| Manufacturer: | Irem |
| Genre: | Vertically-scrolling shmup |
| Board: | Irem M-72 |
| Year: | 1988 |
I've been ill for the past few days, so I've fallen back on a favourite subject, shoot 'em ups. I'm sure you won't mind.
Usually when you mention Irem and shoot 'em ups, most people will talk about R-Type. However, Irem made a slew of shmups in the late 80s and early 90s, including Dragon Breed, Mystic Riders, X-Multiply, In the Hunt and of course, Image Fight, which was my favourite.
Unlike the majority of Irem's shmups, Image Fight is a vertical scroller, but in keeping with their other classics, it has a weapon system that is as much about strategy as it is power. As well as being able to power up the main guns, there are two kinds of pod (Image Fight's version of R-Type's "Force") to collect, both multiply your basic shot, but each behaves differently. Blue pods only face forwards, giving you the most people forward fire power. Red pods turn to face the opposite direction to your last month, making them more versatile. You can attach a total of three pods, the first two appears on the left and right sides of the ship, while the third Pod appears behind it. When a pod is drops it alternates between red and blue, so you can choose what type to collect. Futhermore, you can mix and match them as you see fit. The other thing that Image Fight is noted for is the variable speed system, which is controlled with button two. This is a system that would be later adopted by the R-Type series. And that isn't the end of Image Fight's ties to R-Type. It's signature OF-1 fighter went on to cameo in R-Type Final.
If you want to play Image Fight now, you can get it as part of the Irem Arcade Hits pack, from DotEmu.com.
MTW
No comments:
Post a Comment