Last Resort: THe more I play it, the more I love it

Yun

New Challenger
Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Posts
66
This game houses the most impressive soundtrack done by the SNK sound team. The OST is a masterpiece.
 

BBH

1cc my ASS!,
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Jun 12, 2001
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4,458
Last Resort was always seen as a poor-man's Pulstar, even by resellers back in the day. I remember years and years ago when I bought it that Mike and MDGameSales actually said just that as well... Anyway, good game, but it always was on the lower end of the shooters for the Neo in my eyes. Love the look, but the difficulty level is a bit higher than I like to deal with, and honestly I don't see a lot of value putting time into it. I'd much rather play other shooters on the system... and yes, I have a heck of a lot more fun with Andro Dunos and Zedblade. Still, Last Resort has a great atmosphere and it's definitely a game I will return to every once in a while for a few plays.

Honestly, I look at Last Resort as a much more "accessible" Pulstar. The difficulty level is just fine, it's not hard enough to where you have to memorize one correct path in each spot - I think there's enough leeway in the game to do different things in certain areas. That and the game is a lot more forgiving if you die. Yeah it can be pretty rough if you die in the last section of the last stage, but nothing in Last Resort instills as much dread as dying in stage 5 of Pulstar. It's easier to get back up to speed powerup-wise in Last Resort, in Pulstar you practically need the powerups that shorten charge time and all that.

Pulstar's a game I never really feel like going back to because I just know there are certain sections of the game that are going to destroy me because I've forgotten what to do over time, and after dying once you get the feeling that you should just restart the game completely. Last Resort isn't as scary in that regard.
 

Mero

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Jun 21, 2011
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Pulstar's definitely a game that you need to clear on one life, die after stage 2 and you've had it. It's losing the power ups that let you do charge shots more quickly and hit the maximum fire rate more easily that hurts you the most.

Last Resort is definitely easier for sure, furthest I've been is 2-4 if I recall. I'm sure I could definitely 2-ALL it if I put some more effort in, I think I gave up not long after I beat the first loop. I will have to return to it at some point.
 

Boredom

Morden's Lackey
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Posts
374
My only gripe with Last Resort is that the very first screen of the game is a ripoff of the cityscape from Akira.

Well, there's also that dismembered Terminator boss with a dopey expression, and the penis snake boss with retractable foreskin.
 
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joe8

margarine sandwich
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Oct 25, 2007
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My only gripe with Last Resort is that the very first screen of the game is a ripoff of the cityscape from Akira.
A lot of Neo Geo, Capcom and other games from the 90's had rip-offs from movies/popular culture. It's just that you don't always notice, or you have to have to seen the movie to realize that the part was ripped off.

Pulstar's a game I never really feel like going back to because I just know there are certain sections of the game that are going to destroy me because I've forgotten what to do over time, and after dying once you get the feeling that you should just restart the game completely. Last Resort isn't as scary in that regard.
Pulstar is ridiculously hard (Last Resort is hard enough as it is). Last Resort was easier after I started using a better joystick for it (LS-32), where it's easier to keep your ship exactly in one position vertically (to get through tight spaces). My worn-out AES stick is no use for that.
A lot of the time with shooters (especially horizontal ones) it's almost like it's just as much about learning patterns of where to have your ship at certain times, as it is about raw skill.
 

wyo

King of Spammers
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May 22, 2013
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I was playing this again today and made it to level 3. A better joystick would definitely help navigate the trickier parts. The MVS difficulty level seems just right - as others have mentioned, you're not totally screwed if you die. Hit detection is reasonably generous. The slowdown during the bullet hell sections gives you a chance. I wish the music was a bit louder compared to the sound effects so I could hear it better.
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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Dec 20, 2004
Posts
44,746
My only gripe with Last Resort is that the very first screen of the game is a ripoff of the cityscape from Akira.

Well, there's also that dismembered Terminator boss with a dopey expression, and the penis snake boss with retractable foreskin.

how the hell is that a gripe? it's freakin cool
 

Neorebel

Viewpoint Vigilante
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Posts
2,248
@LoneSage - that's what I'm sayin! Akira is one of my favorite things in all of popular culture. I now officially want this game.
 

valgalder

Kula's Candy
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Posts
301
one of the very first Neo games I played at the arcade as a kid, and one that I kept going back and playing time and time again. One of the first games I got once I was able to get my hands on a Neo Geo and continue to play it semi-regularly.. however, i'm a bit embarrassed to admit I still have yet to beat it. I got close last year when I was putting some serious effort it in for a couple weeks. Maybe i'll give it another go this weekend.
 

wyo

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May 22, 2013
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one of the very first Neo games I played at the arcade as a kid, and one that I kept going back and playing time and time again. One of the first games I got once I was able to get my hands on a Neo Geo and continue to play it semi-regularly.. however, i'm a bit embarrassed to admit I still have yet to beat it. I got close last year when I was putting some serious effort it in for a couple weeks. Maybe i'll give it another go this weekend.

A good controller would help. All of my Neo sticks are a bit loose. Wish I was able to hook up a Genesis or SNES pad.
 

MrRoboto19XX

Rugal's Thug
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Nov 7, 2011
Posts
92
Way back when, Last Resort was one of the first titles that really wow'ed me on what the Neo was capable of. I always thought other games of the era looked great, but shooters were always my favorite arcade genre back then. I remember seeing Alpha Mission II and thinking it looked like a sup'ed up Genesis game, and then seeing Last Resort and being blown away with how gorgeous it looked. Years later when I got my AES, it was my first triple figure game. At first I was unsure of my purchase, but upon plugging it in, all regrets were gone.

I think the difficulty is right on point, and as a Gundam fan I've always been pretty entertained by the Hy-Gogg "cameo" in the first stage too.
 

Metal Slug76

Cheng's Errand Boy
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Posts
118
I love Last Resort Especially the sound track but when it comes to horizontal shmups I rank it third behind Pulstar and Blazing Star on the Neo.
 

garoudensetsu

Crazed MVS Addict
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
139
it' s a great shump... i like too much stages and music .. maybe bosses are too easy in confront of stage
 

Master Tasuke

Pathetic Meat Sack, Doll Fucker and Collector of J
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Nov 29, 2009
Posts
799
Last Resort is a decent enough game for the Neo, good soundtrack, challenging gameplay. But there is a plethora of shooter's out there which does the genre so much better.

Good game but masterpiece no.

AMEN to that, it sure as hell ain't no THUNDER FORCE. even some of the goofier TAITO shooters have LR beat by a mile...
 

kahel

Armored Scrum Object
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Apr 4, 2014
Posts
251
Well i am curious now , i'll have to give this game a try soon.
 

andsuchisdeath

General Morden's Aide
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Oct 2, 2003
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7,576
it' s a great shump

Yeah, I don't know why people say he was the worst Stooge of all time.

AMEN to that, it sure as hell ain't no THUNDER FORCE. even some of the goofier TAITO shooters have LR beat by a mile...

It's really not fair to compare an arcade shooting game to console shooters. Fine I guess it is no Thunder Force AC.

I want to know more about these goofy Taito shooters!
 
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Fritz

Annex Florida Coalition, Goodwill Ambassador,
15 Year Member
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Jan 2, 2009
Posts
3,434
challanging but fun game. still need to pick it up on the aes.

Tough to find at a decent price now. There were some NOS copies on ebay but those are long gone.

Whoops double post < ban plz :keke:
 
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Xionicist

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Aug 28, 2009
Posts
170
It's hard as balls, and that's why it's awesome. I remember it having a reputation as a terrible game just a few years ago and I never quite knew why. The art style rocks, the music is great (not Zed Blade great, but still solid) and the difficulty has kept it in rotation for years.

Pulstar is probably a deeper game overall, but there's something about Last Resort that makes it a great pick up and play shooter.
 

vaillian

King's Dry Cleaner
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
Posts
381
its so good because its the most affordable on the AES and even the MVS now as Pulstar and Blazingstar went up in price there as well
 
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