Game:

The Last Time (2016)

Duration: 2:58:21

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Originally recorded: May 28, 2023
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Yeah, given how much longer Pepsiman took me than I originally expected, it's only fitting that Gunbike got two full-length sessions out of me. Either way, I'm glad I managed to wrap up my main line-up of streams before the end of May. And while there's still one last hurdle before I can move onto my bonus line-up, I'm just glad that I've got roughly half a year to spend on everything after my main line-up.

Anyway, I didn't *quite* make it halfway through the game last time, but that's mainly due to the game's weird arrangement. Gunbike has "7 levels" in total, but two of them are just boss fights and the last one is a playable epilogue that is basically impossible to lose. For those of you keeping track at home, I managed to get through 3 stages -- and their associated boss fights -- last time. That left two levels, four boss fights and a pseudo-playable ending on the docket. Like, I'd argue that I made it more than halfway through the game last time... but that's neither here nor there.

I finally managed to adapt to the game itself this time, which meant that most of the game was fairly easy to tackle. My only real hurdle was the penultimate boss, which came after the fifth and final stage. Honestly, that's probably where the usual limitation of fully 3D games on the PS1 finally reared their ugly head in full. I'm still a little shocked that I actually managed to beat it when I did. By comparison, the game's proper final boss fight was relatively simple, it only took a few tries to beat.

Needless to say, I'm fine with calling it quits after beating the game with Ikkei/Gunbike. I've taken a look at walkthroughs for the other two characters, and with one obvious exception -- the Major/X fights Ikkei/Gunbike instead of himself -- the scenarios are essentially identical. The only real appeal there for me would be seeing the alternative storylines play out... and given the language barrier, that's only going to happen with some kind of a translation.

While I can't say Speed Power Gunbike was as fun as I had hoped, I do appreciate the game for what it is. You can see brief glimpses at the kind of gameplay Inti Creates would go onto refine in their later releases -- even if they're somewhat hampered by the pitfalls that were omnipresent throughout the early days of 3D game development for home consoles. The fact that it turned out so well, despite being an action/racer hybrid, is a testament that even from the start, Inti Creates was bound for greatness.