Gunstar Super Heroes (Game Boy Advance) Preview

I have somewhat of a confession to make

That should already sound some alarm bells in older gamers' minds as the title was, and is still by many, considered to be the pinnacle of action games on the Sega platform at the time. After bringing out the best space-shooter on the GameCube, and the most superlative side-scroller on the GBA, the company that does not usually like to do direct sequels is trying to one-up itself with Gunstar Super Heroes. And do you know what? It might just succeed if initial impressions are anything to go by, and playing this on the Game Boy micro was definitely something that buoyed the title's appeal even more!

The ex-Konami members have brought back the little action hero with and red-and-blue hue in a full-on blast-a-thon side-scrolling action title. This bright, bold and colourful game is never short of action on-screen, and surprisingly enough there does not appear to be anywhere near the level of slowdown or graphical flickering found in the still-excellent Astro Boy. Obviously Treasure's grasp of the GBA hardware has come on in leaps and bounds since last year's super hero release. It exudes energy, hyper speed and lover from its developer.

This might come as a major shock to many gamers, but the 2D game is by no means a dead one at all. Running around the busy screen, blasting away at the hordes of enemies lining up to take you on is both exhilarating and downright fun. The basic aim was to jump about, shooting as frequently as possible, dodging around enemy fire and waiting until the opportunity to progress came about. Whilst the time on Gunstar Super Heroes was only short, it was clear that any problems with Treasure's last two GBA titles have well and truly been ironed out. Gamers will also be pleased to hear that the control system is very tight, with little margin for unforeseen errors occurring, such as slow jumping times, unresponsiveness or glitches.