Playstation 3 gamers are receiving a healthy dose of classic gaming thanks to SNK-PLAYMORE. Time Soldiers, released in 1987, is an overhead shooter where the player travels through four different time periods – The Primitive Age, The Age of Rome, The World of Wars, and The Age of War and Future World – to rescue soldiers that were imprisoned by the evil Gylend.
As you battle your way through the different time periods you must kill dinosaurs, cavemen, soldiers, tanks, and enormous mid and end level bosses. The X button fires your primary weapon while Circle button fires your secondary. Your secondary weapon has limited ammo and can only be used when a power up is acquired. A gauge located at the top of the screen keeps track of ammo.
The player is shown the name of a comrade and what time period he’s imprisoned in at the beginning of each level. Using a D-Scanner, the player can jump between time periods. Showing up in the wrong time period results in a midboss battle. Once you have found the correct time period, you must reach the end of the level and battle a boss before you can rescue the soldier.
The coin-op used an 8-way rotary joystick. This allowed the player to move forward and rotate their character a full 360 degrees. This version of Time Soldiers uses the L1 and R1 buttons in place of the rotary joystick. While functional, tapping the shoulder buttons to turn around can be cumbersome, especially when you’re overwhelmed by enemies. But with that gripe aside, the controls are rock-solid and work quite well when you get used to them.
Like Gang Wars, SNK’s Time Soldiers is a timeless classic (no pun intended). The graphics, sound effects, and even the gameplay have aged considerably well over the years. Some classic games tend to show their age, but in Time Soldier’s case, you’re getting a difficult shooter with lasting appeal. Now how can you go wrong with that?
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
ESRB: N/A
Price: $2.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Classic 2D graphics that have stood the test of time | |
| Sound | |
| Decent sound effects that include explosions and screams | |
| Gameplay | |
| Shmup fans will enjoy the challenging gameplay. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| This is one classic that all gamers should experience. | |
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