J.J. Squawkers (ARC, 1993)
Graphics-8 Sound-7.5 Control-7.5 Challenge-7.5* Story-5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5* Fun-7.5* Originality-6
Overall Score-7.5
*1-player
+
Surreal theme
2-player co-op
Some mini-bosses
Good variation
Mixes in one auto-scrolling segment
Pretty good bosses overall (they go down fast with an upgraded weapon though, the dragon and the final boss have multiple phases)
Upgradeable rate of fire and weapon strength
Difficulty options (4 modes, starting HP, coin worth, bonus life points intervals)
A couple of levels have one alternate path
Some large sprites (two multi-jointed bosses)
+/-
Some mid-air control
Level timers
Respawn on the spot for the most part (if you fall down a pit you're moved back a couple of screens)
4-way aiming (some weapons have a spread though)
Can crawl slowly (pointless)
Grab the stars mini-game after beating a boss (Fantasy Zone) - give points for lives here
Can jump to reach further horizontally with some weapons but not upwards
-
No auto-fire
No weapon inventory
Some trial & error (boss patterns, platforming in space segment)
Some control issues (can't move while firing, can only shoot straight up with certain weapons)
Difficulty spike in the final level (boss gauntlet, stop respawning on the spot (respawning right before each boss instead) - lose all upgrades after death
A bit short
One or two annoying music tracks
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5* Fun-7.5* Originality-6
Overall Score-7.5
*1-player
+
Surreal theme
2-player co-op
Some mini-bosses
Good variation
Mixes in one auto-scrolling segment
Pretty good bosses overall (they go down fast with an upgraded weapon though, the dragon and the final boss have multiple phases)
Upgradeable rate of fire and weapon strength
Difficulty options (4 modes, starting HP, coin worth, bonus life points intervals)
A couple of levels have one alternate path
Some large sprites (two multi-jointed bosses)
+/-
Some mid-air control
Level timers
Respawn on the spot for the most part (if you fall down a pit you're moved back a couple of screens)
4-way aiming (some weapons have a spread though)
Can crawl slowly (pointless)
Grab the stars mini-game after beating a boss (Fantasy Zone) - give points for lives here
Can jump to reach further horizontally with some weapons but not upwards
-
No auto-fire
No weapon inventory
Some trial & error (boss patterns, platforming in space segment)
Some control issues (can't move while firing, can only shoot straight up with certain weapons)
Difficulty spike in the final level (boss gauntlet, stop respawning on the spot (respawning right before each boss instead) - lose all upgrades after death
A bit short
One or two annoying music tracks