In what has to be one of the most unfortunately named games in recent memory, Sega has brought two of their more obscure light gun titles to Nintendo’s Wii. Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack is the latest legacy collection to grace consoles. You may be scratching your head at the names of these games unless you were a huge arcade follower in the late 90s. After a decade these games certainly don’t hold up in terms of visual appeal, but if you are a fan of arcade light gun shooters, both of these titles should definitely scratch your itch for the genre.
I don’t feel the need to go into story details here. Suffice it to say you fly around on futuristic helicopters shooting enemies and saving the world. It is ridiculous and chock full of cheesy dialogue, but that is half the charm of these classic arcade games. Both titles feel extremely similar, but once you load up L.A. Machineguns, the graphical difference is apparent.
Speaking of visuals I am not going to lie here. These games are absolutely repugnant. Even by Wii standards these games have not aged well. Both are presented in traditional SD format to preserve their original aspect ratio, and the screen is plagued with simple animations and a serious lack of textures. Of course these are arcade games, and it was more about speed and flash back then. Again if you have played the games before, be prepared for a carbon copy of what was sought after in arcades over a decade ago.
Probably the most disappointing aspect of this compilation though is a lack of new content. Sure you get two games, and they are truly a blast to play, but outside of leaderboards this is a bare-bones package. Anything extra would have been nice, but as it stands you can blast through both games in an afternoon and get your entire fill. There just isn’t much to keep you coming back for more outside of boosting your score.
Much like this review this collection is short and sweet. Arcade junkies will appreciate these two niche titles finally being available outside of tracking down the cabinets, and the Wii is the perfect platform to release them on. If you spent hours at the local arcade pumping quarters into games like Terminator and Sniper Scope, than you will likely enjoy what Sega has packaged here. For $30 it is hard to argue the value as long as you know what you are getting into. Sure the graphics are hideous, the games are extremely short, but the fun still shines through.
Review copy provided by publisher.