As a fan of arcade games growing up I looked forward to the inevitable home ports. Owning an NES meant that you were used to compromises but it worked out so long as the core experience came intact. While some games like Double Dragon took liberties you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that likes the arcade version of Contra over the NES game. Then there are the games where it is immediately obvious they shouldn’t have bothered. Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 is one. Hard Drivin’ for the Genesis is awful. Galaxy Force II is a game that anyone with common sense should have known would not work on the system. Yet they tried and failed.
Galaxy Force can be looked at as a precursor to Panzer Dragoon. Like that game you have a Vulcan cannon and unlimited homing missiles. There aren’t any power-ups aside from a brief shield that is all but useless. Unlike that game you have nearly full range of movement around the screen. Movement is a bit slow in this version which unfortunately makes dodging harder. The Genesis version is based on the second arcade revision of Galaxy Force, hence the II in the title. This version added two more levels, bringing the total up to six. You can choose your starting planet but after that it follows a set path.
Next to its graphics Galaxy Force was notable for its energy meter. You begin with 1200 points but it constantly ticks down. In the arcade this was obviously to keep quarters flowing into the machine. At home this is a barely tolerable mechanic. The rate at which it depletes has been slowed but it is still an ever-present threat. Just about everything reduces it; collisions with enemies, projectiles, or even the environment. The only way to recoup energy is to shoot down enemies to increase your end level bonus. But the game practically encourages holding down the accelerator to reach level’s end as fast as possible. This loop really isn’t fun and makes an already difficult game that much harder. That is the least of Galaxy Force II’s problems though.
Using Sega’s Super Scaler technology Galaxy Force was a technical showcase in the arcade. In the age of full 3d it still remains impressive thanks to great art direction and use of tech. Watching hundreds of sprites scale together to create a convincing 3d environment was even more impressive than Outrun. The Sci-fi theme also helps in that it allows for a greater variety of terrain such. But more than just being window dressing the scaling is used to make these alien worlds feel alive. Flowing lava, indigenous plants, and complex machinery give each planet a sense of place.
I’ve gone into great detail to give you an idea of what you are missing. You will find very little of what made Galaxy Force great in the Genesis version. So much of the graphical flair has been lost that at times this seems like a game only loosely based on the arcade. The sprite “scaling” that they’ve used here consists of multiple sprites drawn at different sizes and switched out. It looks ugly and is incredibly choppy in motion. Aside from enemy waves most levels are desolate. The few times the game tries to mimic the arcade with its rising fire and trees it is a disaster as the heavy sprite flickering looks horrendous.
The hit to the graphics also affects the gameplay. Galaxy Force II is so pixelated you can barely make out approaching enemies. If it weren’t for the homing missiles it would be impossible to play. The sprite flickering becomes so bad that objects straight up disappear. In the densely packed levels this leads to all kinds of cheap hits which isn’t fair. The tunnel segments were some of the most impressive in the arcade. Here they have been reduced to empty hallways featuring an ugly color cycling effect with few enemies. I suppose that is a relief in terms of difficulty, but it is still awful.
In Closing
I can appreciate that Sega and developer CRI tried to bring Galaxy Force home. However in this case it should have been saved for more powerful hardware. The Sega CD and 32X would have been more appropriate targets for this amazing game. As it is you are left with an ugly mess that is barely playable. Pass on this one.
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