Mark MSX
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Writing For
Nintendo Life Latest Reviews
Both the Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha and Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo collections are pretty close in value to one another. While Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is perhaps the better of the two due to the consistent quality of the Strikers games, we also harbour a soft spot for the Gunbird series on Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo, especially Gunbird 2. Sengoku Cannon is so poor it might as well not exist in the collection, but Samurai Aces Episode 1 and Gunbarich are stronger than Alpha's Sol Divide and Zero Gunner 2, so which collection is better is mostly going to come down to preference between the Gunbird or Strikers series. Another constant between them, sadly, is the high level of input lag and lack of bonus material to make the collection really stand out.
There's a lot to take in when reviewing a package like Darius Cozmic Collection and we wish that it had been released in a single version which includes all of the bonus games, but it is safe to say that this release floats somewhere between the barebone lack-of-care ports like the Psikyo ZeroDiv releases and the passionate ocean of love that are M2's ShotTrigger ports. Darius Cozmic Collection, with its save-states (though limited), replay function, controller configuration (again limited), and selection of games is ahead of the competition, although M2 has since proven it can do much better with the excellent ESP Ra.De Psi. In comparison to the robust accessibility features, extra modes, soundtracks, and overall polish seen in that game, this release does fall short to the gold standard set by its ShotTriggers brethren – but if you're a fan of shmups or have even the slightest degree of affection for Darius, this remains a recommended purchase.