Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker

The Good
ImageFight came out in 1988 in the arcades and it was quite different to the other shooters that were released around the same time, especially when it came to game mechanics. Irem, the Japanese company who bought us the original game, came out with a sequel three years later. It was only released in Japan for the PC-Engine Super CD-ROM2 System. Those who have played the original game would be familiar with the concept.

You pilot a fighter that goes through a series of vertically-scrolling levels, gathering weapons and pods. The pods behave differently depending on their color (red and blue), and each one has their advantages and disadvantages. You can also launch these pods at enemies, too. In the first few stages, you are also accessed on your performance. Perform badly and you enter a penalty stage before beginning real combat.

The first difference between this game and the original is the addition of cinematics that play between the stages. The audio for each cinematic is stored as CD tracks. These cinematics help the story flow along, and it is just like watching an anime movie. The second difference is the reworked soundtrack, essentially a remix of the music from the original game. I enjoyed the original’s stage two music and was disappointed that it didn’t make it in this game.

The game is excellent in the graphic department. There are large ships all over each stage, and the end bosses look great, with each one having their own attack patterns that you need to remember. On stage two, you are flying over a couple of satellites, looking down at cities that look like they were constructed in SimCity. Meanwhile, stage nine has ships with openings that resemble the mouth of a pelican, and about seven ships are released through it.

The Bad
Irem was inconsistent with the cinematics. Although English subtitles accompany the introduction, the same cannot be said about subsequent cinematics where you have a lot of Japanese dialogue. Also, they are restricted to a small window.

The Bottom Line
ImageFight II comes across as an upgrade rather than a sequel, with new additions including better graphics, cinematics, and remixes of the original game's soundtracks. As I said, people who have already played the first game will feel right at home here.