Lifeforce (NES, 1988)

*Note: This game was originally titled Salamander, and was released in Japan, and later on handhelds in America under that title as well.

Lifeforce for the NES was your basic side scrolling (and top-down) shoot 'em up with a lot of the elements that Konami would later would go on to use in their Gradius games. If you enjoy fast paced shoot 'em ups, this game is fantastic, with ok background music to boot.

This game was relatively short, but a blast from beginning to finish, with 6 levels, 3 side-scrolling, and 3 top-down levels, to blast through various creatures and get to a level boss. Sadly, these bosses were relatively simple to blast through, especially when you had more powerful weapons. Still, the levels themselves, had a lot of tricks up their sleeves, including some growing land that would force you to quickly speed by and become trapped, to the objects trying to fall onto your craft. And, if that wasn't enough, tons of enemies would fill the screen, sometimes slowing down the NES, which was worsened by the use of lvl 2 lasers, and 2 option.

The game has some useful power ups, which would become the basis for power ups in most side scrolling shoot 'em up games. To use these power ups, you would collect orbs from killing specific enemies, or a series of enemies to produce an orb, then press A when you had the appropriate amount. From left to right, these power ups are:
Speed Boost, increases speed of vessel, Missile, fires 2 missiles, 1 from each side of ship, Wave, fires a wave beam (kind of an O ring) at enemies, and replaces your primary weapon, Laser, fires a laser at enemies, and replaces your primary weapon, Option, which added a pod on the outside of your ship, following you, and firing whatever weapon you have from it, and finally Shield, which.. gives you a shield.

Anyways, this game sadly has little replayability, as, beating the game just restarts you back at level 1, with nothing but a Konami logo telling you that you defeated the final boss, and little difficulty on bosses doesn't really give you the urge to go back and beat them again. This game is definitely worth playing once though.

Rating: Play it once, you'll enjoy it.