SEGA'S Galaxy Force II is a massive is a massive hydraulic arcade machine which appeared towards the end of last year. It's one of the of the most impressive coinops yet to appear, and boasts state-of-the-art 3D graphics controlled by no less than one 16-bit and two 32-bit processors.

We were, therefore, naturally skeptical about a Sega conversion. Had they bitten off far more than they could chew? The answer, astonishingly, appears to be no. It's an excellent conversion that fully captures the spirit and atmosphere of the original machine.

The player takes control of an attack craft and flies a series of solo suicide missions Afterburner-style into four different enemy territories: three planet scenes (volcanic, arctic and jungle) and also heavily trafficked space.

At the start of a game, one of these levels is selected and the mission begins. First of all you battle with squadrons of enemy craft, which launch missiles at you. If you're attempting a planet run, the ground scrolls swiftly beneath you and you also have to watch out for natural hazards pertaining to that particular world - whirlwinds on the arctic planet and great plumes of fire in the volcano world, for example.

Contact with an enemy craft or natural hazard deplete's your ship's shield, shown at the bottom left of the screen. If the shield is diminished entirely, the mission ends.

Fortunately the ship can give as good as it gets, and is capable of firing an endless stream of bullets and homing missiles, which lock onto to enemy targets that are in range.

If you manage to survive long enough, you reach the second part of the mission - the tunnel. Here you have to fly down a twisting and well-defined tunnel, avoiding missiles and walls (hitting them takes very large chunks of your shield), to reach the nerve centre, which you should take out with a volley of homing missiles to complete that level. Bonus points are awarded for the amount of enemy craft destroyed, your shields are topped up, and it's on to the next mission.

Sega have certainly managed to fit a gallon into a pint pot with this conversion. Galaxy Force II has all the thrills and spills of the original machine, and although a few corners have been cut, just about all the game features of the coin-op have been included.

The graphics are occasionally jerky, but the sprites are colourful and the 3D effect is fast and convincing - the fiery planet scene is particularly good. Sound is also neat, with fair tunes and effects.

Four levels might not sound like very much - but Galaxy Force II is a tough game and will keep even the nimblest fingered shoot 'em up fan happy for weeks.

Julian Rignall

GRAPHICS

7

IQ FACTOR

1

AUDIO

7

FUN FACTOR

9

ACE RATING

815

£24.99 OUT NOW
No other versions planned

Rating

82

Reviewer

ACE magazine

Region

UK

Scans

ACE-Magazine-Issue22?gallerypage=57

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