There is a type of gamer out there who enjoys repetition, impossible levels, and turning their tv on its side. They still respect high scores, have a blatant disregard for physics, and live in a world of parallax error. They are shmup fans and they are the greatest people in the world. In a time when shmups reigned, the Master System had a surprisingly low amount of shooting games. However, these few games were of great quality, the awesome R-Type port, the beloved Fantasy Zone series, and best of all, Power Strike 2.

The original Power Strike was a conversion of the MSX game Aleste. It was renamed to Power Strike for release outside of Japan. A year later a sequal was released in Japan only, Aleste 2. Power Strike 2 is completely removed from this game and thank god.

Shmups aren't exactly known for their intricate story lines and Power Strike 2 doesn't really do anything to change that, but it does more than the standard 'you're the good guy, the guys coming from the top are bad, shoot them, large guy to follow' template. The game is set in the 1930s, the great depression of 1929 has forced Italy's pilots to become "sky pirates". You play as a hunky, blue glove wearing bounty hunter who is paid to hunt down and kill these pirates. No big threat to future of humanity here, you're just chasing that dollar and killing anyone that gets in your way.



While this isn't a study in video game plot construction, the setting is an important part in what is one of the most appealing visual styles the Master System has to offer. The enemies and bosses are straight out of a Jules Verne novel. From flying bronze mechanical oddities to giant sail powered air-ships, Power Strike 2 has an incredible range of stuff to destroy. The backgrounds are just as varied and beautiful. Whether Italian seaside, hillside encampment, or ancient ruin, each stage has an amazing level of detail and colour. The Master System's processing capabilities and colour palette are used to their maximum potential with this one.

The most impressive part of Power Strike's graphics is that despite all the enemy and bullet sprites on screen, the massive bosses, the changing backgrounds, and the game's fast pace, there is absolutely no flicker or slow down. It is games like this that they should hold up in programming classes as an example of how you can cheat a system's processing power and squeeze twice as much crap on screen than anyone thought possible. This is truly the prettiest game on the Master System and probably the best looking shmup of the 8-bit era.



Power Strike 2 is a true "pick up and play" shmup yet is complex enough to remain interesting. Your ship begins the first stage with a weakly powered primary gun and a special weapon of your choosing. The primary gun can be powered up by collecting the golden 'P' items while the secondary weapon is upgraded by collecting the numbered power ups. You can switch to any of the six secondary weapons at any point by collecting the corresponding number. The secondary weapons range from a spreading shotgun to Gradius style 'option' lasers. There are also additional power ups which rotate around your ship to protect it from enemy bullets as well as change the behavior of the primary weapon. Holding down the fire button fires both primary and secondary shots and also charges a special shot which is fired when the button is released. The other button is used to change the speed your ship moves, an important feature as the ship moves very fast.

There are eight stages in total, each begins with a suspiciously vague wanted poster of the criminal at large. Just assume they are inside the giant pirate ship shaped shuttle that has cannons and mechanical tentacles which appears when the background stops scrolling. Like most shmups of it's time it is hard but not so such that an unexperienced player can't get past the first stage. For someone who prefers a modern bullet hell shooter over the slow, clunky shooters of the 80s, this is probably the closest an 8 bit title gets to that modern, fast-paced feel.




So here we are sitting on what I consider the Master System's most under-appreciated game, yet I fear all this writing will have little effect. Shmup fans will certainly have already played and loved it, people who care about the Master System will have a hard time tracking down a cartridge, and people who don't really care probably wont take the time to download and emulate it. If that last type of person is you, take my advice and get this game. This is the best Sega and old school shooting has to offer.


More gems:
The Ninja
Golden Axe Warrior
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Action Fighter