It's okay, as far as 1984 lightgun standards go. You may not get much out of it nowadays though, other than satisfying your historial curiosity. One funny thing that kept happening is me constantly accidentally shooting the cops, because with their grin and the way they hold the baton, I kept mistaking them for the bad guys. Maybe that says more about me than the game's design, but it kept happening!

The graphics are colorful and appealing, but everything else wears out its welcome fast. The controls are sluggish, and the jump feels awful from the moment you press A. Once you've played one level, it's likely you've had your fill like I did.

When you're able to upgrade your ship and start blasting lasers, there's a very satisfying "power play" kind of feeling this game gives you. However, it's soul-crushing to get hit once and lose all your upgrades. It's quite punishing, which will be a love or hate it thing for some. I was only able to beat it using rewind, and for what it's worth, I had an enjoyable time doing so. For an early NES game, it's not all that bad.

It's incredible just how well this game holds up, even 37 years later. Tight, weighty controls and fast-paced level design. Short, sweet, and fun. The lack of air control makes for some stressful gameplay, but I feel that's part of its design. Extra lives are also quite stingy unless you know the game really well, but there's warp pipes to make up for that.

Fun remake, albeit not necessarily a replacement to the original. The way it remixes the original game's elements kinda make it its own thing. Exploration may feel a bit overwhelming at times due to the sheer amount of detail and clutter that each area contains. Explains why they needed to mark stuff with yellow paint. Combat and upgrading stuff is still very satisfying, and as much as I prefer the original, I'd still come back to this every now and then.