Fantasy Zone

"For an old game this is sure as hell fun!"

I'm not sure how well-known this game is, but it's a shame there's not more info about it. It's an unlicensed game, meaning that though it's for the NES it wasn't licensed by Nintendo. It's one of those games that's addicting and frustrating at the same time, but on the whole worth a buy...or a download if you happen to be using an emulator.
Gameplay 10-10. It's a space shooter...or rather a planet shooter. Each level is a planet with a different background, all of which are teaming with monsters and eight big ships which must be destroyed if you want to continue. A cool thing about this game is that let's say you destroyed all but one of the eight ships in a stage and then died. Well, all the ones you destroyed won't come back. This is no easy game though. Bosses can get really frustrating, particularly the boss of level 6.
Control 10-10. It's not hard to learn, but I advise using a controler with the turbo capability for rapid fire. It makes boss fights a lot easier, believe me!
Audio 10-10. Though the sound quality is poor by today's standards, nothing is openly annoying, though the boss theme can become a little annoying after a while, and the high-pitched tune of level seven can leave a ringing in your ears if it's too loud. The theme for the final area of the game (I haven't actually beaten it because level 8 is a boss gauntlet), starts out dark and menacing and becomes very fast while remaining dark. The theme for the shops can get a little annoying after a while, but come on. Who's gonna sit around in the shops all day? The boss victory theme is cool too, as is the ending theme. How do I know? Because I have an NSF soundtrack complete with all the Atari-ish SFX. Now let's talk about those. They bring to mind games on the Atari 2600, but they sound like the composer tried to make them convincing, and then ya gotta remember that we're talking about a very old game here, not something for the PSX. I don't want to think how they'd mangle a PSX port of a Fantasy Zone game. We can do without all the extra stuff, thanks.
Story ? Well, from what I gather you're Opa-opa, a spacecraft sent to stop an invading alien army. Fight your way through seven stages and one boss gauntlet, followed by one last stage containing a few enemies. I have never gotten that far. I'm still working on that boss gauntlet.
Overall 10-10. Truly a classic, even if it isn't that well-known.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/00, Updated 03/01/03