Re-Releases You Should Play - Part 6

If you've played them before, play them again. If you haven't consider taking these out for a spin.

Arcade Archives OMEGA FIGHTER (NS, PS4)

As per usual for games in this genre, Earth is in danger from a threat from space. Rather than fly through different themed stages, you assault one huge mother ship that sends out waves of enemies to attack you. Each stage takes place on a different section of the mother ship, giving level structure a unique feel from most shooters.

Its pretty common for SHMUPs to have a multiplier system and Omega Fighter is no exception. Achieving a high multiplier in Omega Fighter, however is much simpler than in other shoots for one reason: its proximity based. The closer you are to an enemy when making a kill, the higher the score you'll earn, which turns Omega Fighter into a very addictive shooter. Getting up close and personal is highly encouraged. You can even score points by dying. Got a few extra lives? Kamikaze into a group of enemies. Doing so on one the bigger ones with a high multiplier and you just might see your score go through the roof.

There are on two shot types, Iron and Wide. Iron gives your fire more killing power but your range is decreased. Conversely, Wide gives you more range at reduced rapid fire. Both of these types of shots can be powered up to high levels but playing with max Iron is extremely risk as your bullets are roughly the size of your ship. But if you want to crank up that score faster, Iron is the way to go. Wide is for those that wish to play it safe. When things get to hectic, use the Slow assist to bring all of your enemies to a snail's pace. Yes, slowdown is actually an helping item in this game. Crush all is your usual screen nuke.

Omega Fighter was originally released in 1989, but it was so far ahead of its time. With all kinds of ways to rack up high scores UPL's shooter has a lot more going for it than its basic looks would lead you to believe.

Also Available on: ARC

2064: Read Only Memories INTEGRAL (NS)

After finishing up a review for a pair of headphones in your rundown apartment, your humdrum life gets a lot more interesting when the dome headed machine, Turing shows up. Well, OK, more like broke in, but the little metal man has good reason for it. Hayden, Turing's creator has been abducted  and seeing as how you know Hayden and you are a journalist, Turing has decided you'd be the best person to work with to find him.

The year is 2064 and in this version of the future hybrids (a cross between humans and animals) and ROMs (that would be the species Turing falls under) are common place but the world is far from being a utopia. Thanks to the efforts of the Human Revolution, hybrids are heavily discriminated against. In some ways, the issues that plague the world of 2064 aren't all that different from the ones we face in the reality, but Read Only Memories story is told on such a mature level that it never comes off as preachy or heavy handed. There are multiple endings based on the very choices you make throughout the game, giving this cyberpunk/adventure title some nice replay value.

Your search for answers will take you across Neo-San Francisco where you'll chat it up with hackers, street punks, detectives, rich elderly folks and fuzzy attorneys among others. Pixel visuals are everywhere in the indie game field, but they still managed to impress. Close up shots convey the various moods of Turing and other characters quite well as they are thankfully not regulated to static photo images. The soundtrack is equally as impressive, playing thumbing beats when you're in a club or more somber pieces when the tone is less than lively. I purchased this sucker off Bandcamp after hearing a handful of tracks. I didn't need to hear all of it to know that it was something I had to have.

The Switch version, dubbed INTEGRAL has some features not present on previous releases such as a digital art book and an all new side story. Plus, you know, that whole play anywhere appeal the Switch is so famous for. I'm not big into the adventure genre, but this is a game I have really gotten a lot out of so I recommend giving it a look.

Also Available on: PS4, PSV, PC, XBO