Sonic 4 isn’t the only 2D continuation of a classic series to look out for this year. I’ve been awaiting Konami’s Rocket Knight with much anticipation. Rocket Knight is the long overdue sequel to Konami’s Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster games from the 16-bit era. The latest version uses 3D models, but the gameplay is 2D, similar to the Megadrive games, plus some horizontal shooting sections. Since it’s being developed by a new team, there are some differences, especially the art style, but the core gameplay and the storyline looks to be heavily influenced by previous titles.
It’s coming out on May 12 for Steam, Playstation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade, so if you own a 360, PS3, or PC be sure to give the demo a try. I’ll post my thoughts once I’ve played it.
I was pretty impressed with the demo, had 490 points in my account so bought another 800 to buy the game for 1200. Too bad to see that it’s a full $15 for a game that’s only supposed to take about an hour, but there looks like a solid amount of replay value to get all of the achievements-
For instance, that first flying level is pretty easy on face value, sure, but killing every enemy makes things harder. I’ve played it twice and missed a single enemy on my second playthrough.
Playing on hard and beating the game in 60 minutes should be good challenge. Playing on hard and finishing in one sitting should be a good one, too, finishing the game with over a million points, getting every collectible on 3.2, there are some solid achievements in there for replay value. I like the multiplier system, too, really encourages creative killing and traversing of the levels.
I finished it earlier today. Overall, a really great game and a worthy successor to the Rocket Knight title. There’s lots of geeky references for fans of the Megadrive titles, but it feels like they’ve put together something fresh since the art and gameplay differ in many ways. The story continues on from the original game, and features the same pig empire (underpants and all) who are now your allies.
I basically agree with what Raizen said about replay value and the game having a challenging set of achievements, but I’d add that even though the game is fairly short I don’t mind. Back in the day you’d pay full price for the Megadrive game of the same length, and I hold the opinion that it is not the length of game that determines it’s value, but the experience that the game delivers. With a platformer like Rocket Knight, I imagine I’ll keep coming back to it, thanks to its pick up and play nature.
The achievements and leaderboards will offer a lot of replay value, if you want to take advantage of them. If anyone wants a challenge, see if you can beat my time on the first level (2 minutes 35 seconds). I’m currently ranked 11th on the 360 version… trying to get into the top ten, but it’s no easy task!
The original Rocket Knight Adventures remains my favourite in the series due the steampunk designs and original storyline (for a platformer), but Rocket Knight brings back the core gameplay of what made this series special and for that I’m grateful. Here’s hoping Sonic 4 will do the same.
I too really liked the original on the Genesis. When I get back from Japan I plan on downloading this for the 360. Maybe I will get lucky and it will have dropped in price by then! How does it control with the standard 360 controller? I really don’t like the D-Pad on them. Are there any pads out there you would recommend for playing classic games? I am really looking for something with the old Genesis 6-button like rubber d-pad and good responsive buttons.
Rocket Knight works fine with the left analog stick, but you can use the D-Pad instead if you want to. I had no issues with the standard 360 controller.
When I was a kid, I rented Sparkster once and enjoyed it immensely. I wish I could play that, along with Rocket Knight Adventures through Live Arcade.
But this game does pique my interest. Whenever I next find myself desiring more platforming action, it is on the list of possible candidates! (Still trying to dig my way out of a mountain of neglected games, so I’m not planning on getting it any time soon.)
Did you play the Megadrive or SNES version? They were actually two separate games, the former also known as “Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2”, whereas the latter was just called “Sparkster” without the subtitle. The wolves from the SNES game make an appearance in Rocket Knight.
The demo is worth playing, even if you don’t feel like forking out for the full game right now.
I’ll post my thoughts once I’ve played it.