Trouble Witches Neo! is a side-scrolling shooter game released by SNK Playmore (the people responsible for Neo Geo and the various arcade and console games). In a way the game is (at least from my point of view) a spiritual successor to Twinkle Star Sprites. You basically defeat enemies and bosses to collect various coins and upgrades while progressing through the various levels of the game.
Since I am a fan (as well as a few other fellow bloggers) of the shooting games I had to give this game a go. It definitely was a lot of fun, also brought back a lot of memories of plopping quarters into the various Neo Geo cabs that housed games that were similar to this.
The game is definitely bright and vibrant in its colors and delivery, with my only complaint being in the voice-acting department. I think the game would have benefitted from the Japanese voice actors speaking in their native tongue rather than the broken and often times barely audible English. I actually had to turn up my TV at full volume just to hear what the characters were actually saying a lot of the time. There was one instance where one of the characters referred to a “bowl” as a “bowel” which is kind of funny, but overall it does nothing for the experience. Especially, for those of us who have played a lot of the classic shooters from our arcade days. The scoring system is also a bit confusing.
There are some (or only one) unlockable characters that you can get when you finish the game all of the way through. There is also some new characters that you can download as well. You can also pick up various weapon and defense upgrades throughout the game. There definitely some challenge to try to make it through each level without dying.
Overall I really enjoyed Trouble Witches, it is a lot of fun but I would also like to see a lot of the classic Neo Geo shooters get re-released for XBLA and anyone else’s console for those of us who still would like to enjoy playing them. If not, there is always emulation (sorry, don’t have the funds to go the collector route).
The Heretic
You’ve tried so many games, movies & books you really should be a pro, Michael! But your creative course is your new direction, thinking… Hope it’s going wonderfully
I’m no pro. There are those who have played way more games than myself. My experience is what I have played from over the years from what I remember about the games I enjoy to what I am currently (sometime still) playing and enjoying.