Last Resort (video game)

Last Resort[lower-alpha 1] is an arcade shoot 'em up video game by SNK released in 1992. It was also released for the Neo-Geo and Neo Geo CD systems,[1][2] SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PS2, PSP, and Wii, as well as ACA Neo-Geo for the PS4 and Xbox One. Its gameplay was heavily inspired by R-Type and its system of a pod attached to the player's ship.

Last Resort
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Yasumi Tozono
Designer(s)Eri Koujitani
Hajime Itō
Khozoh Nagashima
Programmer(s)Takefumi Yamamoto
Composer(s)Toshio Shimizu
Yasuo Yamate
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Horizontally scrolling shooter
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot showcasing Brucken, the first boss of the game.

The object of the game is to fight through five stages and destroy the end stage bosses by aiming for their weak points. The player maneuvers both a cyber jet and (once procured) an indestructible robot drone which acts both as a shield against small projectiles (similar to the Dino 246 drone in Pulstar and Blazing Star) and an additional weapon with multi-directional fire and concussion launch capabilities. The robot drone can be toggled to a stoptrack position or to rotate around the cyber jet. The cyber jet can be upgraded with three levels of three types of firepower and faster jet speed by collecting the corresponding power-ups.

Plot

Many years in the future, mankind has developed the technology for space colonization. However, a mysterious computer virus infects the primary computer running man's first space station, causing it not only to affect its automated defenses, but to convince other humans to side with it. The computer attacks Earth so often that Earth's only hope is put into advanced spaceships wielding great firepower.

Development and release

Last Resort was developed by former Irem staff members.[3]

Reception

Last Resort garnered positive reception from seven reviewers of Gamest during its 1992 AOU Show appearance.[15] In Japan, Game Machine listed the game on their May 15, 1992 issue as being the thirteenth most popular arcade software at the time.[19] The title received generally positive reception from critics since its release in arcades and other platforms,[20][21][22][23][24] with some comparing it with R-Type.[25][26][27][28][29] Other reviewers also drew visual comparison with the 1988 film Akira.[10][11][13] Both the Neo Geo and Nintendo Switch versions hold a 46.25% and 80% respectively on the review aggregator GameRankings.[4][5]

Consoles Plus's Marc Menier and Douglas of Consoles Plus praised the visual presentation, sound design, playability and longevity, regarding it as a referencial shoot 'em up for Neo Geo.[7] Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers panned the Neo Geo AES version, commenting that it has impressive graphics and sounds but crippling slowdown and extremely short length, problems they found especially unforgivable given the console's powerful hardware and the cartridge's high price.[8] Hobby Consolas' Marcos García highly commended the graphics, music and two-player mode but criticized the lack of an additional stage and occasional slowdown during gameplay.[9] Joypad's Jean-François Morisse and Joystick's Jean-Marc Demoly gave positive remarks to the graphics, sprite animations, sound and controls.[10][11]

Player One's Cyril Drevet stated that the power-up system was a mixture of R-Type and Forgotten Worlds and criticized the occurrence of slowdown during gameplay, comparing it with those of popular shoot 'em ups on the Super Nintendo. However, Drevet nevertheless praised the visuals, sound, difficulty and longevity.[13] Consolemania' Davide Corrado commended the graphics, sound and playability but criticized its high difficulty level.[14] Power Play's Martin Gaksch regarded it as the best classic-style shooter since R-Type and its sequel for arcades and consoles, praising the title's ingenuity, audiovisual presentation, and action.[16]

Ultimate Future Games reviewed the Neo Geo CD version and praised the graphically detailed sprites and stages, opera-style rave soundtrack, sound effects and action but criticized its short length.[17] VideoGames & Computer Entertainment's Andy Eddy criticized the occurrence of slowdown and flickering, short length and difficulty.[18] Nintendo Life's Damien McFerran compared its dark atmosphere with both R-Type and Armed Police Unit Gallop, praising its soundtrack and challenge, regarding it as one of the best shooters on Neo Geo but criticized the two-player mode for being broken and other aspects.[12]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ラスト・リゾート Hepburn: Rasuto Rizōto

References
  1. "Oh! Neo Geo Vol. 5 - ラストリゾート". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 40. SoftBank Creative. January 1993. p. 142.
  2. "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - Last Resort". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 105. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  3. BackintoysTV (June 27, 2014). Metal Slug History PART 2 - Neo Geo - Retro Game Test - REVIEW fr vf. YouTube.
  4. "Last Resort for NeoGeo". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  5. "ACA NeoGeo: Last Resort for Nintendo Switch". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  6. Knight, Kyle (1998). "Last Resort (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  7. Menier, Marc; Douglas (June 1992). "Neo Geo Review - Last Resort". Consoles + (in French). No. 10. M.E.R.7. pp. 60–61.
  8. Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (July 1992). "Review Crew - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 36. Sendai Publishing. p. 24.
  9. García, Marcos (October 1992). "Neo Geo - Maquina Total - Last Resort". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 13. Axel Springer SE. pp. 118–121.
  10. Morisse, Jean-François; Demoly, Jean-Marc (June 1992). "Test - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Joypad (in French). No. 9. Yellow Media. pp. 64–65.
  11. Demoly, Jean-Marc (June 1992). "Tests - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Joystick (in French). No. 28. Sipress. p. 123.
  12. McFerran, Damien (June 22, 2017). "Last Resort Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  13. Drevet, Cyril (June 1992). "Tests De Jeux - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Player One (in French). No. 21. Média Système Édition. pp. 86–87.
  14. Corrado, Davide (September 1992). "Last Resort (Neo Geo)". Consolemania (in Italian). No. 11. Xenia Edizioni. p. 41.
  15. Miyaura, Mitsuru; Maker T; Ishii, Zenji; Yamakawa, Yuri; Uemura, Sly; Endo, Charako; Momoro, Kurihara (May 1992). "'92 AOU ショー クロスレビュー: ラストリゾート (SNK)". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 71. Shinseisha. p. 22.
  16. Gaksch, Martin (July 1992). "Videospiele / Tests - Last Resort". Power Play (in German). No. 52. Future Verlag. pp. 132–133.
  17. "Last Resort (Neo Geo CD) - Bags of plasma death". Ultimate Future Games. No. 3. Future Publishing. February 1995. p. 92.
  18. Eddy, Andy (July 1992). "Video-Game Reviews - Last Resort (SNK) For the Neo•Geo". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 42. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 110.
  19. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 426. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 May 1992. p. 29.
  20. Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. Computec. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  21. Y. Pout, Willy (July 1992). "Neo•Geo Preview: Last Resort". GamePro. No. 36. IDG. p. 78.
  22. Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい！: ラスト・リゾート". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 206.
  23. "Reportaje - Clásicos en CD -- Titulos disponibles para el nuevo formato de SNK: Last Resort". Hobby Hi-Tech (in Spanish). No. 1. Axel Springer SE. March 1995. p. 28.
  24. "NF編集部にまる - ネオジオゲームㇱインレビュー: ラストリゾート". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 25. Geibunsha. June 1997. pp. 124–128.
  25. F., Reinhard (January 1992). "SNK - Neo Geo - Last Resort". Megablast (in German). No. 1. Joker-Verlag. p. 60.
  26. "Preview - Neo Geo -- Last Resort". Computer and Video Games. No. 126. Future Publishing. May 1992. p. 90. Archived from the original on 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  27. Knauf, Andreas (June 1992). "News - Neo Geo - Mutation Nation". Video Games (in German). No. 7. Future-Verlag. p. 16.
  28. Osange, Elliott (July 5, 2017). "ACA NEOGEO LAST RESORT Review". bonusstage.co.uk. Bonus Stage. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  29. Maciejewski, A.J. (August 12, 2019). "ACA NeoGeo Shoot 'em Ups - Last Resort Review". videochums.com. Video Chums. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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