The first 80% of Gunstar Heroes isn’t that hard for seasoned vets but after that point the last five levels or so are so freaking hard that you’ll be playing them over and over again just to try to learn the secrets to beat them. That being said, I was only playing on normal difficulty so I can’t imagine what it’s like on Expert. If you’re a fan of tons of things on screen at once that you must destroy quickly in order to advance then you’re probably already a fan of Treasure games and will surely be a fan of this one once you get your hands on it.

What’s also unique and interesting about the game is that the main character has a bunch of unique abilities. He can slide on the ground, grab and throw enemies of any size, jump kick, bounce off walls, and of course shoot like crazy with whichever weapon you have equipped.

I guess my only gripes with the game are that the animations are really lacking and choppy. That and of course there is noticeable slowdown when the mighty 2D particle effects kick in. Add on also some trial and error gameplay that a lot of the time depends solely on luck and your ability to acquire certain weapons and you’ve got a less than perfect experience. It’s pretty annoying that the only way I could get through some areas was with the seeking gun and it didn’t always drop for me. Oh well, it’s still a blast to play!

• Excellent level and enemy design
  
• Great weapons and attack moves
  
• Decent length for an action game

• Genesis graphics and animation
  
• Cheap deaths abound