I'm sorry to say but Iridion 2 is o.k. at best.

[BakuretsuMutekiSid]

I got all excited about pickin this up for the GBA, and I was finally able to snatch one up for $14.99. All the cool stuff I heard about this game made for tremendous anticipation. And I guess that kinda set me up for the disappointment.

I forgot who it was that praised this so much, but I kinda see some areas in the game where it might warrant it. The graphics are really good for one thing, and the music is pretty cool.

But when it comes down to it though, the gameplay is only so so; nothing that I saw to really immerse me. It was more like a chore to try to continue playing the game and beating it. Not at all a memorable gaming experience.

One thing that could've helped it alot is if you could keep the weapon upgrades moving from one level to the next. but then again the weapons themselves, although unique, were not implemented very well (unlike in Radiant Silvergun where specific situations required a specific weapon).

ps. the picture gallery was pretty cool, although there should've been more.

 

[Verbatum]

BakuretsuMutekiSid:
I got all excited about pickin this up for the GBA, and I was finally able to snatch one up for $14.99. All the cool stuff I heard about this game made for tremendous anticipation. And I guess that kinda set me up for the disappointment.

I forgot who it was that praised this so much, but I kinda see some areas in the game where it might warrant it. The graphics are really good for one thing, and the music is pretty cool.

But when it comes down to it though, the gameplay is only so so; nothing that I saw to really immerse me. It was more like a chore to try to continue playing the game and beating it. Not at all a memorable gaming experience.

One thing that could've helped it alot is if you could keep the weapon upgrades moving from one level to the next. but then again the weapons themselves, although unique, were not implemented very well (unlike in Radiant Silvergun where specific situations required a specific weapon).

ps. the picture gallery was pretty cool, although there should've been more.

You can keep the weapon upgrades from moving, simply by selecting "manuel upgrade" before each level.

 

[Shapermc]

What skill level are you playing this on? That makes a huge difference. Also what games are you comparing this to? There really is only one shmup that is better on the GBA (Gradius). R-Type 3 comes out soon for the GBA

 

[Kirk Foiden]

Generally, shooters were never really a strong point for the gameboy. So people have lower expectations of their shooters on the system. At the moment, it's acceptable to take a few steps back to a time where shooters have come to dazzle with the graphics and less on gameplay. I remember the popularity of Microcosm, in those days, and while it was a splendid visual fest (at the time), 2D games like Assault, 194X, etc. came in there with that extra gameplay that the FMV-laden shooter didn't have. You can say it's going through that dabble in new hardware period. It's a shame that a more aggressive approach hasn't been poured into bringing shooters to the GBA (at least in the US). Let's hope that they continue the trend. I remember Iridium 1 getting the major hype, mainly from the screenshots. But when it came to actually playing, most of the recent shooters I played outside of it killed it for gameplay. But when you look at the choices you have on the Gameboy, you realize how easy it was to get attention and hold interest. We know they have the hardware, now they should concentrate on gameplay with artistic design to support it. I2 is a step in the right direction, for them I guess.

We've had some failures too. For instance, the bad port job of Defender. Everything seemed lazy, not proportioned, and due to the way they coded the game, impossible to see anything coming at you. They scaled the speed completely wrong and had the wrong visuals to go with it. Thus defender turning out to be many times less than the home ports on much less powerful hardware. In fact, unplayable. The graphics were prettier though. The game could've been at least been respected for the classic it was, if they brought the real defender to the GBA.

R-type will probably join the ranks of the best GBA shooters along with Gradius, as long as they avoid a Defender catastrophe. I don't expect that to happen as they have done a Gameboy R-type before.

<small>[ August 19, 2003, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: Kirk Foiden ]</small>

 

[Shapermc]

Also, I do not think that the US has seen a direct R-Type 3 port ever before (the SNES one was not "arcade perfect" IIRC only the PCE one was close, but I do not remember if it was out in the US).

Also Iridion 2 is butloads of fun. Good sized levels and challengeing on the harder difficulties. Most GBA shmups suffer from being easy still even on the hardest difficulty (e.g. Robotec, Power Puff Girls, Strike Force Hydra...). It is unfortunate that there is no batterie save on I2 frown

 

[Lagduf]

Shapermc:
Also, I do not think that the US has seen a direct R-Type 3 port ever before (the SNES one was not "arcade perfect" IIRC only the PCE one was close, but I do not remember if it was out in the US).

Also Iridion 2 is butloads of fun. Good sized levels and challengeing on the harder difficulties. Most GBA shmups suffer from being easy still even on the hardest difficulty (e.g. Robotec, Power Puff Girls, Strike Force Hydra...). It is unfortunate that there is no batterie save on I2

I agree no battery save is ridiculous. And come to think of it i dont remember where i put my piece of paper with my passwords...Damnit! Grrr.

But i agree i was somewhat dissapointed with Iridion 2. I feel like it didn't live up to "the hype." Its definitely not a bad game though, its actually a challenging little shooter. And the price is right!

 

[Kirk Foiden]

Actually, the worst reviewer-overlooked issue in a GBA game I've seen was Yugioh Dungeon Dice. Evil little game. With one glaring issue. No ability to save nor suspend the game in mid tournament. Surfice to say a tournament can last 2 1/2 - 5 straight hours of non-stop play. Now given the GBA has a suspend feature or could've used a temporary save/continue option, what bright person had the idea to force people to keep their pocket system (any pocket system) on for that amount of time with no way to suspend or power down the unit? Even if it had a password system, it could go a long way. I just can't progress in that game since I just don't have that kind of stretch of time to give to my GBA.

I guess the real surprise is how Nintendo didn't step in an demand they do something about it. I always thought it was a regulated thing like it was for the Neo Pocket and pretty much every other GBC/GBA/GB game I've played outside of it.

<small>[ August 19, 2003, 10:56 AM: Message edited by: Kirk Foiden ]</small>

 

[neobuyer]

I really dig this game, even on the small screen.

I think I actually prefer it on the small screen as it looks much crisper and robust.

Not that it doesn't look good on GBA player, but it's less 'wow' on the TV.

 

[jefmcc]

I think it's at least as good as Viewpoint. They are quite similar.

 

[ForeverSublime]

You have to keep in mind that the size of that game is only 8 megs. That's pretty impressive - considering there are 32 some odd music tracks.

 

[Snooptalian]

I like Iridion 2, it's a much better game than the first one. If you don't like that type of shmup then give Phalanx a try, it's not nearly as nice graphically, but the gameplay is there IMO.

 

[toy_brain]

Iridion 2 is a pleasant little shooter, its not stupidly hard like R-type, has nice, long levels, good music and nice graphics.
It's not particularly spectacular (apart from the asthetics), but it dosen't do anything wrong and is a bargin for $15.

Though I paid £30 for my copy and still dont regret it

Not the best shooter ever - not by a long shot, but lots of fun nonetheless.