R-Types

Developer: Irem     Publisher: ASCII Entertainment     Released: February 28, 1998     Genre: Shooter

R-Type is one of the seminal shooters of the 80s and its influence is up there with Gradius in my opinion. As with any popular arcade game of the time it was ported to nearly every format that could handle it, with varying degrees of quality. While some versions like the Turbo Grafx-16 edition were very good none were arcade perfect. That changed with the release of R-Types for PlayStation a compilation of both R-Type 1 and 2. While a bit barebones in terms of extras you still get two great games in one; a brutally difficult package but still.

R-Types is incredibly committed to its arcade lineage. It is so dedicated in fact that you insert virtual credits to start the game. A new port of R-Type is not really cause for celebration. As I mentioned before it hit more platforms than you can imagine. R-Type II however was not so fortunate. Most are familiar with Super R-Type which was half port, half remix. Seeing it here in its original glory is reason enough to buy this collection. While I wish they had done a little more with the overall package I do still think R-Types is worth the money if you are a shooter fan.

You know what to expect going in to R-Type. This is the arcade game in all its glory, recreated pretty much perfectly. The novelty of an arcade perfect port is not so high considering the Turbo Grafx-16 and X68000 versions exist. But it is pretty cool to see it here, complete with a new CG intro. There is no slowdown which actually makes some parts of the game even harder than they were originally. But the ability to save and skip levels once complete helps, especially as this is one of the longer shooters out there. It makes the game slightly more accessible, emphasis on slightly.

To a degree R-Type II is the lesser of the two games in this package. As a game it clearly built on the original but offers little that is new. You get some new weapons but they still feel under powered compared to the opposition you face. R-Type II is even more frustrating than the first game even though it is shorter. Many of its levels rely on trial and error and gotcha moments that feel unfair. When the levels are well designed they are incredible, like the battle against the fleet of battleships in stage three. I just wish it had more of these moments. That isn’t to say it is bad; far from it. But it clearly has flaws that are hard to ignore.

As these are arcade perfect ports it means both games are ridiculously difficult. The R-Type series, at least in the beginning, equipped you with decent weaponry that serves its purpose but is not overpowered. The games throw so much in your path however that they feel inadequate. From massive enemy waves to crushing waves both R-Type I & II can feel cheap at times. The only concession R-Types makes to help you out is unlimited continues and saves. Unlimited credits helps I guess; you still have to play through each grueling stage. But the game saving after each level is a god send. Now when (not if) frustration hits you can walk away and pick up where you left off later.

There is a decent amount of bonus content but to be honest most of it is only relevant to diehard fans of the series. The R Museum features an extensive gallery of production materials from the series to that point. This includes ship models, characters, enemies, and stage designs. There is also a deep dive on the lore of R-Type. Despite its appearance there is actually a long running narrative to the series that R-Type Final expands on. Like I said, this stuff is cool for long term fans but probably won’t be as interesting to casual gamers. The real meat of the bonus content is a single level demo of R-Type Delta, one of the best games in the series. The demo is extremely cool and if it does not get you hype for that game than I question your taste in video games.

In Conclusion

R-Types is a cool package overall. This is not one for casual fans of the genre, I will warn you now. Those who take the plunge will find games that test your skills but do not offer much else. Had they included R-Type III in the bundle this would have been amazing. As is it is simply solid.