There
is an era in video gaming that I like to call "BMS." (Before Metal
Slug) See, BMS, Contra was the 2-D Rambo style platforming shooter to beat. SNK,
always seeming to try and beat out the competition in every genre, put out a
nifty little shooter called "Cyber Lip." While not entirely
unplayable, it has a few annoying features that keep it from greatness.
Hordes of robotic, Terminator-like aliens are rampaging the world and the worlds super-computer has fallen into the wrong hands. What to do? Send in one guy (or two in two-player mode) to wipe 'em out and save the world. However, their choice of hero's seems a little off...
There's a flying robotic menace over your head firing down upon you at a rapid pace. What should be done? The obvious thing would be to take your oversized gun and fire straight up and take them down. Unfortunately, due to an incredibly stupid design descision, you can't fire upward....or at an angle. You are allowed to shoot left, right, and down when on a platform. This makes the game exceedingly difficult to play and would most likely frustrate anyone who touched the controller if it wasn't for the unlimited continues the game provides.
Now that the most glaring flaw is out of the way, it's suffice to say that
the games graphics have some of Metal Slugs characteristics such as the
hilarious enemy death animations and a whole lotta stuff blowing up. The games
cartoony style give the game a look all it's own and definitely makes it a
worthwhile play. Some of the bosses fill the screen with their ugliness and
some of the cinematics are truly priceless.
The amount of voice crammed into this cart is outstanding. Every level, your treated to a complete voice over mission briefing telling you what to expect. The games screams are hilarious at times (especially your main characters "I'm a goner!") and guns are as loud as you could ever want them. The music is there, but is lost in the background a majority of the time due to the constant exlplosions the game provides. A few other digitized sounds made their way into the game also, but their hardly noticeable and it almost makes it seem like a waste of cart space.
Looking at the entire package, it's really not a bad game. In fact, had the
programmers allowed players to shoot in the typical "8-firing
directions," this one could've been a classic. It almost seems like a
prequel to Metal Slug. All of the parts are there and the game is a great
ride, especially with two players. If the player can overlook one of the most
baffling design decisions in video game history, then this one should easily
satisfy a Geo gamers craving.
