SUPER SWIV
( Firepower 2000 )
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(c)1992 Coconuts Japan
(c)1992 The Sales Curve Ltd.
Cartridge SHVC-SQ
Shooter/Vertical
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Released in America as
FIREPOWER 2000
( SNS-FW-USA )
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Released in Europe as
SUPER SWIV
( SNSP-WV-XXX )
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Super SWIV is a vertical shooter by Sales Curve (aka SCI Games).
A secret organization has stolen military weapons and machines accross the globe and they
have now regrouped and are ready to strike. The player is sent to infiltrate the enemy's
base to destroy it from the inside and annihilate their power core. Two vehicules can be
controlled (or paired in the two simultaneous player mode) to elimitate the threat and
possibly save the world. The Jeep can fire in any directions but can be obstructed
by ground obstacles. The vehicle can however jump over objects and gaps giving it a chance
to maneuver its way though storms of bullets and hazards. The Helicopter is a lot
more straight forward and can only fire ahead but features a contemptuous air superiority.
Four weapons are available throughout the game and can be selected at any time as long as
they were previously picked up - they are usually hidden inside large metallic crates and
spread out in the air when cracked open. They range from fast missiles, flamethrower, laser
beam and spread gun. Other items such as the protective force-field can also be collected
along the way.
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The original game, simply called S.W.I.V, was originally released for the
Amiga (1991) and ported to other machines of the time such as the
Atari ST (1991), Amstrad CPC (1991), ZX Spectrum (1991),
Commodore 64 (1991). Several conversions are also worth mentioning :
Super SWIV (Super Famicom,1992) aka Firepower 2000 in the US,
Mega SWIV (Megadrive, 1994), SWIV (PC Computers, 1996)
and SWIV (Game Boy Color, 2001). S.W.I.V is supposed to stand
for Silk Worm IV (it is also known as Special Weapon Interdiction Vehicles
or the unlikely Silk Worm In Vertical) and is a 'spiritual' sequel to Tecmo's
horizontal shooter called Silkworm released in the arcade in 1988. Interestingly,
S.W.I.V is somehow more a sequel to The Sales Curve's home conversions of
the game released for the Amiga (1989), Atari ST (1989),
Amstrad CPC (1989), Commodore 64 (1989), ZX Spectrum (1989)
and Nintendo's NES (1990).
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Teaser text from the American version:
Ready, Aim, Fire !
Imagine if all the mega weapons
in the world fell into the wrong hands.
And then were turned against you. That's time for major firepower.
You've got to take the wheel of a jumping, whirling, gun-heavy jeep that
fires in any direction. Or master the controls of a deadlyfast, missile-
loaded helicopter. Both war machines have special capabilities. Both
change into different vehicles on certain levels. It's up to you to pick the
right weapon. So get ready to collect your flamethrowers, plasma
cannons, lasers, guided missiles, nuclear weapons and more.
There's no time to assemble forces - it's just you or you and a partner
going straight into the blazing, blasting heart of enemy territory.
Make sure you buckle up. And put your finger on firepower.
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Teaser text from the European version:
Choose between a
Helicopter Gunship or an Armoured Jeep and prepare to
enter enemy territory as part of the elite assault team of
SPECIAL WEAPONS INTERDICTION VEHICLES. Battle against enemy'copters, tanks,
hovercraft, snowmobiles, mechanised flying fish, giant weapons installations and much more in
this vertically scrolling shoot'em up. But beware, the
enemy is armed with the latest deadly weaponry,
including the lethal SILWORM IV homing missile.
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
O
V
s
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Super SWIV features one of the best examples of a game redefining Dual Gameplay
in its own terms. The game delivers some solid co-op action, the two vehicles have to work
together and cover each others backs to survive. So what about the solo game in all of this ?
As expected, this is the only draw back and single-game can be sort of a challenge. Graphics are
nice and detailed with some unique and unusual enemy designs spread nicely around the levels.
I only wished bosses were a bit more along that line, they often end up being long and annoying
moments you want to fast forward and get over with. Music tracks are also rather weak and do not
really fit the game unlike the beautifully crafted sound effects. Finally, I wonder why this
Super Famicom conversion lost the 'continuous loading' featured in other versions
- here the game is split into stages and stops after each boss.
All in all, for all Super SWIV's high production values, there are some annoying short
comings but the game is nevertheless an excellent vertical shooter. This title is up there,
among the best SNES vertical shooters in my book which is an extremely rare feat for
a non-Japanese developer.
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