It was a Capcom game, so it had to be good, right? Nope.
...
The game is repetitive and boring. I clearly remember saying, many times, "didn't I just kill this thing in the last level." And "this spinny circle thing again???"
Capcom was actually known for many repetitive games though, such as Exed Exes and 1942. Even the much improved 1943 and 1943 Kai weren't offering much variations either. (I think the 19xx series got more variations much later, when they decided to ditch all the realistic overtones.) At least SideArms offered more variations in the settings(a lot of weapon options, vertically scrolling stages, shooting at either sides, etc.), and mecha combination! Though Nichibutsu games offered more crazy combinations.
I'm a bit biased though, as having nostalgic memories playing a lot the arcade version(and not so well, couldn't even get past the second stage) and the LOADS of Anime plagiarismsreferences in it certainly helped (that Akiman being part of the graphics team could be a reason), which people not getting into ANIME in that era might not understand.
The PCE version (actually the CD "Special" version, which is the only version I own) does have a number of features compromised, such as having to pause when changing weapons, no backgrounds in some of the boss fights(those wheels, actually) and (obviously) lack of 2-player mode, but it's still a mostly accurate port, which was as close as you could get for console conversions at that time (I think all the artworks were lifted directly from the arcade version, so they're just pixel perfect). Many of the changes are minor at best, if you accept them. The need to pause when changing weapons actually makes the game easier and the lack of 2-player mode isn't that seriously a downgrade, as you'd like to keep your mecha combined at all time anyway (I think it's actually a design flaw to leave one of the players almost useless in the combined state, but not being able to play with the beta robot is certainly missed, and that you couldn't have beta-alpha combination, which some people claimed was a more powerful form in the arcade version). At least I could beat this version (but not the Before Christ mode, which I personally think is a trainwreck for changing almost everything to make the game nearly unplayable, but it's just free stuff so I couldn't complain) so I love this version even more. (And yeah, even though I don't own the Hucard version, I think the new stage one tune is nice, though why they decided to add this was a mystery.)
Yes! I just assumed I suck really bad because I’ve had a very frustrating experience with the Before Christ mode... and I feel like I am missing out on something (I have not gotten to the last few states in B.C. Mode, IIRC).
This is how I would describe SideArms: it doesn’t make a strong first impression.
Or, to put it another way: it is a game that grows on you and becomes more charming the longer you spend with it. It has a surprising amount of personality and things to do (and discover)...if you open your heart.
For example, it did not particularly impress me when I first played it on TG-16 (My friend got Sidearms as soon as it was released, but I had already played Blazing Lazers and was spoiled by BL/Gunhed).
I don’t think Sidearms was one of those games that could GRAB YOU BY THE LEFT ONE (either in the arcade or on the console) in 1989-1990...because it didn’t have the aesthetic flair of the “current generation” of games (BL).
...so I forgive people whose FIRST IMPRESSION of Sidearms was a mere shrug.
However, once you are playing Sidearms, it was SWIFT and FUN and really addictive (at least, addictive for me, I love the mechanic of flipping forward/backward a la Section Z NES)... I still think it is fun to take different paths through Sidearms (instead of following the same pattern) because it really changes things! (Not all games really feel different if you do this, in my experience.)
Personally, I put Raiden and Sidearms in similar categories: their real charm is the addictive quality of: I think I can get a little bit farther...but dammit, I keep f*cking up...
I know some folks find Sidearms easy, but beating the game without continues wasn’t easy for me.
ASIDE:
FOR A CAPCOM GAME THAT *SHOULD* have been a MASTERPIECE, but then allows horrible repetition to destroy it l, I would bring your attention to LEGENDARY WINGS (NES) .... the horizontal boss fights are SO REPETITIVE and just suck a lot of the awesomeness away...
Legendary Wings, with a bit more effort and care, could easily have been a goddamn solid platinum classic for All Time (I still like the game, but what a squandered opportunity—it physically hurts me to think about it).
So, yes, Sidearms does suffer a bit from recycling “boss/mini-boss” assets... but thankfully it doesn’t completely negate itself (like Legendary Wings).
Sidearms = occasionally anticlimactic
Legendary Wings = 100% anticlimactic
Maybe I set the bar too low?
I don’t think so.
