The Game Paradise 2 (GP2) is the sequel to a Saturn game. The Saturn original was a port of a Jaleco coin-op. As with a lot of conversions of the time, the Saturn version offered the original game as well as a Saturn "extra" version which in this case included things like an extra pilot, 2 extra levels, a time attack version - plus a few other nice little touches here and there. One of the extra levels - the karaoke singing girl - is my favourite and one of the more memorable and unique video game moments one can experience. Especially in a shooter!
Essentially GP2 is more of the same. Although it's now gone all 3D and polygons and pushes the "strange" meter up a fair old bit. It offers a shorter experience over its Saturn predecessor - just five not so long levels and a bonus one if you complete all of those. But if does offer the very odd procedure of being able to play it with a Guncon and the pad: one person controls the character and the other one shoots at the screen! There are a few other things besides the game itself - but I could not fathom these out. Maybe they needed the Guncon connected in order to work.
Once a level is completed, instead of starting the next you go to a highscore table where you can see how you fared against others and at what difficulty setting, character used etc. You then put your desired obscene name in the table and either go about your business, or you can choose another level from the main screen.
The levels offer similar themes to GP1, and one of the first things that grabs you, from playing level one, is seeing the familiar "inside the arcade battle" but this time in 3D. It all runs very smoothly, the sound effects are generally better (heavier explosions than the splash of white noise in GP1) and slight lighting/transparency effects for the visual side of the explosions too. But then another thing grabs you - there's not so much to shoot at as there is in GP1 and there's a lot less detail (for example all the coin-ops in the arcades in GP1 actually had games running on them - here they don't). And here's where the main differences lie really.
The Saturn one is a longer game, with a lot more to shoot at and more 2D detail. The PS version is prettier to look at and listen to overall but has smooth 3D environments with less detail. But the real crux of the matter is this: personally I've always had a slight problem with GP1. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I never found it that enjoyable to play. It was a great idea - a videogame set inside a videogame world - and there's lots to shoot at and nice sound effects etc.
GP2 it's more inventive than GP1, and the whole thing gels together better - a real sense of fluidity flows between all the components of the game - from the level designs to the actual playability. It just generally seems to hang together a little bit better. I found it more enjoyable to shoot the enemies in this game, and a great reason for a purchase is some of the goings-on in the levels.
Towards the end of level 2 you find yourself hovering outside an ominous building, which really reminded me a lot of the David Lynch film Lost Highway; the next thing I know is I'm actually inside this building and my character is hobbling very tentatively forward (the scroll stops and then starts!) and going slowly around these dark corridors. I couldn't quite believe this! Little ghost characters appear with Dick Dastardly in them - which you have to shoot and they disappear making an eerie sound - and eventually you find yourself paused outside a door thinking "what the F is in there".
This I'll leave you to find out.... Shortly into level 3 you are greeted with the words "welcome to the vector zone" and then a very retro flavoured vector enemy onslaught comes your way - which is a total joy. Everyhing shatters (with a smashing glass sound) into tiny little vector lines - and you are soon treated to such things as a huge vector fish waggling on a fishing line which you have to shoot bit by bit. This level alone is better than any of the normal levels in the original GP1. The racing level - something I thought was ingenious in GP1 - leaves it's predecessor standing. You truly are inside the race in this one - hurtling around the corners and so forth - and there's some pretty strange stuff going on later on too!
Manufacturer's description:
Parody of the classic games of yesterday appearance sequel to "heaven" game packed with vertical scrolling shooter turned gun shooting. One can enjoy a friendship play to attack in another Gankon Gankon corresponding to one person to operate the aircraft on the controller. It is also equipped with many nice features such as the ability to enjoy even a beginner auto Bomber.
Features:
- Third person perspective.
- 3D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Fantasy theme.
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