IREM Collection Volume 2 review for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch

ININ Games and IREM are back again with another collection of their classic arcade and console games with IREM Collection Volume 2 (see our review of Vol. 1 here).  This time we have 3 largely unknown games with Gunforce, Gunforce 2 and Air Duel. Just like the previous collection, you get the arcade version of Gunforce as well as the Super Nintendo/Famicom version. With Gunforce 2, you also get the USA Arcade edition as well as the Japanese version known as Geo Storm. Air Duel rounds out the collection with it’s arcade version, since that game never got a home release.

In Gunforce, you are dropped out of a bomber and into battle to stop an evil army from taking over the planet. You are armed with a pulse rifle that fires rapidly and you can grab other weapons that have limited ammo for a bit more fire power throughout each level. You can hop on vehicles like jeeps and tanks to take out the bad guys and even control their mounted guns. Sometimes you can even take control of helicopters that take up most of the top half of the screen. The first time I did this I was laughing hard at how strange it looked, but it was surprisingly effective against anything in your way. You are hindered by a strict time limit on each stage, so you are encouraged to keep going through no matter what is in your way. Make your way to an areas boss and move on tot the next battle until the evil has been defeated. It’s a pretty simple concept that works really well. The Super Nintendo/Famicom version of the game is almost a 1 to 1 copy of the arcade game, with a few sounds and animations changed to fit on a cartridge. The home version does seem a bit easier, but you also have limited continues.

Gunforce 2 / GeoStorm feels like a completely different game while retaining the same basic concept of move fast and shoot everything you see. This time you can grab two different weapons at the same time to mow down the insane amount of enemies that come after you. The dual wielding really helps out since the enemies will now be coming at you from all directions. You will be rescuing  many captured POWs throughout the level (that all happen to be female) much like the bearded POWs in the Metal Slug series.  In fact, Metal Slug producer Atsusi Kurooka has stated that he worked on this game and Metal Slug at the same time, and because of his involvement, Gunforce 2 is sometimes referred to as “Metal Slug Zero” because the fast, addicting gameplay is very similar to that series.  Once you begin playing, you will no doubt see and hear the similarities between the two games.

Lastly, we have Air Duel, a fun vertical shooter that seems easy at first but ramps up the difficulty the longer you play. You have a choice between two ships, a plane type and a helicopter type. The Plane type shoots straight and can drop a carpet bomb that wipes out many enemies on screen. The Helicopter type can aim in shoot in different directions, depending on where you point the ship, and can avoid enemy fire a little easier. You can change which craft you want to use at the start of each level which is a nice option. The main goal is to simply reach the end of each stage and destroy the boss, and make your way through all levels and you are done. As mentioned it starts out relatively easy, and gets insane in the later levels. Be prepared to get shot down a lot the further you progress. I had never played this release previously and I can say it was not disappointing.

The overall presentation of IREM Collection Volume 2 is somewhat basic, with a good selection of video options for each game.  I particularly like how they handled the CRT effect here, as most of these collections don’t really get that right. Each game looks great and run perfectly with nothing missing or changed from the original ROMS. I did notice that most of the music I heard in Air Duel sounded similar, if not the same as Gunforce 2. At first I thought this was some kind of glitch, but then discovered both games do borrow each others music and some sound effects. Gunforce 2 also borrows some sounds and music from Metal Slug 3 surprisingly, which is why some may think Gunforce 2 is a fan made hack. While it’s similar, Gunforce 2 and Metal Slug do play differently overall.

Once again, this second IREM collection is solid, with three great games that are fun and challenging. Players old and new will definitely find something to like here, exactly like the previous volume.  I hope these collections continue as IREM has a wide library of great games that will no doubt make for some more great collections. Great games, great challenge and a good price, IREM Collection Volume 2 is highly recommended.

Note: ININ provided us with a IREM Collection Volume 2 code for review purposes.