Through a slough of other side-scrolling shooters already established on the Virtual Console comes Gunstar Heroes, a manga inspired action game appearing originally on the Sega Genesis.
Gunstar 9 has been taken under the rule of the sinister Colonel Red, and it’s up to the Gunstar twins to take back what is theirs, using whatever means necessary—firepower usually, lots and lots of firepower. Through the 7 stages that you come up against, you will often be faced with multiple bosses, what seems like a million enemies, and a few quirky puzzles thrown in for good measure. Although the game is essentially quite short the cooperative 2 player option, and over a dozen weapon customizations keeps the experience alive for quite a while.
Although Gunstar Heroes is nearing it’s 14 year milestone, the visuals still hold up remarkably well. From the colorful backgrounds, to the detailed sprites, it’s almost as fun to look at is it is to play! Straying away from the generic level design of many of the other side-scrolling action games of the era, Gunstar Heroes has you battling foes in all sorts of obscure locations, keeping things fresh and interesting. Even with so much happening on screen, your character moves quickly and fluently, being able to shoot his bizarre weapons nearly 360 degrees.
Even though Gunstar Heroes has a very limited number of stages, each one is long, and always has you trying to go in with new weapons each time around, making it dangerously addictive, especially since it can be brutally hard, making for a scary mixture for those around you. Gunstar Heroes has held up well over the years, and with the 800 point price tag, it’s crazy to pass it up, as it is hands down one of the best games in the ever expanding library of the Virtual Console.
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