Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins

"Another solid Capcom remake"

Wow, does this game bring back some fond and not so fond memories. I remember going to my friends house and playing this and his father would help us finally reach the last boss only to find out we missed a ton of stuff and now need to go back and replay most of these tough levels. If you can't remember those days then perhaps this title isn't for you. Capcom continues its PSP remake selection with Ultimate Ghouls N Ghosts. Does it hold up to the standards that the Mega Man remake made or is it less than stellar? Read on!

Arthur's chick has been kidnapped by some demon and now he must go save. Yeah, it's kind of like Mario for the more hardcore gamer. Plot isn't deep but this is a game all about its game play.

Graphic wise this game has had a major overhaul and what's funny is that before playing this I was playing Gauntlet on the LIVE arcade. These graphics look nice though. Very rich and nicely detailed. Not as cartoon like the Mega Man graphics were and I really like how much color is used and some of the effects are really cool. I like the waves of blood in the second level. The levels are very nicely done.

Sound wise the game is pretty solid. No voice acting and the music seemed to be either remakes of the original songs, or the same songs. They all seemed familiar at least. Sound effects are good and nicely varied. Not blow you away but good none the less.

The control is very easy to get use you. X is jump, circle is magic, down uses your shield and square is your attack button. Besides that the other buttons just bring up your menus. Simple to get the hang of and that's a must for a game like this.

If you've played the original game then you know the basic idea of the game but many things are new. If you haven't played this I do recommend starting on the easiest setting and working your way up. On the easiest setting you start right where you die and your armor works as health. On the hardest setting it's a bit rougher as you can be set a ways back, less frequent save spots and the armor doesn't seem to offer a health bar to judge it by.

The levels are all 2D and linear to a degree. With in each level are a number of hidden chests. Jump over certain spots, hit certain things and they will appear. This requires a lot of messing around and can suck up some time. The levels do have a time limit but it is far. Enemies tend to swarm you at times if you don't kill them right away and some enemies are a major pain. Bosses are big and bad and put up a nice challenge.

What's new to this title you may ask? Different shields that give different powers. Magic that is rather varied and useful. How about different armor with different effects like wings and other such things. It's really sweet and adds a little extra seasoning to an already well done title. The new things alone keep things fresh enough for those who mastered the game a long time ago.

The game isn't the longest thing around but needing to collect all of the rings and other things can take a while. I beat it in a matter of days but what's great about it is the fact that you can start on the lower setting and get far enough that you'll want to play a slightly harder version. At least that's what it made me feel like doing.

Would I recommend this title to buy? yes and no. if you find it for $30 or less it's worth the price but not any higher because lets face it, it is a remake and it's kind of silly that Capcom wants $40 for this game. A solid game, yes, but a remake. This was just a rental for me but I'm going to be buying this title when I see it for cheaper. A solid title and one that will last a while for anyone new to the series.

Story - 6/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 6/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay value - 7/10

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/06