Page 40 - OSG Presents Video Game Trader Magazine #14

This month I‘ll be talking tions you have to counter the fireballs being sent
about one of my favorite towards you. If you get them into your combo, those
games, Twinkle Star fireballs get sent back to the other player along with
Sprites. Twinkle Star the fireballs from your new combo causing the screen
Sprites was released on to get really hectic. The fun doesn‘t stop there: if you
the Neo-Geo MVS and send back your opponent‘s counters, you‘ll set off
AES in 1996 by ADK, your character‘s special attack. Each character has
who also made games their own unique attack. Lord Run for example will
like Aggressors of Dark send out little explosive Rabbicats that fly behind your
Kombat, Ninja Masters opponent and explode. Others will send out stuff in Sega Saturn version
and World Heroes. front of you to try and hit you or block your shots.
The only time Twinkle While you‘re racking up the combos, your power me-
Star Sprites was re- ter will begin to build up your shot power. You can
leased in America was either tap the shoot button for rapid fire shots or
on the Neo-Geo MVS charge it up for a bigger attack with three levels. The
arcade unit, which was poorly translated to the point first level just clears out stuff in front of you but won‘t
that they didn‘t even translate the end credits. So sit cause any chain reactions. The second level will send
back, grab some Pocari sweat and let us take a look out your character‘s special attack. If you build the but it‘s still a good port of the game. The second disk
at the original Twinkle Star Sprites. special attack all the way up to level three, you can was a ―Fan Disk‖ that included more dialog from the
then send out your boss character. There‘s two ways characters, artwork from the creators and fans and
Twinkle Star Sprites is unlike any game out there. It‘s to call out a boss character. The first is, as I said
a hybrid of a ―Vs Puzzle‖ game, like Poyo Pop and a before, by building up your shot meter. The other way even a Karaoke music video to sing along too. In 1999
vertical SHMUP. The game is easy to play but very is by getting a big chain of combos and counter at- Twinkle Star Sprites was ported to the Sega Dream-
hard to master. Twinkle Star Sprites stars a little girl tacks. Each character has their own boss that comes cast. Sadly, it‘s just a straight port of the arcade game
named Lord Run and her trusty sidekick Rabbicat. (A out and tries to attack the other player. Some shoot with the arranged soundtrack. It has better load times
Cat/Rabbit, like Ryo-Ohki from Tenchi Muyo) Run is then the Neo-Geo CD and Saturn ports, plus the slow-
on a quest to find the Twinkle Star which has the down can even be turned off, but it‘s odd that they left
power to make your dreams come true. Of course, out all the extras that the Saturn version had.
other people are out to get it and that‘s pretty much Almost ten years after the initial Twinkle Star Sprites
the reason why you‘re fighting others in the game. release, SNK/Playmore resurrected the series on the
Since it‘s a shooter, it doesn‘t really matter what the Playstation 2. Twinkle Star Sprites: La Petite Princess
story is. The game uses a really cutesy art style which was more of a remake then a sequel. The game had a
causes many people to call the game a ―Cute em‘ different main character, named Time, and some of
Up.‖ I really hate when Twinkle Star Sprites is called the characters from the first game were replaced with
that because, underneath all of the cute characters some new characters. The game played the same
and pastel colors, lies a really deep and challenging way as the original, but this time with 3D characters,
two player game. The music of the game is also PlayStation 2 version backgrounds and an even more cutesy art style. The
cutesy. It‘s got some catchy tunes but nothing you‘d game‘s characters were all voiced by professional
listen to in the car. The characters also have their own anime voice-over actresses. Some of the unlockable
voices and they‘ll say different things depending on extras include a poorly ported version of the original
how they‘re doing in the game. Neo-Geo game and an art gallery of the new charac-
out stars and breath fire while others will try to dive ters as well as the Sega Saturn‘s intro video. If you
The game‘s set up is a standard SHMUP. You use
two buttons, one for your normal shot (which can be bomb you, killing you instantly. If a boss comes out, lived in Japan you could also play the game online,
charged up, but more on that later) and the second your best bet is to try to bomb it or counter attack it by but sadly that function doesn‘t work if you‘re in Amer-
one for a bomb of which each character has two of sending out your own boss against the other player. ica.
(but can earn more in the battle). The game‘s screen Only one boss can be out on the screen at one time, The best way to get any version of Twinkle Star
is split into two sides for each player. Random items so it‘s fun to try to build up as many combos as you Sprites is to import it. Naturally the Japanese AES
like stars and clouds will fly out in grouped patterns can to call out the boss to beat down your opponent. game is the most expensive with prices between $600
which you have to shoot down. When you destroy That‘s pretty much the basics of Twinkle Star Sprites. -700. The Neo-Geo CD version goes for around $60-
them, they blow up and cause a chain reaction that Fly around, try to get as many combos as you can and 85 while the Saturn version will run you between $40-
sets off any others objects near them. Doing this try to figure the other player‘s strategy out before they 60. The Dreamcast version varies in price and can be
builds up your combo to which you use to attack the figure yours out. seen going from around $60-100. La Petite Princess
other player. A normal four chain combo will send out While Twinkle Star Sprites is virtually unknown here in was recently released under SNK/Playmore‘s Best
a deadly fireball to the other player‘s side in an at- America, over in Japan the game has a very solid Hits Collection in Japan and you can pick it up for $35.
tempt to hit them. The more chains you cause, the following. The original Neo-Geo MVS
more fireballs get sent to the other side of the screen. version of the game was in-
You can also use the explosions from the chain reac- Twinkle Star Sprites cluded in the ADK collection
has been ported over called ADK Tamashii on the
to a few consoles. PS2 in Japan and sells for
After its run on the around $60. That game not
Neo-Geo MVS, Neo- only includes Twinkle Star
Geo AES and Neo- Sprites but some of ADK‘s
Geo CD, the game other classics like Ninja Mas-
was ported over to the ters, Ninja Commando and
Sega Saturn. The Aggressors of Dark Combat.
Saturn version came
with two disks. The So if you‘re in the mood for a
Arcade Original first disk included a unique shooter that you can
new animated intro play with your friends, check out Twinkle Star Sprites.
video, arranged soundtrack (which was featured on If you can make it past its overly cute characters and
the Neo-Geo CD version), extra voices for all of the graphics, you‘ll discover it to be a really interesting
characters story mode cut scenes and a new charac- game that‘s more fun when you play it with a friend.
ter exclusive to the Saturn version named Meirin. The
game suffered from load times and some slowdown,
40 • Video Game Trader Magazine • Issue #14 • Winter 2009/2010 • www.VideoGameTrader.com