Get fired up, This is the fastest phaser-fight in the galaxy, Put your finger on the trigger, We're about to blast you into the next dimension of special effects in the fastest star fighter ... Read allGet fired up, This is the fastest phaser-fight in the galaxy, Put your finger on the trigger, We're about to blast you into the next dimension of special effects in the fastest star fighter ever created.Get fired up, This is the fastest phaser-fight in the galaxy, Put your finger on the trigger, We're about to blast you into the next dimension of special effects in the fastest star fighter ever created.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe game is best known for its North American cover art, which features a bearded old man with a fedora and a banjo, His name was Bertil Valley, He was a volunteer Santa Claus for over 25 years, and he owned his own successful construction company for over 20 years, He sadly passed away in 2004, The marketing team behind the cover admitted to doing it to be original and attract customers.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Outside Xbox: 7 Times Epic Box Art Overpromised Wildly (2015)
Featured review
A space shooter game more known for its cover in the U.S.A than anything else.
When this game was released there was a plethora of games about space ships flying through the air blasting enemies. Even before its released, Konami released a great shooter called "Lifeforce" for the NES. The Sega Genesis released some good ones too such as the very cool Thunder Force series. The SNES had its share including Gradius III and Super R-Type. My guess is the company behind the release of this game in the United States felt they had to do something to get the kids' attention in a somewhat crowded market of space shooter games. So someone came up with the brilliant idea to put an old man on the cover of the game playing a banjo. If you look at the top right corner of the box, you can sort of make out a spaceship and get some idea of what the game is about, but I like many others had no idea what this game was about. I saw it at the store, I looked at it with a sort of morbid curiosity, but took a pass. Those in the market for a game such as this surely took a pass on it too, as they had no idea what the game was. There was no internet and not everyone had Nintendo Power, so there was no way to know what a game was about, often the cover is the first thing you noticed. This one most likely appealed to those expecting a banjo simulation game of some sort. Those two people had to be sorely disappointed.
I now own the game, because thanks to the internet I saw what the game was about and I collect games and I had yet to get any space shooters so I picked up this one precisely because of the cover for .28 cents. Their market strategy did not really pay off in terms of time or money. Well, I popped it in and started playing and have to say it is a pretty decent fly and shoot game. It has the standard power ups one tends to find in games such as these and catchy music...and no banjo playing old man to be seen anywhere I might add. It features a ship that looks a bit like a part from the male human anatomy (the Japanese cover showed the ship in all its phallic glory) and a pilot who is young, anime looking and most certainly not playing a banjo. I did not receive the instructions, so as for story I can only guess. Looks like you are infiltrating a planet that is attacking, going to attack or is at war with Earth.
The game is not without faults, the main one is the difficulty. Your ship is not a standard one hit and it is done ship like in so many other space shooters of the day, you can power up your weapons to the point they engulf the screen, tearing through enemies in a vicious onslaught and have the game on the easiest setting and still it is difficult. Granted, it is getting easier as I keep playing it, but I am still having a tough time as many of the enemies just take way to many hits to destroy. What is funny is that the game has an easy difficulty setting, a normal one, hard and finally funny. What is funny? I keep wondering if they mean it is funny for you to even try such an insane difficulty level or if the game at this level is so easy its funny. My guess is the first one as it is after hard. They also get very stingy with the power ups in this one and with each special weapon you get a special attack that can be helpful in getting you out of a tough situation, but it also makes you lose said power up. What a rip off! You also have the ability to change your speed which seems pointless, seems best to just keep it on the fastest one as I have not run across a situation where slowing down would aid me in any way.
In conclusion, while not the banjo simulation game promised by the cover it is a fairly fun space shooter marred only be being a bit to difficult. However, I will not say it is an impossible endeavor. The graphics are rather good considering the year it was released and it has some catchy music. Better space shooters exist, but this one is pretty good too...just the cover art is bad!
I now own the game, because thanks to the internet I saw what the game was about and I collect games and I had yet to get any space shooters so I picked up this one precisely because of the cover for .28 cents. Their market strategy did not really pay off in terms of time or money. Well, I popped it in and started playing and have to say it is a pretty decent fly and shoot game. It has the standard power ups one tends to find in games such as these and catchy music...and no banjo playing old man to be seen anywhere I might add. It features a ship that looks a bit like a part from the male human anatomy (the Japanese cover showed the ship in all its phallic glory) and a pilot who is young, anime looking and most certainly not playing a banjo. I did not receive the instructions, so as for story I can only guess. Looks like you are infiltrating a planet that is attacking, going to attack or is at war with Earth.
The game is not without faults, the main one is the difficulty. Your ship is not a standard one hit and it is done ship like in so many other space shooters of the day, you can power up your weapons to the point they engulf the screen, tearing through enemies in a vicious onslaught and have the game on the easiest setting and still it is difficult. Granted, it is getting easier as I keep playing it, but I am still having a tough time as many of the enemies just take way to many hits to destroy. What is funny is that the game has an easy difficulty setting, a normal one, hard and finally funny. What is funny? I keep wondering if they mean it is funny for you to even try such an insane difficulty level or if the game at this level is so easy its funny. My guess is the first one as it is after hard. They also get very stingy with the power ups in this one and with each special weapon you get a special attack that can be helpful in getting you out of a tough situation, but it also makes you lose said power up. What a rip off! You also have the ability to change your speed which seems pointless, seems best to just keep it on the fastest one as I have not run across a situation where slowing down would aid me in any way.
In conclusion, while not the banjo simulation game promised by the cover it is a fairly fun space shooter marred only be being a bit to difficult. However, I will not say it is an impossible endeavor. The graphics are rather good considering the year it was released and it has some catchy music. Better space shooters exist, but this one is pretty good too...just the cover art is bad!
helpful•20
- Aaron1375
- May 30, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Phalanx: The Enforce Fighter A-144
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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