Pop'n TwinBee is fantastic - a complete refinement of the series with rebalanced gameplay that serves as a great entry point for those getting into shmups, and with plenty of lighthearted whimsy which would make even the biggest cynic smile. Another 16-bit Konami classic.

The third Twinbee game is the best so far; the awkward horizontal stages from Stinger have been removed allowing the true essence of what makes Twinbee appealing to be fully realized. Great graphics, Imaginative bosses, and a catchy soundtrack make this a Japanese-only release that is definitely worth a playthrough!

Humble beginnings, the Xevious inspiration is clear but there are enough unique qualities here to set it apart. You're probably not going to pick this as your go-to unless you're an oldie but its cute, colourful, and simple mechanics make this an easy game to recommend for those interested in retro gaming.

Completely blew through this one on auto-pilot - a real disappointment. It's just a bland shmup that doesn't do anything to stand out.

This is the same game as Jungle Hunt for the 2600, but with a Pirate theme. The rounds go by pretty quickly, and it's fun to see how far you can go. Definitely a reflex game, you'll probably get tired of it pretty quickly but the quick-loop means you'll probably come back occasionally to beat your score if that's your sort of thing.

I have to assume this was Konami's answer to games like Gun.Smoke, Commando and Ikari Warriors, but it doesn't do much to stand out. It's fine really, surprisingly more fair than I expected from a Konami arcade release of this vintage, the typical last level quarter-muncher notwithstanding. if ranked, It'd probably fall somewhere in the middle of Konami's arcade output for the time - It's clearly a trend-chaser rather than an innovator, which isn't necessarily a negative but you'd be forgiven for forgetting it exists; Konami sure did.

Give it a go with infinite credits and experience the absolute pinnacle of voice acting, or play it with limited credits and go absolutely mental at the complete lack of thought put into the game balance. Go ahead, I'm not your dad.

This is a fascinating game, a real product of its time that would never happen now due to corporate control over licensed properties - It's definitely a rare case of the official product feeling like a bootleg. The game itself is pretty rough if ambitious, but as a product of its time, it's pretty wild to look back on and see how this Japanese team made their own spin on the Turtle brand.

Equal measures style and substance, this is not only the best classic TMNT game by a far margin but also one of the best 90s beat 'em ups in general. Lightning in a bottle.

Capcom's stealth sequel to U.N. Squadron is rock solid if a little bland.

The 90s definitely saw some pretty rapid changes in the SHMUP genre which is probably why this one has become forgotten by most. It doesn't feel outdated by any means, but it also isn't very exciting which makes it hard to recommend over its contemporaries. Play if you enjoyed U.N. Squadron and/or are curious about Capcoms arcade history.

I dare you to name a more powerful combination than a 90's Japanese composer and Red Book audio.

This is what happens when we let Bri'ish people touch Mega Man.

Was surprised to see that this 8-bit version has a decent reputation as I had a miserable time with it. For curiosity, after I finished I tried the Game Gear version and I soon realized why. If you're going to play this stay well away from the Master System version, I don't know exactly what happened but the team who ported it must've thought that proper hit detection was a recommendation rather than a necessity. I still don't think it's a great game however you play it but at least it isn't soul-crushing on Game Gear - you can do much better than this even with 8-bit hardware.

I really need to learn to not be baited into playing kusoge by the allure of pixelated cheesecake. This is an awful game that is so choppy it will probably make you sick. (I give one star because I did in fact receive the promised cake)

The missing link between the brawler and the modern character action game, Kaze Kiri is nearly ruined by its extremely repetitive gameplay loop.

Every level plays out the same way, with each area giving you a set number of enemies to beat before pushing you onto a boss. There is no platforming, each level is just a long hallway. It's good then that the core control is super solid, with a surprisingly deep combat system. It appears clunky at first but once you get the hang of it you'll be surprised at what you can pull off. The bosses are also really fun, the combat system excels in one on one encounters. The sprite work (especially in cutscenes) is top-notch and is reminiscent of Naxat Soft's other PC Engine games like Fausetté Amour.

It honestly feels like a proof of concept, the small team that worked on this clearly did their best with the time they had and I think with more varied levels this probably could have been one of the best games on the platform. As it is now though, its worth a go just to try out the combat systems.