43: R-Type II

Number 43
(126.4 points)
R-Type II
1992: 39 (12.4)
1993: 25 (30.4)
1994: 28 (43.8)
1995: 65 (28.8)
1996: 90 (11.0)

I've discussed before that Amiga Power's policy with the Top 100 lists tended to be that two games from the same series wouldn't feature in one list, yet they broke this rule twice with R-Type, appearing in 1993 and 1994 along with R-Type II. The two games are surely not different enough to warrant joint inclusion, but clearly the sequel must have been a vast improvement.

The differences between R-Type II and its predecessor are not extensive, and it may well be a case of some fans preferring one over the other. You have two types of charge beam, there are new weapons to collect for your ship, and the difficulty has been increased somewhat, although there are also fewer stages. It's a very faithful adaptation of the arcade original, and pairs well with the first game, as that was also a good port.

This took me by surprise, because I wasn't a big fan of R-Type when I played it earlier in the list, but I actually quite enjoyed this one. I think I prefer the R-Type system of charging your weapon and throwing your option around, rather than the Gradius system of collecting power-ups and choosing what you want, but that's just me. The usual caveat still applies here, though, that you'd be better off playing the arcade original these days.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
R-Type II (1991)(Activision)[cr SR][t +17 LGD]