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Here's a blast from the past, an oldie-but-goodie that still commands a decent coin. Now, most folks nowadays, when speaking of Neo shooters, tend to carry on about the likes of Pulstar and Blazing Star. How does this old bad boy stack up?
You might be surprised...
Last Resort is a horizontal scrolling shooter that plays similarly to R-Type. However, the usual 'charge shot' mechanics have a little more going on in this game, your 'unit' (the box even refers to this game as 'unit shooting') has this cool ricochet effect that lets it bounce off walls and enemies. It comes in really handy when trying to wipe out bosses' weak points. Besides the unit, you also end up collecting other power-ups for speed, lasers, missiles, etc. Pretty standard fare.
Graphics- (8.0/10) Last Resort has aged very well. It features an art style very reminiscent of In The Hunt and Metal Slug. Not quite as animated, but has a really nice use of color to create a dark, futuristic mood (especially the Akira-esque city first stage.)
Lots of cool little details abound, like the little people that go flying when you trash cars on stage 1. Very cutting edge for 1992, and still holds up today.
Music/Sound- (8.5/10) The music in this game is vintage SNK, great moody synth melodies and burly guitar riffs. Sound effects are loud and crisp, with shot and explosion FX having a really nice ring that compliments the dark atmosphere of the game.
Playability- (8.0/10) This is a tough sucker. Not quite Viewpoint, but tough enough to keep you playing for a while. I like the fact that this game has a hint of that R-Type strategy, but doesn't totally force you to beat it one precise way...you can run n' gun in certain parts.
Manages to be challenging without making you want to smash your joystick. 2 player co-op rocks!!!
Overall- (9.0/10) It's a cliché, but this is a game that happens to be more than the sum of its parts. Everything in this game really comes together to form one of the Neo's more overlooked classics. It isn't exactly cheap, but then again, it is compared to Pulstar/Blazing Star. It's the kind of game that really epitomizes the joy of NeoGeo... beautiful, challenging, and overlooked.
