| Graphics: |  5 |
| SFX: |  4 |
| Music: | 5 |
| Gameplay: | 4 |
| Challenge: | 5 |
| Replay: | 4 |
| Overall: |  4.5 |
| Genre: | Shmup |
| Reading ability: | U.S. release |
| Company: | Capcom |
Background:
Known as U.N. Squadron domestically, this game was my favorite game to play in the arcades for a long time, and it still is my favorite shmup of all time. I first played it at a game arcade next door to a movie theater, and I made a point of watching all movies at that theater just to play U.N. Squadron. Heck, I even went to see the dumb movie Dick Tracy twice just so I could play this game at that arcade. (It was the same arcade where I later also played Metal Slug for the first.) This was back in 1990 or so. Playing the U.N. Squadron game was one of the things that re-introduced me into Japanese animation, after having such fond memories of watching Voltron: Defender of the Universe and Robotech as a child. When I started getting back into the anime genre in high school in the early 90s and as I began to rent anime videos at my local video store, I came across a video named Area 88 and I recognized it immediately.
Area 88 takes place between the late '70s to early '80s in a ficticious, small Middle Eastern country called Asran, which is locked in a civil war. The revolutionist army is quite powerful, funded and supplied by outside sources who have their own motives. To protect the Asrani government, the country hires mercenary pilots from all over the world to knock out the rebellion's military forces.
The Game:
Area 88 is a side scrolling shmup in which you are flying modern day aircraft as a mercenary pilot. Since you are a mercenary, you are responsible for buying your own ammunition and aircraft. Each target you eliminate, you earn commission. Along the way, you pick up powerups, which are either left behind by defeated enemies or are in secret locations you shoot to reveal. The yellow lanterns increase your firepower by 1x, while the blue lanterns increase your firepower by 3x. Your firepower is increased by ranks, so you must first build up your POW meter. Magazines replenish your special weapons stocks, unicorns provide an electrical shield, fuel tanks refill your fuel/life meter, stars give you a $50,000 bonus, and the mecha icon is a smart bomb that will destroy all enemy vehicles when it is collected.
When you begin the game, you get to choose between three pilots from the series: Shin Kazama, Mickey Scymon, and Greg Gates. All three have different specialities. Shin raises his firepower level the quickest, Greg recovers from battle damage the quickest, and Mickey does more damage with his special weapons than the other two. Plus, when you pick up a bonus weapons rack, he will get about two or three times the amount of extra special weapons. Even if you've used them all up, he will get the max double amount. If you are a beginning player, I suggest playing as Greg. When you get better at dodging incoming fire, promote yourself to Shin.
There are six different fighters that are available for you. The F8E Crusader is what you start out with. It is a basic air and ground attack jet, and can handle only a few weapons. This is what Shin starts out with in the beginning of the series until he is shot down. (Maximum fire power = 5, speed class = C.) The F20 Tiger Shark is what Shin buys to replace his old F8E with. The F20 is an upgraded version of the F8E and can handle more of a variety of air and ground weapons. (Max POW=5, Speed=B.) The F14D Tomcat is Mickey's plane of choice. It's the fastest jet available, but it is basically an air-to-air dogfighter, and not very useful against ground targets. (Max POW=5, Speed=A.) The A10A Thunderbolt is Greg's ground attack jet. It fires in two directions: in front and diagonally below. This is very useful in that you don't need to get down close to the ground in order to attack targets, since enemy aircraft can pin you down this way. It handles all air-to-ground weapons. (Max POW=3+3, Speed=D.) The YF23 Stealth Ray is undetectable to homing missles. (Funny, I don't remember any stealth fighters in the early 80's.) (Max POW=6, Speed=B.) The F200 Efreet is the best fighter available, the latest in Soviet technology. It can handle all weapon systems. (Max POW=7, Speed=B.) In order to win the game, I find that the best strategy is to buy the Tiger Shark, the Thunderbolt, and then the Efreet. Don't waste your time with the Tomcat or the Stealth Ray.
The missions involve a variety of unique ground and air targets, such as a stealth bomber, a submarine, a land carrier, and enemy bases. In between missions, you can go on quick bombing runs on the enemy's ground troops for some easy money.
Secrets:
There is one thing that is a big help that is not mentioned in the manual. When you pause the game, you are still able to cycle through your different weapon systems. This is very useful in the later missions. Here are the instructions to play the extra difficulty setting, taken from the FAQ:
Plug in the 2nd controller. Go to the option screen with the 1st controller and highlight the difficulty setting. Hold down the A and X buttons on the 2nd controller, and then change the difficulty with the 1st controller. You should see a new level called "GAMER".
The Good:
This game has some of the best graphics I've seen on the SNES, especially considering that this game was released so early in the console's lifetime. Each time your plane is hit by enemy fire, an alarm goes off and flashes inside your cockpit, and your character winces as the plane shudders. What is cool about this game is that it encourages you to keep playing the game, even after you have beat it on an easier level. You are awarded an additional animated sequence at the end of the game on the Normal level that you don't get on the Easy level. I have beaten the game on the Hard level setting, and I was a bit disappointed. There isn't much of an additional animated sequence at the end. The only thing new is a bunch of hopping bunnymen who spell out "THANKS." I don't know if the Gamer setting comes with its own animated ending sequence. I hope it does, but I don't know if I'll ever see it.
Update: I've beaten U.N. Squadron on the Gamer level, and you're basically given the same ending as Hard level. The only difference is the people in the end don't spell "THANKS;" they spell "YOU'RE CRAZY." ---Contributed by dan_druff@ignmail.com.
The Bad:
What I do not like about this game is that after I have beaten the first several missions, I have to keep going on one bombing run after another to save up money for the final two enemy bases. Unless you are up for a super challenge, you will need the Efreet to beat these missions, and it costs quite a bit of money. Having to go on all these bombing runs breaks the tempo of the game and seems to slow it down when you're so close to the end of the game. Sometimes suicide missions into these areas to rack up plenty of money can be done, if you don't mind using continues. The only other thing I can think of is that it would've been great to have an option for a two player game like the arcade coin-op version which I grew to love so many years ago. Also, when you hold down the fire button, the Vulcan fires for a few seconds and then you need to press it again. Good thing I've got an autofire gamepad to play the game with, which also makes dropping bombs at a high rate very nice.
Overall:
U.N. Squadron was one of the earliest games domestically released for the Super Nintendo, yet it stands out among even the more recent games. Since this is a domestically released game, I recommend getting it. Although since it is a bit old, you might have to search a bit before finding it. It's a good classic to add to your collection, and one of the best shmups on the console.
Aside from a lack of a two player mode, this console port of Area 88 is superior to the arcade version, in my humble opinion. The levels have been improved, and there are more fighter planes to fly.
U.N. Squadron FAQ and strategy guide
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