Super Locomotive arcade game review [Matter of Import 094]
4You're not just a locomotive, you're a super locomotive in this Sega arcade game. Subscribe to Blown Cartridges for more retro game review videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDQj54Gd-w8RTdukMrQScQ?sub_confirmation=1
---
Super Locomotive is a 1982 Sega arcade game putting the player in charge of a, well, super locomotive.
Like Taito’s Time Tunnel, which we covered in an earlier video, in Super Locomotive we conduct our train through an environment full of dangerous enemies, trying to reach the end, bound to travel the tracks - but that’s where the similarities end.
Where Time Tunnel had a more open design where you controlled your train by activating switches and could traverse a large scrolling playfield, in Super Locomotive you press on ever from left to right, controlling your choice to shift to a different track with the joystick. The effective playfield is compressed, too - you can see that we have about half the screen to maneuver upon, with the lower half being an animated closer depiction of the action.
In fact, I’m only really looking at the lower half now, while writing this review; during actual play my attention was riveted to the top. The aggression of the planes and rival trains is endless - taking my focus away means a painful crash. The action is certainly more frantic in Super Locomotive.
To aid us in defeating and avoiding these enemies the player has two action buttons; the first fires “steam bullets” behind us, the second activates a shield that protects us from enemy fire and allows us to plow through most obstacles. Both powers consume our Energy, which we can restore by plowing through oil containers sitting on the tracks. I’m not sure that’s how trains work, but we’re not just a train - we’re a Super Locomotive.
Fortunately running out of Energy doesn’t kill us, we just can’t use our powers until we refuel or beat the stage. After doing so, we’re taken to a bonus stage where we fire our steam cannon up and planes passing by overhead.
I alluded to this earlier but Super Locomotive is a much more action-focused title than Taito’s Time Tunnel - simpler, certainly. Beating a stage only requires a certain amount of forward progress compared to the earlier game’s collecting train cars to open gates… but it feels less satisfying.
I tend to compare these games to their contemporaries, and since I gave Time Tunnel a B, I’m going to give Super Locomotive a C. Not bad, but certainly not as engaging.
Blown Cartridges is a channel obsessed with #retrogaming and video game history. If you enjoy our videos, please support us on patreon so we can create even more #retrogame content. http://www.patreon.com/blowncartridges
"A Matter of Import" is a #retrogame review series where I play console games that were never released in the US in a rough chronological order.
If you want to be sure of never missing a video, sign up for the Blown Cartridges mailing list, and get a weekly email linking you to what's been released. http://eepurl.com/h0uDXP