challenge, shin's planes are the most balanced but his recovery time is very long. Only the crazy or the ill informed should try to beat the game with shin. ( he's the only character i managed to win with )
Mickey Simon
A character for intermediate players, Mickey's plane can's shoot in 2 places at once. His plane's shots are considerably slower the other pilots. An even trade off though concidering his planes do almost double the damage of the other pilots planes.
Greg Gates
Greg's planes shoot in two places at once, but have a smaller range than other characters. Couple his shots with the fact that he has the fastest recover rate out of all the pilots and you have a great beginers pilot.
Graphics 8/10
With out a doubt, the opening to the game has the best graphics. Pulling off a pseudo 3D opening to a game was really something back in 1991, especially without the Super FX Chip. Never has a unicorn EVER looked THAT cool. On to the actual game. Every level has great variety. Ranging from forests and oceans, to enemy caves and deserts, U.N. Squadron doesn't fail to impress in it's backround presentation. There's a level where your flying in a thunderstorm that has a multi layered backround that really reminds me of street fighter alpha 2's thunderstorm field. Explosions aren't over done and while there's nothing remarkable about the game compared to later games like yoshi's island, the game still has a certain charm that feels just right.
Gameplay/Controls 9/10
No complaints. Flying your plane feels tight and acurate. All 8 directions are present on the D-Pad, and never was there a time where the controls didn't do what I wanted them to. Just be sure you have quick fingers. This game is not for the casual gamer. Shooting is simple enough. Pressing the Y button shoots and B is asigned to your secondary weapons.
Your main gun will never run out of ammo but your secondary weapons are limited to what any particular plane can hold. X allows you to switch between the weapons you buy. Your Secondary weapons are mostly missiles and bombs and are key if you want to beat certain levels. Often times a level is neigh impossible to complete if you don"t drop a bomb or missile under an enemy below, or ration your ammo for just the right moment.
The object of the game is to blow up as many aircrafts, tanks, or other enemies as you can. Each enemy you take down earns you cash, and the more cash you get, the better planes and weapons you can buy. As the game progresses you will be switching between weapons and buying new planes quite a bit, so rack up as much money as you can. Your Life is divided into 5 sections, if you get hit you will blink for a few seconds. When hit while your in this blinking animation your plane goes down and have to start the level over again. Should this happen to you, all your weapons reset to nothing. If you do manage to avoid enemy fire long enough though, you recover and can continue the area. Like most side scrolling games of the era, each 100,000 points you gain nets you a 1UP.
Each level has red enemies scattered around that net you power-ups when you take them down. These bonuses give you more strength for your main gun and make taking down enemies less difficult. If your lucky and shoot the right area you may even find a hidden cash bonus or field clearing powerup which could make or break your run. The first stage of the game is chosen for you but after that the game becomes less linear and allows you more freedom, letting you tackle any three levels you want. Aside from the main levels. Green supply trucks dot the map and give you a quick bonus round for cash if you need that extra boost to get the next plane.
Every Stage has a boss at the end to test your skill on. Tanks, stealth fighters, submarines, this game has it all. It's not just the variety of bosses that really grabs you though, it's their sheer size. Most take up an entire screen or more!
Sound/Music 8.5/10
I'm not gonna mince my words. The music in this game rocks. If youve played megaman x you will pick up many of the same chords and style found there and in later capcom titles on snes. This isn't surprising since both megaman x and U.N. Squadron were both made by capom around the same time. I guess you could describe the tracks as pixleated, fast paced rock, or something to that effect. You really have to hear it to know what i'm talking about. Needless to say the music's great and always fits the mood of the levels. Never does a track repeat it's self unless your fighting a boss or youve just beaten a level and you get the mission complete theme. Sound effects are of your typical explosion fair and don't get on your nerves which is good concidering how many enemies your going to have to destroy to clear the game. Overall there isn't a single track that won't get stuck in your head and the music and sound effects come together for a very fun and enjoyable experience.
Replay Value 7.5/10
Each character has an ending so that amounts to three plays though. If your good that's about 4 hours, but the average player's probably gonna take 6 or so to finish that many times. This game isn't about the story though. What's going to keep you coming back is the amazing gameplay. It's really one of those timeless games like Super Mario Brothers that will keep you coming back again and again over the years. Great for those lazy Sundays when you feel like blowing stuff up.
Overall 8/10
U.N. Squadron is a timeless classic that should be a part of every Super Nintendo collection. Great music and great gameplay come together for an unforgettable experience that has stood the test of time. It got me to wake up from my 3d gaming coma and will make you fall in love with 2d shooters all over again. I got my copy at a flea market for 8$ on a recommendation from a friend, I suggest you do the same if given the opportunity.
Highs:
Great soundtrack and very solid controls
It's a hard game
Bosses are big and often times span many screens.
Lows:
It's Hard
Could Have used a Save Feature
No level select
No Sound Test
- By Wingzrow
