Attack chopper
I do love a good shooter, and developed G.Rev has made some of my favorites from the early 2000s on. They were responsible for the outstanding Border Down for arcades and Dreamcast and are comprised of ex-Taito developers who worked on games like G-Darius and Raystorm, so that pedigree was definitely there. Under Defeat was originally released in 2005 for the ill-fated Dreamcast long after it was already dead. It was then re-released as Under Defeat HD in 2013 for that generation of consoles, which we reviewed back in the day. Now two decades later the game returns with some fancy new features and visual upgrades, and anyone who enjoys the genre should take notice.
So, what makes Under Defeat stand out among the literal sea of shooters? It is the mechanics for sure. The game is a vertical scrolling shooter, but the hook is that you can angle your craft slightly left and right at an angle to hit enemies from the side while dodging bullets. Holding the fire button will lock the players in place allowing them to strafe. It sounds simple, but in practice it takes a while to master it. Having to hold the proper angle while dodging the onslaught makes for a great challenge.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
The weapons are pretty standard fare with a primary fire, two secondary attacks, and of course bombs. The bombs are constantly refilled, so be sure to utilize them frequently. The secondary weapons have a unique mechanic of charging when not fired. This makes for a nice push and pull of attacking with them. They are also designed to be more effective against different enemies, so a good strategy for knowing which to grab for each section is imperative.
You can blow through the main campaign in under an hour, which is common for these types of games, but I couldn’t do it on my first try. The idea is to learn each of the five levels and figure out the best route to take and how to handle enemies and bosses. The game is hard, but not quite as hard as some of G-Rev’s other titles.
The graphics look outstanding. I love the angled view of the battlefield and there is a ton going on at all times. The little details in each level really takes me back to the glory days of Naomi hardware. I just loved that aesthetic when it was released. It made for some of the best arcade games of all-time. This new version has completely redrawn visuals from the 2013 HD version, and it looks outstanding. Everything looks sharp and moves fast, which is a must for this type of game. The music is great, and this version features three versions to choose from. Composed by Shinji Hosoe, who also worked on Ridge Racer, it is very energetic, and I loved the arranged versions of the tunes.
Everything is here for this release as well. All the paid DLC, tons of items to check out in the gallery, online leaderboards, and more. There are three main modes, tons of visual and audio options, and just so much content. This is the definitive version of the game. Under Defeat is a game that feels like it never got a chance to breathe, so it is nice to finally have the ultimate version of the game available for just about every modern console and PC. This is a must have for shooter fans, definitely worth the price of admission.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
