Developed and published by Konami in 1992 Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Add me on Google+: http://bit.ly/1tPwL1u The year is 2636, and, once again, the Earth is under attack by nefarious alien invaders, With Neo City reduced to rubble, only stalwart heroes and defenders of humanity, Bill and Lance, have any hope of defeating the aliens and it's deadly leader, the dreaded Red Falcon. Being the first game in the series to be released on Nintendo's 16-bit hardware, Contra III benefits from improved graphics, audio and gameplay improvements over the earlier NES and arcade releases. Technical improvements aside, however, this is very much a Contra game and anyone who has played the previous games should know what to expect. At it's core, Contra III is a side-scrolling, run n' gun shooter featuring explosive arcade action, plenty of guns and a difficulty level that will make even the most hardcore of players shudder with fear. Simply put, if you're looking for a nice bit of relaxing, casual shootery, this is most definitely not the game for you! Despite being deeply rooted in the origins of the series, there are still a number of notable features and additions. Firstly, it's now possible to carry up to two different weapons at any one time, swapping between them by pressing the X button. This means that players can grab guns that they prefer and hang on to them, switching them out depending on the situation. As for the guns, there are a mix of both classic and new weapons to choose from. The rapid fire, scatter and laser guns return, but these are joined by the flamer (my personal favourite), as well as homing missiles and the heavy-hitting crusher missile. There's also a new super smart bomb weapon that can be used to damage all enemies on screen, which is great for getting the player out of sticky situations when being swarmed by multiple enemies. In addition to guns, Bill and Lance are much more agile this time around, having learned to climb and hang from flat surfaces, walls and ceilings. The new grappling mechanic has enabled Konami to come up with even more devious level designs and boss stages that require quick thinking and even faster reactions from players. A good case in point is the boss stage where the player must hang from the underside of some ludicrously over-sized missiles, all the while blasting away at the weak points of a large alien craft - each of the missiles eventually explode when they make contact with the craft's shield, forcing the player to leap between missiles to stay alive; mess up your timing and it's a long way down... Whereas the original Contra was memorable for it's inclusion of the semi-3D, third-person tunnel sections, Contra III introduces a couple of top-down sections where the playe ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=534SWHp5uZI

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Year of Release: 1990 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- When I played through Dragon Spirit recently, I had no idea there was actually a sequel. Intrigued, I set about recording a longplay of Dragon Saber, only to find it's -- unsurprisingly -- more of the same, only MUCH harder. The game retains the same air-to-air and air-to-ground combat mechanics of its predecessor, but the number of weapons available to the player is expanded, although my personal opinion is that at least half of these are useless and more likely to get you killed if you pick them up. For some added context, the game typically introduces a new weapon with each additional stage you reach. Each weapon can be fired in rapid succession, but it can also be charged up for a special attack, which, in theory, can be used to deal with some of the tougher enemies you'll face. On the default difficulty setting the enemies soak up a lot of damage, which means the weapon power-ups which focus on versatility, such as the screen-wide lightning attack, simply can't destroy enemies quickly enough. On the subject of default difficulty, the version I played seemed to give the player a single life in which to beat the game, which is just crazy. Other videos online show the player with two lives from the outset, so this can obviously be configured. The sheer number of enemies, the end-of-level bosses, player sprite hitbox, not to mention scenery and associated environmental hazards that will kill you instantly only serve as a real turn-off. Dragon Saber looks really cool and has an excellent electronica soundtrack, and I really wanted to like it, but aside from some enhanced graphics, it's both too difficult and too similar to its predecessor to recommend. Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Dragon Spirit Longplay (Arcade): https://youtu.be/8Lw-vn1yyJ4 Chapters --------------------------------------------------- TBC ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjQ_B_DOYUI

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Visco Games Publisher: Visco Games Year of Release: 1996 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Both visually attractive and frantically paced, Breakers is able to rub shoulders with the King of Fighters and other versus fighters. An extensive roster of characters is on offer, each with a dizzying array of combos, special moves and counters, so there's plenty for fans of the genre to get their teeth into. Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Chapters --------------------------------------------------- #breakers #neogeo #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1bNzNpGASw

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Jaleco Publisher: Jaleco Year of Release: 1989 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- If I was a betting man, I'm pretty sure you saw the thumbnail LONG before the video title; it's not every day your feed features a martial arts master hurling a blue-haired vampire girl into the screen with sufficient force to make her overgarments disintegrate. This is the unique selling point of Hachoo, an otherwise cludgy and not particularly fun beat 'em up, which allows you to toss opponents into the screen, replete with oversized, comedic depictions of each villain reacting to their demise. Yes, you'll probably chortle the first few times you pull this move off, but all that remains after the novelty wears off is a pretty crap game full of infuriating mechanics, jerky animation, not to mention the cardinal sin of putting enemies into a state of invulnerability until they've damaged you, or they've executed at least one attack themselves. By all means give it a try for novelty value, but Double Dragon trounces this in every conceivable way. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- TBC ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFeSOG-hKdw