jp
07-17-2007, 10:53 PM
If you're but a passive fan of the Sega Saturn, chances are you don't view it as much of a 2D platformer console. You're probably aware of Astal (mind you, which IS one of the absolute best and most gorgeous 2D platformers in existence), the Sonic Jam collection, maybe Norse by Norsewest (more of a puzzle game though), and possibly a few other titles. Chances are, the likes of Super Tempo, Tryrush Deppy, Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru, and Mizubaku Adventure went completely under your radar since they only saw release in Japan (ironically, Taromaru, the most expensive of the lot, was supposed to have a US release though). But, one good platformer did manage to make it out of Japan, though it didn't quite make it to the states and wound up in PAL land, and that game is the JVC-Victor title Keio Flying Squadron 2.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/noname.jpg
The ears of the Sega CD elite will probably perk up at the mention of a sequel to the awesome 2D shooter Keio Flying Squadron, but Keio Flying Squadron 2 only retains two levels that involve the shmupping action its predecessor was composed of entirely, as Keio Flying Squadron 2 is more of a 2D platformer.
The premise is fairly basic: You are the teenage bunny girl treasure hunter Rami Nana-Hikari. Your home was destroyed in the battle between Dr. Pon (a 5000 year old doctor tanuki (japanese racoon) who not only has an IQ of 1400, but sounds like Gomer from the Andy Griffith Show) and Himiko Yamatai, the 13th Queen of the Ancient Realm. It appears Dr. Pon and Himiko are fighting over some orbs that will reveal some secret treasure. And Rami, being the treasure hunter that she is (or rather, that her grandmother forces her to be), goes off with her pet dragon Spot in search of the treasure.
And for the next 6 levels or so insanity ensues as Rami chases Dr. Pon and the orbs all over the place (from a forest, to an amusement park, to a ninja castle, and so on) all while Himiko keeps getting in the way.
The gameplay in Keio Flying Squadron 2 is pretty basic. You can run and jump, you can jump on enemies to kill them, you collect golden bunnies and when you get 100 you get an extra life, etc. You can also pick up items, from weapons (of which there are three: hammer, umbrella, and bow-n-arrow) to giant clocks to statues to old men. Yes, Victor just put a bunch of random shit in levels that you can pick up if you don't have a weapon.
"Why would I want to do that?"
Because if you aren't holding anything and you get hit, you die. The ideal situation is that you have a weapon on hand, but if you've lost your hammer, then the old guy in the corner will make do. Once an enemy hits you while you're holding something, you will drop it, sometimes it will break, if it is a weapon it will disappear after awhile. Its kinda like Sonic, only without a million rings, and its a lot easier to wind up in a sticky situation where a 1-hit kill looms over you. That said, Keio Flying Squadron 2 is hard.
Like... stupid hard.
Well, OK, if you KNOW what you're doing, its difficult. If its your first time through, but prepared for some pain. This is a hard game. The levels (especially the later ones) can be tricky as hell, and are full of traps, raccoons, and whatever else you don't want to run into.
Victor did implement something a bit different in KFS2 though in that you have points that can increase or decrease. For instance, for every enemy raccoon you kill, you get 1 point. If you get hit, you lose 5. And throghout the game (for each credit mind) a tally is kept in the top right corner. And yes, this tally can go into the negatives. Sadly, the scores don't unlock much. As you progress up (or down) in score you will unlock stuff in the extras section. If you progress down (down to -100 I think) you will unlock hints and tips to help you make it through the game. If you progress up (up to... 500 I want to say) you unlock pictures in an art gallery. Its a pretty cool idea, and definitely something to keep you coming back, so kudos for that.
The controls in the game honestly aren't QUITE as tight as I would like them to be. Once you get the hang of it you're cool, but they do feel a bit stiff and sometimes navigating sticky situations can be a bit challenging. The 2D shooter sections play fantastically though, just as good as they did on the Sega CD.
The levels are all very well designed and varied nicely. One level has you in an underground mine, the next your on a roller coaster, you'll be on Dr. Pon's airship, hell, you even go into outer space. Of course, the occassional cut scene pops up in between levels to progress things along, and I must admit for the most these are hilarious. They're just so damn nerdy I can't help but enjoy them.
The graphics are nice. Perfect transparencies here baby!!! Everything is well animated, well drawn, bright vibrant colors fill the screen, the enemy designs are great, all in all this is an amazing looking 2D game. Enemy designs are neat too, though its kind of similar to Treasure in that the base enemies are all raccoons (since Treasure typically only has one or two grunt type enemies in their games). The bosses are phenomenal though, and almost all of them were a blast to see as well as a blast to fight. Very good stuff.
The sound in Keio Flying Squadron 2 is superb. It has a somewhat Parodius-esque soundtrack, light happy music but somewhat epic at the same time. It also has a decent amount of voice acting outside of the cut scenes, all of it sounds crisp, clear, and is very well done (and often very humorous. My favorite is Dr. Pon yelling at Rami going, "You cold hearted play bunny! You broke my heart... so I'm gonna blow you up!"). All the sound effects sound nice as well.
So, this brings us to the big question at hand: PAL or Japanese? Keio Flying Squadron 2 (JP) is difficult to find and is going to cost a little bit, but the PAL version is nigh impossible to find and is going to cost you three figures in most any instance. So is the PAL version worth it?
Well, it depends. If you want the COMPLETE experience, then yes. The PAL version has english voice acting and if you don't understand what the characters are saying, you're going to be missing out on A LOT of the humor. Don't get me wrong, its a great game, and if you just want a nice 2D platformer, then by all means get the JP release. But if you want in on the jokes and want to enjoy the ridiculous plot, well, the english is going to be a must (obviously, this does not apply to nihongo speaking readers).
Really, my only two complaints about Keio Flying Squadron 2 are that the controls take a little bit to get used to and the ending was kinda lame. Final boss fight was just... bleh. And the ending movie really didn't deliver for me. But everything leading up to that is top notch, and totally worth it.
I give Keio Flying Squadron 2 a 4/5. Its a damn good 2D platformer, a gorgeous one at that, and its definitely one of the jewels of any good Sega Saturn collection.
Picture time!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio01.jpg
'Tis the 13th Queen Himiko!! This is a shot from the opening movie.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio1.jpg
See? I'm holding a statue.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio02.jpg
Transparencies!!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio2.jpg
Rami + Hammer vs. Himiko + something stolen from Robotnik.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio03.jpg
Just standing around... debating whether or not to jump over that whole.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio04.jpg
Raccoons with umbrellas!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio05.jpg
SECRETS!!! GIMME' YO GOLDEN BUNNIES!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio06.jpg
I'm flying to the sumo stadium!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio07.jpg
Here's the first level boss. He's VERY well animated. And the fight is kinda gross truth be told...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio08.jpg
See?
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio09.jpg
TRAIN RIDE!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio011.jpg
They're like pinatas... only they can hurt you... and they have spikey balls.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio010.jpg
Dodgin' the lava flow is tricky.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio012.jpg
Time to get an orb... but throwing cat statues at drums!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio3.jpg
I had to pick up this hand to push this button you see...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio4.jpg
This shit is haaaard, omg!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio014.jpg
They should really try holding on to the rail or something...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio013.jpg
BOMBS!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio5.jpg
SECOND BOSS!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio6.jpg
He doesn't like it when I jump on his head. :frown:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio7.jpg
Level 3 is an amusement park!!! And the roller coaster car cries whenever you land too hard. :frown: By the way, the roller coaster bit is hard as hell.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio8.jpg
From the roller coaster I wind up in an aquarium!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio9.jpg
Level 3 boss has 3 faces (technically 4).
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio11.jpg
This one is a bitch.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio10.jpg
This one ain't easy either.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio12.jpg
Level 4!!! To the ninja castle we go!!! Be sure to avoid the peasants that are storming the castle declaring they "want their rice"!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio13.jpg
Inside the ninja castle there's a ton of traps. Watch out!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio16.jpg
Level 4 boss is a duel on top of the ninja castle!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio14.jpg
Gotta throw bombs son!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio15.jpg
To hell with yo' chicken!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio17.jpg
Level 5 takes place in space!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio18.jpg
Oh Victor... all advertising your V-Saturn.
And thats all folks. Don't want to spoil the hilarity that ensues after that. Though there's one CRAZY boss fight, a martial arts tournament, and the final boss... which is kinda lame... but the martial tournament is hilarious.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/noname.jpg
The ears of the Sega CD elite will probably perk up at the mention of a sequel to the awesome 2D shooter Keio Flying Squadron, but Keio Flying Squadron 2 only retains two levels that involve the shmupping action its predecessor was composed of entirely, as Keio Flying Squadron 2 is more of a 2D platformer.
The premise is fairly basic: You are the teenage bunny girl treasure hunter Rami Nana-Hikari. Your home was destroyed in the battle between Dr. Pon (a 5000 year old doctor tanuki (japanese racoon) who not only has an IQ of 1400, but sounds like Gomer from the Andy Griffith Show) and Himiko Yamatai, the 13th Queen of the Ancient Realm. It appears Dr. Pon and Himiko are fighting over some orbs that will reveal some secret treasure. And Rami, being the treasure hunter that she is (or rather, that her grandmother forces her to be), goes off with her pet dragon Spot in search of the treasure.
And for the next 6 levels or so insanity ensues as Rami chases Dr. Pon and the orbs all over the place (from a forest, to an amusement park, to a ninja castle, and so on) all while Himiko keeps getting in the way.
The gameplay in Keio Flying Squadron 2 is pretty basic. You can run and jump, you can jump on enemies to kill them, you collect golden bunnies and when you get 100 you get an extra life, etc. You can also pick up items, from weapons (of which there are three: hammer, umbrella, and bow-n-arrow) to giant clocks to statues to old men. Yes, Victor just put a bunch of random shit in levels that you can pick up if you don't have a weapon.
"Why would I want to do that?"
Because if you aren't holding anything and you get hit, you die. The ideal situation is that you have a weapon on hand, but if you've lost your hammer, then the old guy in the corner will make do. Once an enemy hits you while you're holding something, you will drop it, sometimes it will break, if it is a weapon it will disappear after awhile. Its kinda like Sonic, only without a million rings, and its a lot easier to wind up in a sticky situation where a 1-hit kill looms over you. That said, Keio Flying Squadron 2 is hard.
Like... stupid hard.
Well, OK, if you KNOW what you're doing, its difficult. If its your first time through, but prepared for some pain. This is a hard game. The levels (especially the later ones) can be tricky as hell, and are full of traps, raccoons, and whatever else you don't want to run into.
Victor did implement something a bit different in KFS2 though in that you have points that can increase or decrease. For instance, for every enemy raccoon you kill, you get 1 point. If you get hit, you lose 5. And throghout the game (for each credit mind) a tally is kept in the top right corner. And yes, this tally can go into the negatives. Sadly, the scores don't unlock much. As you progress up (or down) in score you will unlock stuff in the extras section. If you progress down (down to -100 I think) you will unlock hints and tips to help you make it through the game. If you progress up (up to... 500 I want to say) you unlock pictures in an art gallery. Its a pretty cool idea, and definitely something to keep you coming back, so kudos for that.
The controls in the game honestly aren't QUITE as tight as I would like them to be. Once you get the hang of it you're cool, but they do feel a bit stiff and sometimes navigating sticky situations can be a bit challenging. The 2D shooter sections play fantastically though, just as good as they did on the Sega CD.
The levels are all very well designed and varied nicely. One level has you in an underground mine, the next your on a roller coaster, you'll be on Dr. Pon's airship, hell, you even go into outer space. Of course, the occassional cut scene pops up in between levels to progress things along, and I must admit for the most these are hilarious. They're just so damn nerdy I can't help but enjoy them.
The graphics are nice. Perfect transparencies here baby!!! Everything is well animated, well drawn, bright vibrant colors fill the screen, the enemy designs are great, all in all this is an amazing looking 2D game. Enemy designs are neat too, though its kind of similar to Treasure in that the base enemies are all raccoons (since Treasure typically only has one or two grunt type enemies in their games). The bosses are phenomenal though, and almost all of them were a blast to see as well as a blast to fight. Very good stuff.
The sound in Keio Flying Squadron 2 is superb. It has a somewhat Parodius-esque soundtrack, light happy music but somewhat epic at the same time. It also has a decent amount of voice acting outside of the cut scenes, all of it sounds crisp, clear, and is very well done (and often very humorous. My favorite is Dr. Pon yelling at Rami going, "You cold hearted play bunny! You broke my heart... so I'm gonna blow you up!"). All the sound effects sound nice as well.
So, this brings us to the big question at hand: PAL or Japanese? Keio Flying Squadron 2 (JP) is difficult to find and is going to cost a little bit, but the PAL version is nigh impossible to find and is going to cost you three figures in most any instance. So is the PAL version worth it?
Well, it depends. If you want the COMPLETE experience, then yes. The PAL version has english voice acting and if you don't understand what the characters are saying, you're going to be missing out on A LOT of the humor. Don't get me wrong, its a great game, and if you just want a nice 2D platformer, then by all means get the JP release. But if you want in on the jokes and want to enjoy the ridiculous plot, well, the english is going to be a must (obviously, this does not apply to nihongo speaking readers).
Really, my only two complaints about Keio Flying Squadron 2 are that the controls take a little bit to get used to and the ending was kinda lame. Final boss fight was just... bleh. And the ending movie really didn't deliver for me. But everything leading up to that is top notch, and totally worth it.
I give Keio Flying Squadron 2 a 4/5. Its a damn good 2D platformer, a gorgeous one at that, and its definitely one of the jewels of any good Sega Saturn collection.
Picture time!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio01.jpg
'Tis the 13th Queen Himiko!! This is a shot from the opening movie.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio1.jpg
See? I'm holding a statue.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio02.jpg
Transparencies!!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio2.jpg
Rami + Hammer vs. Himiko + something stolen from Robotnik.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio03.jpg
Just standing around... debating whether or not to jump over that whole.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio04.jpg
Raccoons with umbrellas!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio05.jpg
SECRETS!!! GIMME' YO GOLDEN BUNNIES!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio06.jpg
I'm flying to the sumo stadium!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio07.jpg
Here's the first level boss. He's VERY well animated. And the fight is kinda gross truth be told...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio08.jpg
See?
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio09.jpg
TRAIN RIDE!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio011.jpg
They're like pinatas... only they can hurt you... and they have spikey balls.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio010.jpg
Dodgin' the lava flow is tricky.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio012.jpg
Time to get an orb... but throwing cat statues at drums!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio3.jpg
I had to pick up this hand to push this button you see...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio4.jpg
This shit is haaaard, omg!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio014.jpg
They should really try holding on to the rail or something...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio013.jpg
BOMBS!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio5.jpg
SECOND BOSS!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio6.jpg
He doesn't like it when I jump on his head. :frown:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio7.jpg
Level 3 is an amusement park!!! And the roller coaster car cries whenever you land too hard. :frown: By the way, the roller coaster bit is hard as hell.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio8.jpg
From the roller coaster I wind up in an aquarium!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio9.jpg
Level 3 boss has 3 faces (technically 4).
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio11.jpg
This one is a bitch.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio10.jpg
This one ain't easy either.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio12.jpg
Level 4!!! To the ninja castle we go!!! Be sure to avoid the peasants that are storming the castle declaring they "want their rice"!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio13.jpg
Inside the ninja castle there's a ton of traps. Watch out!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio16.jpg
Level 4 boss is a duel on top of the ninja castle!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio14.jpg
Gotta throw bombs son!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio15.jpg
To hell with yo' chicken!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio17.jpg
Level 5 takes place in space!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/pzykotikjp/KeioFlyingSquadron2/keio18.jpg
Oh Victor... all advertising your V-Saturn.
And thats all folks. Don't want to spoil the hilarity that ensues after that. Though there's one CRAZY boss fight, a martial arts tournament, and the final boss... which is kinda lame... but the martial tournament is hilarious.