R-Type Review

One of the best old-school shooters of all time in my opinion! I plan on getting R-Type 3 as well and hopefully we'll see Super R-Type for the VC as well!

A classic in every way!

Just as good as you remember and a brilliant arcade conversion too. This version was originally billed as the best conversion on any machine, and R-Type is one of those rare entities .. a game that doesn't age. It's still as good now as it was back then. An added bonus with this version too is the autofire button option on the classic controller. One button charges up the force beam and the other fires rapidly. Nice!

Word of warning though. R-Type is still as rock hard to play as it was originally. You'll need patience to progress through the levels. Lots of trial and error, lots of replays, and you'll learn where to expect the aliens to come from. Hugely satisfying if you're willing to put in the time & effort.

I completely agree with Bald-as-a-coot, this is another great classic game, but its hard. The sense of achievement of just reaching the first boss is gigantic.

Thoroughly recommended.

bold as coot couldnt of said it better myself has taken my about 3 hours at least of play an i am only good enough 2 get 2 level 3 i wonder how many levels it has anyone compleated it if so say plz

This game rocks!
Unfortnately i can't beat the level 4 boss!

R-Type on the PC Engine was great, had it on import at the time.

Need to know one thing before I download it from the VC...Do the sprites still flicker like there is no tomorrow?

Not noticed any sprites flickering but that may be more to do with the distraction of the quality gameplay.

One other thing....this has one of the best soundtracks ever. It's rare that music in a game makes any impression on me but from the opening of the first level it really is the balls.

I have to agree the music is excellent. You will have you humming for days.

I have just downloaded it. I kept putting it off as I loved R-type in the arcade but none of the 'home' versions had the same feel. How annoyed I was when I finally did and I realised I had wasted so much time without it! I could be on level 5 by now.

I had previously been playing the Mastersystem version but the PC Engine port is incredible. Now thats flicker for you . If you have been putting off downloading it - don't it's amazing even 15 years after it's release.

This game is easily one of the best titles on VC. I remember seeing screenshots in C+VG when it was released in Japan, and it made our 8 bit home computer versions look absolutely dire. The music is great, the graphics are amazing for thier time and still look good. The gameplay is hard, but with a little effort and a good memory you can soon get close to completion. AAA

I think I just suck at shoot 'em ups, I struggled just to pass the first level.

The game seems indeed to be very hard, but that's an advantage in my opinion. I will need to play it some more until I'm able to give it a rate, but so far I'm enjoying it.

This game will separate the casual from the hardcore gamers, but if you've never played it, don't let that scare you.

It's a classic in all ways. Awesome stage layouts, cool bosses and great music. Yeah, it's hard, but you just have to be willing to put in the time to finish it. I've got it for the TG-16, so no need for me to d-load, but just letting it be known how great this game is.

Brilliant game, better than I expected.
The stuff was certainly true about the diffiulty, I'll master it though. I did it with Probotector and the GnG games (can do them on hardest difficulty with no trouble) which were both meant to be very difficult games, I can do it with this!

Daz claims there's no diffs from the arcade, but just from that video it's obvious both the graphics and sound have been downgraded. And I assume because of a lower resolution, I see that this one forces you to scroll up and down to see the entire height of the level. That was not the case in the arcade version.

Ok, I'm stuck for ages on level 4, it's just amazingly difficult. I guess all these years playing child-easy games took the skill out of me...

Anyway, the game is very good. I too agree with the music part. I actually found myself humming the first level music one day without noticing it! For it's 600 points, and for the challenge it represents, it's a good purchase.

an awesome little old-school 2-D shooter, in my opinion it's better than Gradius

Yes, it is still a great game and seems way harder than the C64 version.

Strange that the very bottom of the screen is missing (I only see the top half of the 'beam' bar) on my hdtv though.
Does anyone else have this problem?

I downloaded this just so that I could make a (feeble?) attempt at beating it. I can get to level 5 most of the time. It's just so hard all the way through, but I find myself continuing to want to get further. Try and try again...

It has a good mixture of difficulty and fun, though, so you are encouraged to keep trying even against often terrible odds....

A long time ago, I beat this game on the c64 and Amiga. I'm now about 4 hours into the game and in level 5. One word: omg. Much harder than the other versions I played, but well worth the money

By far the best TG-16 up on the VC so far, This is a great yet very hard game. I can only get up to level 3 ):

May i ask why this was 800 and not the standard 600?

Because in Japan it was released on two separate carts (hucards) each containing 4 levels of the arcade. The US version had a double sized cart so crammed in all 8 levels, but at extra cost.

Looks great, but where are the Bullet and Explosion sounds? That's what makes the MAME Aracade ROM version more atmospheric .....
I loved this game on my ZX Spectrum ages ago (a true feat of technology for Uncle Clive's humble machine), and played it on my AMIGA (preferring Katakis back then, if anyone remembers that title), but have never seen the Turbographix version.
Worth a try I guess!

@Dazza - In the separate carts in Japan, did you have to finish one to start the other or could you just start on level 5 if you had the second cart? I don't have any need to know, but I was just curious how that worked if you happened to know...

I can get to level 6 reliably now! The game doesn't seem to get any easier along the way...I still love it, though.

@Sharecrow - On the Japanese R-Type II hucard you simply started from level 5. I think you might have needed to enter a password maybe

Good skillz to get to level 6, is that on one credit? I have lost my skillz, level 4, the dot level proves too fiendish for me now!

Thanks for the compliment. I've gotten to level 6 on one credit only once. I usually die a couple times on level 4 (or more) and then usually at least once on level 5. But I can almost always get to 6 each time I play, though, before running out of credits. I heard there was a cheat code to get extra credits but I haven't used it. It makes it harder to practice new levels, but I don't mind....

I had the first japanese hucard (just levels 1 - 4).At the end you got a password(and a nice bit of music ,hope you get to here it at the end of the game,I'd like to here it again) but I never had the second hucard to use it.I could almost always complete it without losing a life on the tiny pc engine handheld screen.So I finally get to see the rest of the game after 17 years!!!!! Time flys, we will all be dead before you know it.Level 5 and 6 (which is as far as I'v got) are proving quite difficult and I was laughing at other people saying how difficult it is.I'm not laughing now.Modern 3D my mum can play that games have made my game skills crap.Use it or lose it.Lets Return to 2D.

I agree with Geoff, modern games have made me lose a step on some Shmups I used to be pretty good at. R-Type is one that I've never had much luck at though. I have this game for my TurboGrafx. Very challenging. I have the TurboStick and can cheat with slo-mo, but it still gets me. Love the music. I find myself humming the tunes to this for a couple of days after I have a gaming session with it. A classic Shmup, I recommend it to any fan of the genre.

just downloaded it,its awsome but jes it is die hard,but anyway i will do my best to defeat it!

That ship at the end of the video reminds me of that one stage I'm stuck on in R-Type Final. Connection?

In any case, I really want to get this, but I think I'd rather get R-Types from the PS Store. I mean, it has 1 & 2 for $6, I can't pass up a deal like that. I'll make sure to get R-Type III though.

R-Type's always been known as being difficult, and the original certainly lives up to it. Yet I find myself constantly coming back to it, in the vain hope that I will one day be able to defeat the fouth boss

I recently purchased R-Type Final and it's bloody fantastic. Once I complete it, I'm going to have to download this, to see where it all started.

I played through R-Type this week and almost had a stroke doing it. I love the shooters but wow, this one's difficult. I'll take what was learned and download number III. It's a great game, but once again, ouch babe!