> Progear is far from being average. But like many other awesome games it does not
> reveal it's real qualities until you play it - and that's definitely more than
> for 20 minutes with an unlimited amount of coins.

I don't have an unlimited amount of coins. Oh wait, you mean my keyboard. :P

Yeah, I realize I didn't exactly give it much time (20 minutes is about right) but still, it's largely cookie cutter from what I've seen for years and years.

>Expecting the question "what
> actually are the real qualities ?", and considering you are interested in an
> answer, although I doubt you are, you can visit this page:
> [/url]http://www.world-of->arcades.com/Cave/Progear/ItemsAndScores.htm[/url]

Why would I NOT be interested? I'm not THAT bitter and jaded. So I went and looked. You did a really fine job of explaining the game's fine points, and it's nice to know there's more to it than what's on the surface.

But in the end it's still a formulaic one way shooting game. I'll hold off calling it average until I give it more time. But first impressions were, as I said, that it's a forgettable and mostly typical game.

Just look at all the cool stuff in Forgotten Worlds. The inventive controls, the huge variety of weapons and items, the shops, the amazing variety of levels and layouts, the remarkable music compositions. Etc. Etc. Now THAT is a SHMUP.

Or look at the Metal Slug series - pretty formulaic (it's Contra mostly) but they injected it so full of unexpected surprises and unique touches that the game takes on a life of its own.

Maybe I'm just not a big enough fan of modern SHMUPs. They're more about scoring strategies than variety and level design. And I'm just not that into scores, as much as I am the actual experience of playing.

-Prophet-
www.retrogames.com