OVERRIDE
Mission Code -Override-
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オーバーライド
©1990 Sting
©1990 Data East Corporation
Release: 1991-01-08 (¥6500)
HuCard (2 Mbits) DE90006
Shooter / Vertical
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Override is an intense vertical shooter by Data East.
In the latter half of the 21st century, humans have started colonizing
the galaxy and, using alien technology, they eventually step foot on
planet Uranos. There, they create a bio-computer called
Fureia and program it to create the best environment for
the human colonies. But, one day, Fureia triggers the
override protocol and starts taking over the planet.
Earth decides to send a powerful hover-tank fighter codenamed Gigaiasu
(aka Gigaeas) in order to destroy the rogue computer
who is now hiding deep underground.
The unusual ship starts with a traditional Vulcan Gun that
can be upgraded in all sorts of ways by collecting colored
orbs. They unlock secondary weapons such as Red (fire laser with
homing capabilities), Blue (piercing lasers), Green
(rotating wave lasers), Yellow (directional/reverse laser) and
Purple (side shots). Each secondary weapon can be upgraded
up to three times and two additional power items can boost up the
main Vulcan Gun (P) or award the ship with an additional
shield cell (E). Additionally, releasing the fire button for a few
seconds allows the hover-tank to charge up a devastative wave
of fire and obliterate most of the enemies on the screen.
Finally, the other action button allows to change the speed of the
Gigaeas.
Override consists of six levels and is single player only.
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Override for the PC Engine really sounds and
looks similar to Psycho Chaser,
released a year earlier by Naxat Soft. A closer look at the
game's credit makes everything clear - virtually the same staff
worked on both games, namely Yasue Santoh, Toyofumi Kunihiro,
Shinichi Abe and Tsutomu Takase.
It is little known, but another game exists in the Override
series. ラストバタリオン (aka Last Battalion Mission Code -override-)
was released by Sting for the Sharp X68000 in 1991
in Japan (picture on the left). Last Battalion comes across more as
a remake than an actual sequel to the PC Engine game. It features
the same spaceship and the title screen is virtually identical.
Graphics, although more detailed, are fairly close to the
PC Engine version (some bosses are however much larger
on screen). Most of the levels are also entirely different and
one of the weapon (the purple side shots) was surprisingly omitted.
Finally, the X68000 version features a new animated
(and fun) opening scene.
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Game Staff (Copied from the end credits) :
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Programmer
S. Abe
T. Kunihiro
Graphic Designer
H. Sueyoshi
T. Takase
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Sound Composer
Y. Santoh
Sound Effect
Y. Santoh
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Game Designer
H. Sueyoshi
Arabu
Special Thanks
H. Yoshida
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©1990 STING
©1990 DATA EAST
MISSION COMPLETED
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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Override actually has a nice list of cheat modes! To activate any one of them, you must first do
ten resets - to achieve that, simply press and hold Run then press Select ten times. Now
you can enter any of the following button combinations at the title screen! These are tricky to enter though,
make sure you press and hold the buttons in the right order.
Start from level 2 : Press and hold Up, Select and Run
Start from level 3 : Press and hold Right, Select and Run
Start from level 4 : Press and hold Down, Select and Run
Start from level 5 : Press and hold Left, Select and Run
Start from level 6 : Press and hold Up, Right, Select and Run
Invincibility : Press and hold Up, Left, Select and Run
Sound Test Screen : Press and hold Select and Run
See the ending : Press and hold Up, Left, I, II Select and Run
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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Override is truly a hidden gem. At first glance, the game
may not appear deeply sophisticated - graphics do look
average and, I am sorry to say, fairly ugly in places. But once you grab the gamepad
and dive in, you discover a surprisingly intense and frantic shooter
that reminds you of other masterpieces such as Compile's Aleste or
Hudson Soft's Soldier series. Override constantly
throws enemies and power-ups at you and the overall pace of the
game is incredibly satisfying. Override has
one flaw and it sadly runs out of steam after a while,
early levels are fairly easy and the difficulty level
dramatically increases for the last two stages. Sorry,
I'm about to spoil some of the ending for you, but
I'm not a big fan of games that throw back at you
every single one of the bosses you have already
defeated in a lazy boss rush... be ready because Override is one of those games.
But don't read me wrong here, Override is an intense and
incredibly fun shooter and it is only a shame that the graphics
are not in par with the exquisite and flawless gameplay
that will definitively keep your adrenaline pumping.
All in all, a solid shooter that fans of the genre should
definitively check out!
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