By Anthony Swinnich on November 2nd, 2005

The Colors of Heroes
As you could have probably guessed, players will reprise the roles of the titular Gunstar Heroes in Gunstar Super Heroes. You can pick between the aptly named Red, who wears red armor, and Blue, who obviously wears blue. In fact, all of the characters in the series have a color for a name, and all reprise their roles in this pseudo-sequel. General Gray is the main villain, Green controls the legendary Seven Force, and Yellow is the Gunstars’ aid. More are revealed as the game goes on, and their personality usually matches their color.

Fans of the old game will also recognize the weapons, though they’ve gone through a metamorphosis of sorts. Each Gunstar has three weapons total. Red and Blue both have a green homing laser, which replaces the first games green homing stars, and a short-range explosion shot, similar to the shotgun in Metal Slug that replaces the fire-shot. Both Gunstars have their own unique attack as well-- Red’s unique shot is a rapid-firing line of big orange bullets, and Blue’s is a rapid-firing line of blue lasers.

Unfortunately weapons can’t be combined like they could be in the first game, but each weapon has its own unique super-shot that can be performed by pressing R twice. Aside from that, the Gunstars can attack with a sword, slide, uppercut, and jump-kick enemies, which provides players with a lot of options during combat.

Repeat Performance
The characters and weapons aren’t the only thing Gunstar Super Heroes retains from it’s predecessor though-- many of the levels are quite similar to the original ones as well. Around three quarters of the games stages and enemies are inspired by those in the Genesis version. As you can imagine, the space-shooter stage returns, as do the game board boss-battle room, and the mining-cart stage; Seven Force boss battle and all. Those are only three of many returning areas, so rest assured you’ll feel right at home if you’ve played the original.

The new stages usually offer tribute to some other SEGA classics. I already knew that Afterburner was one of the games that would receive this treatment, but I giggled thoroughly when I realized that one of the stages paid tribute to the SEGA Genesis’ Flicky.

It’s great seeing the old stages on the GBA though, because they look even better than they did on the Genesis. I knew the GBA had some impressive horsepower, but the things Treasure does with this tiny handheld machine makes me believe they made a deal with Satan himself. All of your favorite 2D tricks are present here, and there is absolutely no slowdown. Not once did too many enemies slow things to a crawl, or did a massive explosion make the game move like it was submerged in molasses. Ever. Treasure wasn’t joking when they said they learned how to push the system to its limits without sacrifice.

Deja-vu has never been better
Some might call Treasure lazy for re-using stages from the original in the GBA version, but it’s not a problem that most of the stages return for two reasons. The first being that many people didn’t play the original, so now they’ll get to experience what can almost be considered a directors cut of the original Genesis classic. Even the story, while technically a continuation, is comprised of almost the same exact events; a slight disappointment, but it still works out in the end.

Secondly, and more importantly, the stages play even better as a single-player adventure than they did in the first game. The flow of the action is smoother, and enemies come in manageable, yet challenging waves. The first game was built for a co-operative experience, and it was clearly evident in single-player mode; in Gunstar Super Heroes, it’s clear they wanted the experience to be as good as possible when playing solo. Actually, while most stages resemble the originals, not one of them is really even close in terms of design aside from the most basic principles and aesthetics.

While every aspect of this game was redesigned and tweaked to play better as a single-player game, it brings me to the game’s main downfall: no co-operative play. I’m sure there are really good reasons as to why Treasure didn’t include it, but it’s really a shame they didn’t. Gunstar Super Heroes doesn’t play any worse because of it, but one of the reasons the original is a game people still go through today time and time again is the amazing co-op mode. Oh well, I suppose there’s always the possibility of a DS version.

Blatant and Shameless: Buy This Now
The most important thing to note about Gunstar Super Heroes is that like the original, you’re never doing the same thing for more than a few minutes. Seriously, Gradius-style space-shooter stages are directly followed by Contra-style shooting stages, which then can lead to crazy boss fights with rotating rooms.

The fact that you’re never really experiencing the same thing that often makes keeps the game fresh for a longer period of time, and while it’s a short game, it’s likely you’ll play through with both characters at least once each, if not more. There isn’t anything in terms of unlockables, but the stages are jam-packed with tiny touches and little details you won’t notice a first time through.

To say it plain and simple, Gunstar Super Heroes is a game no GBA owner should be without. Chances are you haven’t played the original, and if that’s the case this game will be one of the most amazing and original 2D games you’ll ever play. There isn’t a game with more style, grace, variety, and technical wizardry on the GBA, making Gunstar Super Heroes one for every GBA owner.