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In
mid-1989, the PC
Engine was at the peak of its powers. It was a fast,
slick, and no-nonsense games machine that offered a
truly unique collection of original software alongside
a rash of quality arcade conversions. In the technological
stakes it was in a league of its own, beating Nintendo's
ageing Famicom
like a crippled village mule.
But the imminent arrival of Sega's whizzo Mega
Drive made NEC panic. Caught up in a mind-frenzy
over the prospect of the MD gnawing into their ever-increasing
market share, they came up with a panicked solution:
the Supergrafx.
A backward machine... A half-hearted effort that only
offered a few minor tweaks to the PC Engine's already
efficient framework in order to remain compatible with
its ever-growing back catalogue. The machine was launched
to surprisingly little fanfare, and the only dedicated
'SG' game available on the day was Battle Ace.
Simply put, Battle Ace is After
Burner (1987) in a cockpit. The game was almost
certainly commissioned as a technological showcase for
the new format with speedy and zooming visuals serving
as bait for potential sales. But in fact it is nothing
but a very straightforward blast, involving firing machine
guns and homing missiles at swarms of oncoming (and
overtaking) enemy spacecraft.
It's an efficient effort, but also nothing worth writing
home about - and this may be why the game has taken
so much flak over the years. But look out - it might
sound dull, but in fact it hits its target more accurately
than you'd think. |
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Battle
Ace might be an average launch title, but it does
deliver some truly edge-of-the-seat moments, a quirky
soundtrack, and dammit - it's actually quite smooth
in its own kind of way.
The aim of the game is to navigate your craft over the
surface of seven planets, or 'Acts'. Each act is split
into three distinctive parts: the main level, a quick
obstacle course (left), and a climactic boss battle.
Every level has its own feel, musical rhythm, and challenge
- there is a noticeable increase in thrills and spills
as the game progresses.
Act 5, 'Asteria', is a great laugh - it propels you
through space at high speeds, head-on into dozens of
formations of trigger-happy alien denizens, through
clouds of meteorites and space debris. It's great stuff...
Get through that one unscathed and you'd do Han Solo
proud.
Seriously, Battle Ace is worth a try. Not only
is it a small piece of gaming history, but it's also
a top-class venture into a genre that, in its day, was
seldom explored with any success. |
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TACTICS |
SITUATION
(Lives):
Press and hold RUN and
then SELECT
This resets the game, but keep holding both
buttons down
while the 'Hudson Soft' logo appears and
disappears.
Once the title screen has fully re-appeared,
release RUN and tap once.
Now release SELECT, and
input:
x 3, 
x 6, 
x 2, 
x 2, RUN
It's a difficult trick, but it does work
(right)
MUSIC ROOM (Sound Test):
On the title screen, press and hold SELECT,
then press RUN |
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Battle
Ace
バトルエース
SUPERGRAFX |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
30
Nov 1989 |
| Publisher |
Hudson
Soft |
| Product
ID |
HC89026 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1.1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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The
Supergrafx's very first
release. Give it a try -
you might be pleasantly
surprised.
Cardboard sleeve, standard
PCE case, 4Mbit HuCard,
8-page colour manual.
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Battle
Ace is very much a straightforward game: simply make your way to
the end of each stage, and shoot down the boss.
A good trick is to set both the I and II
buttons on autofire: guns and missiles will fire automatically,
so you can focus on piloting.
Also, a good trick to dodge missiles is to keep rotating the ship
around in a circle (top right - bottom right - bottom left - top
left etc). This works quite well - but not during the obstacle courses.
Completing the game sees it restart with the difficulty increased. |
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'Battle
Ace' and 'Hudson Soft' are registered trademarks of Hudson Soft
Ltd.
'PC Engine', 'Supergrafx' and 'NEC' are registered trademarks of
NEC Corporation
Battle Ace TM & © 1989 Hudson Soft All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.Jap-Sai.com |
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