(PS4 60fps) ACA NEOGEO Mutation Nation - co-op play-through 10/29/17
4Playing all the way through ACA NEOGEO Mutation Nation on a PS4 Pro in local co-op. (I'm player 1. : P)
The game originally came out in the arcade in 1992, about six months after the last SNK beat-em-up HAMSTER Corporation brought to their ACA NEOGEO line of emulated re-releases on PS4, just a week or so ago, Robo Wars, which in turn was about six months after the original release of the previous to that ACA NEOGEO release, Burning Fight.
These games have gotten increasingly more polished, but also more predictable--I think Burning Fight is still my favorite, because it's so crazy. Mutation Nation does have dudes popping out and mutating right before your eyes, it's true, but it's now mostly just a one-button game, most guys mill around very predictably and are easily (if somewhat satisfyingly) rapid-punched into mutant oblivion, there are no weapons to pick up, and no story whatsoever (the "story" parts typically being the weirdest and most amusing parts of these old SNK games : P).
Also not fond of the special attack mechanic: you have to hold the punch button down for a few seconds, during which you can't do anything else, to enter a charged state. where you flash blue. Once in that state, pressing attack again will unleash your character's special move--which also costs you a little life : PPP--or will use a magic attack sphere that you might have picked up off the ground somewhere; those have various effects: "C" is a wide field electrical outburst that hurts all enemies on screen--quite useful against mighty lumbering bosses, if your partner can distract them long enough for you to charge up--whereas I think it was "A" is this stupid rushing move that is really hard to hit anything with. Anyway it's all rather cumbersome.
Then there's a bit of a balance problem: most of the game, at least in co-op, is quite easy, but a few enemies are much harder: certain flying bugs are extremely hard to hit but will readily hit you, for instance, and these pink were-rat guys have oddly long range on their somewhat feeble-looking swiping attack. And the bosses: most aren't that terrible, but the second-to-the-last will just juggle you around with a stream of floating rocks until you're dead, more or less--real quarter-muncher there. ; P And of course there are annoying motorcycle or other suddenly-rush-cross-screen enemies, which seem to be something of a staple in these semi-annual beat-em-up releases.
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Streamed from a PS4 Pro.