Hoo boy. Someone at the XS Games/Take 2 Interactive/Jack of All Games collective had a strange idea: take the PlayStation version of a mid-1990s shooter called Gunbird, cut the storyline, give it the title Mobile Light Force, slap on some cover art that resembles a mix of Charlie's Angels and anime mecha shows, and release it for $10. I'm really at a loss to explain why a company would go through with this. Is it a cheap way to circumvent licensing costs? It is the result of some warped focus group feedback? Was "Gunbird" copyrighted in America by Capcom?
But why is it such an odd move? Well, because Gunbird doesn't resemble Charlie's Angels, Danger Girl, or anything that would fit the cover or the title of Mobile Light Force. It's just a cute vertical shooter from Psikyo, makers of the highly similar Strikers 1945 line. Like its sequel, Gunbird is full of goofy characters, short levels, and lots and lots of enemy bullets for players to dodge. It's a fairly basic shoot-'em-up, but with a colorful story and plenty of intense moments, it's also enjoyable stuff.
Or at least it was in the arcade and on the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation edition of the game all but ruins the entire experience with a single feature. You see, the majority of vertical shooters are designed for play on arcade screens taller and thinner than the typical TV. Thus the home versions of these games usually come with several different presentation options, the most popular ones being a vertical mode that shrinks and letterboxes the visuals in order to fit them entirely on a horizontal TV, and a “TATE” mode that involves the player flipping a television on its side to get that full-screen look, or the arcade feel, as Johnny Turbo might say.
This version of Gunbird, however, offers only a letterboxed screen that scrolls slightly, depending on where the player's character is. It's not a bad idea in print, but the end effect is a jerking, disorienting screen movement that speeds up or slows down depending on the player's position. As in any good shooter, Gunbird requires you to move all over the field of play as you avoid bullets and seek the best point of attack. Here, that necessary motion causes the screen to lurch constantly, making it easier to take a hit.
That's not the end of Gunbird's PlayStation problems, either. The control has a slightly clumsier feel than its original version, and this slight change ensures that you won't be able to dodge bullets quite as effectively. And in a game like Gunbird, where thick tempests of enemy shots rain down constantly, a lack of maneuverability means that you'll get blown out of the sky quickly and quite often.
I can't really blame XS Games for either of these problems, since they were in the original Japanese PlayStation port of Gunbird. However, I can (and will) cite the decision of XS and their parent companies to cut any and all story scenes from their Mobile Light Force. Gunbird's plot was a lightweight fantasy-anime spiel about a magic mirror and the weirdoes searching for it, with dialogue that popped up after each level and before the characters confronted a boss (and the game's Time Bokan-esque trio of villains). It's all gone from Mobile Light Force. Unlike Sol Divide, there isn't even an untranslated ending, which is a shame, considering that the amusing closes of Gunbird gave it a good share of replay value.
A fully translated Gunbird hit the arcade years ago, but apparently that English dialogue wasn't part of whatever bargain XS Games got on the title. An art gallery from the Japanese version wasn't in the deal either, it seems, so it's gone from Mobile Light Force. Oh, and if you're one of those shooter fans who likes to play for higher and higher scores, Mobile Light Force doesn't have a way to save your point totals. Sorry.
Though they excised the whole of the story, XS Games actually went through the trouble of renaming some of the characters. The cursed witch-girl Marion and the voluptuous cloud-riding monkey-woman Yuan Nang (who's just about the most liberal interpretation of the Monkey King legend I've ever seen) retain their monikers, but the flying archeologist Ash is now "Jason Last" and the elderly strongman Tetsu is "John Suarez." It just so happens that Jason Last is the name of a QA tester for Mobile Light Force, and that John Suarez was the game's producer. Coincidence? And if self-insertion isn't enough, the grandfatherly steampunk robot Valnus has become the “MILF 2000.” Yes, that's right. MILF.
The changes to Gunbird here are all the more depressing when Psikyo's knack for making solid shooters tries to come through in Mobile Light Force, only to be undone by choppy scrolling and a complete lack of personality. Even players who have never seen Gunbird in any other form will be let down by this, as they'll grow frustrated with the inadequate control and headache-inducing scrolling. The only perks are minor. There are still some nice boss encounters, and the continue system is tough but fair (even if you can steamroll it in the two-player mode). They're no saving graces.
I'd like to recommend Mobile Light Force just because it's a) an old-school shooter and b) ten bucks. I can't. In fact, I doubt anyone would want to play it. Psikyo fans will resent the shoddy conversion and laughable alterations, while those who disregard shooters in general will find no merit in this. Gunbird is a solid, entertaining specimen from the Shooter Renaissance of the mid-1990s, but Mobile Light Force is a butchered mess no matter what you call it.
Bad Cover Version
You know, I just can't get over the cover art change for this thing. Here's a comparison.
First, let's look at the original cover of Gunbird. Pictured here is the Saturn version, but the PlayStation cover is the same except for the system logo.
