All
About Treasure
I
included this section on the site because I felt that anyone
who had the interest to visit a Gunstar Heroes fan site would
definitely want to play other games by Treasure. To this day
Treasure makes mostly old school action and platform games.
If you liked Gunstar Heroes and have a Genesis I would suggest
getting Dynamite Headdy. But if that isn't enough to quench
your thirst for extreme violence and patented Treasure weirdness
you will definitely want to check out their other games. Below
is a list of the games that Treasure has produced from their
beginnings as a Konami development team to their most recent
releases.
List
of Games by Treasure
*Created
by Konami, but purportedly with many of the employees that
would later form Treasure.
Highlighted: are the games that
I have had a chance to play and actually know something about.
*Contra
(NES)
*Super C (NES)
*Castlevania (NES)
*Castlevania IV (SNES)
*Contra III (SNES)
*Axelay (SNES)
Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)
Alien Soldier (Genesis, Japan only)
Light Crusader (Genesis)
Dynamite Headdy (Genesis / Gamegear)
McDonald's Treasure Island (Genesis)
Radiant
Silvergun (Saturn / Arcade, Japan only)
Guardian Heroes (Saturn)
Silhouette Mirage ( Saturn / PS )
Rakugaki Show-Time (PS, Japan Only)
Mischief Makers (N64)
Sin and Punishment (N64, Japan only)
Bangai-O ( N-64 / Dreamcast , N64 version is Japan only)
Silpheed: The Lost Planet (PS2)
Stretch Panic (PS2)
Ikaruga (Dreamcast Japan only, Gamecube Japan and US,)
Wario World (X-Box..... nah! just
joking: Gamecube)
The Fighting (GBA)
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Bad Dream (GBA)
Dragon
Drive (Gamecube, Japan only)
TREASURE'S
MOST NOTABLE GAMES
The
Treasure team members have an extremely proud history of developing
some of the most consistently fun, addictive, and innovative
action games of all time. Although Treasure is a relatively
small development house, they seem to have a rare devotion
to making quality titles that rivals even the giants of the
industry. I know when I think about the development companies
that consistently innovate and push the medium in new directions
I draw up a short list. There's Nintendo's EAD, Sega, Konami,
Capcom, Namco, and then there is Treasure. It's easy to get
left in the dust as technology advances, and many development
companies get caught rehashing old formulas for too long,
but over the years Treasure has managed to innovate and create
new types of gameplay, or make old formulas seem new again.
Most
any action game fan who has played Contra, Gunstar Heroes,
Ikaruga, or Radiant Silvergun will tell you that these are
among the greatest action games of all time. These games are
years ahead of their time, or sometimes such a huge paradigm
shift from the norm that a comparison to other games of the
genre seems silly. Not every treasure game can be an instant
classic though, but so many others have aged so well. To this
day I will spend hours playing Bangai-O and Sin and Punishment
because these games are just fun to play. They don't end when
they are beaten, because like any good game, the pleasure
is in the gameplay and not just the pursuit of beating the
final boss.
TREASURE
A HISTORY
Like
I said before, The designers at Treasure got their start programming
classic games at Konami like Contra and Castlevania for the
Nintendo Entertainment System and the SNES. After leaving
Konami and starting their own company, the designers of Treasure
forged an excellent relationship with Sega, programming a
number of games that appeared exclusively on the Genesis.
Treasure never did release any games for the SNES, but Treasure's
method of designing games specifically around a system's capabilities
and always getting the most out of the hardware wouldn't have
made cross platform conversions very easy or economical. Surely
Gunstar Heroes would have been nearly impossible to make on
the Super Nintendo, just as the kind of Mode 7 rotation in
Castlevania IV would not have worked on the Genesis.
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Treasure's
games for Genesis were excellent. Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite
Headdy are undeniable classics. Alien Soldier was never released
in the US, but this fast paced boss battling action game is
definitely worth playing. Continuing their relationship with
Sega, Treasure made some of the best games to be released
on the Saturn. This may seem strange to American gamers, but
in Japan the Sega Saturn was a successful system and competed
with the Playstation in sales. As a result, Treasure's excellent
Saturn games : Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes, and Silhouette
Mirage are hard to come by in the US. Just one look on Ebay
will let you see how in-demand these games are. I've seen
the Japanese import Radiant Silvergun sell for over $200.
But that's not so surprising since most gamers consider Radiant
Silvergun to be the best shooter on the Saturn, and one of
the finest 2D shooters ever made. Another notable Saturn game
is Guardian Heroes. It's a medieval beat-em-up with role playing
elements. Although I haven't played Guardian Heroes myself,
everything I've read seems to suggest that it is a sort of
advanced version of the NES classic River City Ransom.
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Strangely,
Treasure never released any original games for the Playstation
in America. Rakugaki Show-Time was Japan only, and Silhouette
Mirage is a port of the Sega Saturn original.
With
the Launch of the Nintendo 64, Treasure released Mischief
Makers. This game really didn't get the credit it deserved.
Everyone seemed disappointed that it wasn't a 3D platformer
like Super Mario 64. But Mischief Makers is an excellent 2D
platformer that is definitely worth playing. Treasure has
made two more games for the 64 since Mischief Makers. Bangai-O,
the Japanese only puzzle shooter is excellent (although the
DC version is better, and saw a US release). Sin and Punishment
is a 3D shooter on rails much like Starfox, but instead of
using space ships the player controls characters who can run
and jump making the game more reminiscent of Space Harrier
or Cabal.
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Treasure
continues to support most of the modern gaming platforms.
They have released Bangai-O and Ikaruga for the Dreamcast,
both of which are of the highest quality. The slightly underwhelming
Stretch Panic and Silpheed sequel have been released on the
PS2, and my console of choice, the Gamecube, has received
the American release of the amazing Radiant Silvergun sequel
Ikaruga. Also Released on the Gamecube, Nintendo's Wario World,
which was in fact developed by Treasure.
REVIEWS
Although
I fancy myself an action game fanatic, I am not God, and
have not played every Treasure game enough to review. But
when I do get my hands on a new one I will write it up here.
Then you can read what I have to say, and go to the nearest
video game store and buy every Treasure game they have on
the shelves.
Wario
World (Gamecube)
Wario
World brings good news and bad news for Treasure fans. Let's
start with the good news first: The control, the level design,
and the gameplay all live up to the lofty standards of past
Treasure games. The bad news: Wario World is a short game,
and it's also not the most challenging game you'll ever
play. For now though, let's avoid the negative because there
are tons of great things to say about Wario World.
First
of all, Wario World is perhaps the first 3D platformer that
I can play with the same ease and fluidity as the traditional
2D plaformers of the 8 and 16-bit era. Believe it or not,
Wario World is even easier and more intuitive to play than
Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. This is high praise
indeed, but there are trade-offs. Instead of placing the
camera behind the character and giving the player total
control of the camera as the 3D Mario games have done Treasure
has opted to make the levels more linear and leave the camera
in one place. The end result is a game that plays like a
cross between the 2D platformers of old, and the 3D games
we are used to now. In most places there isn't a lot of
depth to the levels, and although they are 3D they scroll
almost exclusively from left to right. Treasure has in a
way simplified the 3D platformer to make it more playable
for a wider audience. I would say that the game doesn't
feel completely unlike Luigi's Mansion, except that I believe
Wario World to be a great deal more fun than Nintendo's
GC launch title. Another thing... the bosses in Wario Wortld
are great. Wario World has some of the best boss encounters
in modern video games and they feel like they were pulled
right out of a 16-bit action platformer like Gunstar Heroes.
Very old school, very fun!
Wario
World is a great game. There is no denying that fact. But
I can't help but think that it could have been so much more.
It seems that once Treasure had the game engine ironed out,
they could have spent a little more time to make the game
longer and more challenging. Super Mario games of old had
somewhere between 40 and 100 levels. Now I'll admit that
the levels in Wario World are a bit longer and more complex
than the average SMB level, but not grossly so. Wario World
has 8 levels. Granted, they are 8 very fun levels complete
with fantastic boss confrontations and colorful graphics,
I think Wario World could have been a truly great game.
I think it could have been one of the best platformers of
this or any year. I don't have any problem with short games....
just read my Ikaruaga review. But Wario World isn't really
challenging enough to be as short as it is, and because
of this it doesn't have the depth or replay value that Ikaruga
has. Wario World also doesn't really challenge you to come
back and improve your performance and score like most great
short games do. At the very least, Wario World is a great
rental game. You can beat it in one weekend, and although
it is fun to come back to later you may not find yourself
coming back very often after you have completed it and opened
up all the Warioware Inc demos. Great game...... could have
been two or three times longer though. A
solid recomendation to any Treasrue fan, with a few extra
points for gamers who love the Gameboy Wario games.
Ikaruga
(arcade, Dreamcast, Gamecube)
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To
me, this is everything a shooter should be. Until I see
something better I'm inclined to say it's everything a shooter
can be. It is the official sequel to Radiant Silvergun,
and it lives up to the myth of it's predecessor. I say myth,
in part because I have never played Radiant Silvergun. But
I can say this: despite all the hype and furor stemming
from that legendary game which everyone talks about but
few have played, Ikaruga still blew away every expectation
I had of it. It's brutally difficult, but the gameplay is
refined to near perfection. In a way this game reminds me
of Contra. It's difficult, but I never get frustrated and
I keep coming back again and again, never getting bored,
and always improving.
Now, about the gameplay.... Ikaruga can best be described
as a blending of the gameplay elements in Silhouette Mirage
and Radiant Silvergun. It's a traditional vertical scrolling
shooter like Radiant Silvergun, Space Megaforce, or 1943
but there are a few twists. Like Silhouette Mirage, your
ship and every enemy is assigned one of two polarities:
dark or light. While your ship can switch back and forth
between light and dark, the enemies are static. White enemies
fire white bullets, and black enemies fire black bullets.
As the player you have a choice: by choosing the same color
as an enemy you can absorb their bullets and charge up your
super weapon. By choosing the opposite color as an enemy
you can double the damage you inflict, but their bullets
will kill you. If you want to score big you need to kill
enemies in groups of three according to color. The challenges
are nearly endless, and Treasure did a unbelievable job
of presenting the player with all sorts of interesting and
unique situations.
In the end I guess this game isn't for everyone. It's so
hard there will probably be people who won't put in the
time and will give up on it. But if you start playing with
an open mind, you will no doubt love it. Ikaruga offers
such a challenge that I suspect only a fraction of the people
who play or buy this game will ever beat it or get anywhere
near mastering it. It's simply that hard. But it is still
accessible, and I suspect that more casual gamers will still
have fun perfecting their scores on levels one two and three.
One can always hope, maybe I'll beat Ikaruga on one credit
some day. Probably not, but right how I'm happy with my
100 chain on level one and I'm still improving. More than
any other game I've bought for this current generation of
systems, I come back to Ikaruga over and over again, play
the game for 20 to 40 minutes, and get completely immersed
in the gameplay. Ikaruga is still truly fun an exciting
for me even after playing the first three levels over and
over again for more than 30 hours. Ikaruga is definately
in my top five games off all time.
Highest possible recommendation.
Silpheed:
The Lost Planet (PS2)
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This
game really reminds me of the SNES game Axelay. It's a vertical
scrolling shooter that pretty much puts everything before
it to shame visually. Unfortunately, Treasure and Game Arts
didn't seem to put the same amount of work into the gameplay
as the visuals. Silpheed plays like virtually every other
shooter out there, it's just prettier. Do I recommend it?
Yeah! It's lots of fun, it's beautiful, and the controls
are tight. I just don't want anyone to be expecting Radiant
Silvergun or Ikaruga, cause they ain't gonna get it. If
you're a shooter fan, this is among the best (or only) ones
out there these days. I don't know if this game is great
for Treasure fans however, because it really doesn't have
any of Treasure's trademarks. In Japan this game was released
without Treasure's name on it. It think it's probably safe
to assume that Treasure was using this game to get used
to the new PS2 hardware or simply needed the money from
Game Arts. Perhaps Treasure didn't feel it was up to par
with most of their releases. Anyway, enough negativity,
it's a decent game..... Luke Warm
Recommendation
Bangai-O
(Dreamcast, N64)
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There
will be tons of people who won't like this game, but those
people probably won't be visiting this site. Bangai-O is
a perfect example of vintage Treasure. It is strange, primitive,
and unlike anything else on any console..... ever. You control
a small robot who has free roam of the 2D scrolling levels.
Like most Treasure games Bangai-O has a gimmick. In Gunstar
Heroes it was the weapons system, in Mischief Makers it
was shaking things, and in Bangai-O it is blowing things
to hell. The whole point system revolves around killing
as many enemies with a single shot as possible. In fact,
the power of your superweapon is dependent on how much enemy
fire is on the screen. The more enemy bullets on the screen,
the closer they are to you, and the faster they are moving,
the more powerful your super weapon! Sound crazy.... it
is. The more explosions on the screen at once, the more
you will be loving life. Why didn't someone think of this
a long time ago? The graphics are a little primitive, the
main character is small (very small), and the plot is absolutely
incoherent and drug inspired, but the amount of carnage
that can be dealt out in this game is unmatched. If you
are reading this because you like Treasure games, and you
have a Dreamcast, then you should have this game, this game
is a perfect example of why Treasure has so many hard-core
fans. Highest Recommendation.
Sin
and Punishment (N64)
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This
has got to be the best 64 game never to be released in the
United States. Treasure Developed it, but it was published
by Nintendo in the final days of the N64. This means that
there are quite a few Japanese copies out there, and you
shouldn't have to pay too much to import one. I only paid
$40 at the local game store for my copy, and if you like
action games it is worth every penny. Sin and Punishment
is a 3D shooter on rails, much like Starfox or Panzer Dragoon
except that the game characters are running on the ground.
This almost makes the game seem a bit like the Arcade classic
Cabal, Space Harrier, or the old GI Joe arcade game. To
add variation to gameplay your character can jump and swing
a sword at nearby enemies. The play control is darn near
perfect and allows for the fluid and fun gameplay that you
expect from Treasure games. Because of the excellent and
varied level design, and the tight controls his is a game
that is fun to come back to even after you've beaten it.
The Graphics are pretty dated by today's standards, but
some of the effects are much better than what you will see
in other 64 games. The polygon count is pretty low, but
I would still rate the graphics as excellent because of
the way the game moves and the design of the characters
and their settings. I think one point that I need to touch
on is the fleet combat level. In one of the latter levels
of the game your character flies around a Naval fleet on
a deck that has been torn from one of the ships. This is
one of my favorite levels in any action game ever, and one
of the most blissful experiences I've ever had playing my
Nintendo 64. I think that the Rail Shooter is the obvious
evolution of the standard side or vertical shooting scroller,
and like Starfox, this game is as fun as anything else out
there. I think rail shooters can be a great deal of fun.
Too bad Sega released Panzer Dragoon Orta on that piece
of crap X-Box. Highest Possible Recommendation.
Mischief
Makers (Nintendo 64)
Mischief
Makers is a fast paced two dimensional platformer for the
Nintendo 64. Although I like this game a lot, I can find
a lot more to complain about in this game than I can most
Treasure games. Some of the graphics are blurry, and the
backgrounds tend to repeat themselves. The levels are extremely
varied when it comes to objectives and playing styles, which
of course means that wile some of them are wonderful, others
fall a little short. There is also the nagging problem of
what I like to call "way to much plot for an action
game"! In between levels you are forced to watch an
absolutely silly and pointless plot.... why can't I skip
these scenes! I don't care! I want to blow stuff up now!
Now that I have spent most of this review complaining, I
will finish by saying that this game is a lot of fun and
well worth picking up. The action is very unconventional.
Instead of shooting, you spend most of your time jumping,
throwing things, and (yes you are reading this right) shaking
enemies and objects. Yes, shaking things is integral to
the gameplay of Mischief Makers. Strange? Yes, of course.
But this is a Treasure game. I recommend
this game to any Treasure Fan, with a high recommendation
to anyone who buys Treasure games just because they are
weird.
Silhouette
Mirage (Playstation, Saturn)
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I
own the Playstation version of the game, and no matter what
those Saturn geeks tell you, owning the PS version is just
as acceptable for your average Treasure fan. This is the
game that invented the concept that Ikaruga was designed
around, but I don't think Silhouette Mirage will be nearly
as fondly remembered as Ikaruga. Silhouette Mirage is a
platform shooter in the same style as Gunstar Heroes and
Contra, except that it's nothing like either of those games.
Wait... does that make sense? The gameplay evolves around
the fact that the main character can switch between Silhouette
and Mirage attributes (read light and dark) to fight her
enemies. The enemies in the game are either light or dark,
and dark enemies can be easily killed by light power and
visa-versa. Now I'll be honest, I couldn't really get into
the game. It's actually pretty deep as far as gameplay is
concerned. For a casual action game fan, it's probably a
little too deep. The gameplay is so different from other
games in it's genre that you really need to spend some time
with it to appreciate the thought that went into designing
it. I'm not sure if I dove in deep enough because I never
got past the point of mild frustration. But if you are a
Treasure fan, do pick up this game. It was released in the
United States and shouldn't be too hard to find. I think
that Treasure fans who are willing to invest some time into
this game will really like it. It has all the weirdness
you could ever want in a Treasure game, and it has tons
of completely unnecessary story (just like Bangai-O) for
you to attempt to make sense of. It's a great game, but
certainly not for everyone. Recommended.
McDonald's
Treasure Island (Genesis)
This
is my least favorite Treasure game. Still, light years better
than you'd ever expect a McDonalds licensed game to be.
It's still more fun than your average Genesis platformer,
and it still has some cool effects in it, but I just don't
see Treasure fans playing this one for very long. The game
is colorful, with a similar look to Dynamite Headdy, but
that's where the comparisons end. Although the graphics
are decent, and the controls work pretty well I would have
to only give this one a mild recommendation. So don't go
out of your way to pick up this title. But if you do happen
to find it, you will probably be able to buy it for less
than three dollars.I guess with a price like that I think
it's safe to say that you should pick it up if you are a
Treasure fan. It's a decent game,
and Treasure made it..... a very luke warm recommendation.
Dynamite
Headdy (Genesis)
Like
most Treasure games for the Genesis, Dynamite Headdy didn't
sell very well in the US, therefore the game can be hard
to find. Thankfully it isn't as in-demand as other Treasure
titles such as Gunstar Heroes or Radiant Silvergun so you
shouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg. Although not quite
as spectacular as Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy has everything
you look for in a Treasure game: Crazy special effects,
tons of sprites with little to no slowdown, an interesting
weapons system, psychotic bosses, and trademark Treasure
strangeness. The main character (Dynamite Headdy) is an
ant who bashes enemies with his head. And their are many
different head upgrades with which to deal out death to
your enemies. The game is a variation of the standard two
dimensional platformer, but it is an excellent one. If GH
is a ten, then Dynamite Headdy is an 8, which is still head
and shoulders above your average Genesis game..... highly
recommend.
Light
Crusader (Genesis)
This is one of the more recent additions to my Treasure
collection. I was very pleasantly surprised when I first
played it. I had read reviews on the Internet that said
it was hard to play because of the perspective and complexity,
but I found it to have smooth controls that were fairly
easy to get used to. Light Crusader is an action RPG much
like the 8 and 16 bit Zelda games with an isometric view
that, although flashy, does make gameplay little harder
than it needed to be. The characters are very realistically
drawn for a Genesis game, and the background graphics are
often stunning. Overall, it has a much more adult feel than
most RPG's of the era. The dungeons are dark, and some of
the death animations are a little graphic. The puzzles and
challenges in the dungeons are enough to keep you playing,
but pale in comparison to those found in the Zelda franchise
(especially the Nintendo 64 incarnations). Like most treasure
games, Light Crusader contains some effects that you just
don't see in other 16 bit games. The dungeons are filled
with mock-3D objects that must be utilized to advance to
the next room. Most of the doors are made of polygons, that
slowly (and smoothly) swing open when unlocked. If
you enjoy games like Zelda as well as Treasure games I would
highly recommend Light Crusader. I can't recommend it to
people who are looking for another Treasure action fix.
This game has little in common with Contra, Gunstar Heroes,
or Radiant Silvergun.
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