Sega Astro City Mini Part 4

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 4!

20. Shadow Dancer - Shadow Dancer is Shinboi II, or as it's known on the Genesis, Secret of Shinobi. Now, I'm not sure if I've ever played the arcade version, although I probably have. I think I may have played it on the Genesis as well. With that said, I'm almost certain I never beat it. Shadow Dancer plays pretty much exactly the same as Shinboi with the addition of having a dog by your side. The dog can run up on enemies and attack them making them vulnerable for your attacks. The only thing I don't like about that is the constant yiping when the dog gets hurt. Also, you have time bombs that you're supposed to find in order to clear the level. I missed one in 2-1 which was highly annoying as I made it to the end of the stage without getting hit, but died going back to find it. I'll definitely return to finish this one later, though.

21. Alien Storm - One thing I love about these mini consoles is seeing how the games evolve over the years. Alien Storm is an arcade beat 'em up that released when the genre was entering its golden era. Like many, it has different characters with unique move sets and special attacks, and HP bars instead of losings lives from one hit. What makes Alien Storm stand out from others is its design. Alien Storm takes place in an alien infested city and as you progress through the levels, you'll see humans turn into and be attacked by aliens, and you'll also see objects like thrash cans and phone booths reveal hidden aliens. I played the first two missions, and it looks like each mission ends in a shooting gallery style section where not only do you kill every invading alien left, you also pretty much destroy every last standing thing in these stores. Great fun! I look forward to coming back to this one to finish it and try using other characters. 

22. Columns - Like Golden Axe and Altered Beast, Columns is another Sega staple. I've played this game many times on Genesis and Game Gear. I spent a few minutes on this one, since this is an arcade version, but as to be expected, there's no real difference. I don't even really think the graphics are any better than the Genesis version. I played as much as I could before I ended up getting a game over and I'm certainly rusty. However, Columns has never really been a puzzler that I crave to go back to, so I doubt I'll play anymore. 

23. Bonanza Bros. - Hey, I remember playing this game with a friend back on the Genesis! Now I have the arcade version! As far as I remember, I don't think there's any difference with this one and the Genesis version. Probably better graphics. Anyway, if you've never played this one, it's basically a cops and robbers game where you play a burglar who goes into buildings to get loot and shoot guards and avoid traps. You can also lure them into traps such as getting them on the other side of the door slamming into them with it. I played a few levels and I really do enjoy this sort of game. I can't remember if I ever beat it with my friend, but I would like to go back to this game in the future and finish it on the Astro City Mini. 

24. Columns II - I never played Columns II, arcade wise or console wise. Columns II changes things up a bit by splitting single player and versus modes apart from each other. The single player mode is also called Flash Columns, and you start each level with several rows of gems already on the screen. Within the gems is a flashing gem, and your goal is to clear a path to the gem and then clear the gem itself. After a little while, a gem with a skull on it will appear and if you happen to clear that gem, trash gets added to the level. I was never good enough in Columns to clear away trash gems quickly, so unfortunately, I don't really find the sequel that much fun. I do like that the graphics of the gems change every level, though. It adds some variety, but the game overall just isn't fun enough for me to want to come back to. 

25. Thunder Force AC - This game's a side scrolling shooter similar to Gradius. You can also change your speed and weapon types at will. This game's freaking hard, though. Probably one of the hardest shooters I've ever played. It's definitely a coin cruncher for sure, but hey, infinite coin drops! I like the graphics and how fast it moves. I played a couple of levels, and thought the bosses were pretty standard fare, but even though there's a ton of cheap shots, I still found myself having fun with this. I might come back to it some time to finish it off. 

That wraps up the fourth installment in this series. Thanks for reading, and watch out for part 5!