MUSHA Aleste | 東亜プラン | Toaplan / Compile | T-35013

Posted by Christopher Price on July 26, 2010 · 3 Comments 

Last week, I said a tearful goodbye to my AZN copy of Musha Aleste on the Megadrive.

But to tell you truth, I’ve never liked the game. For the last 10 years I thought an ‘Aleste’ was some Japanese word that had worked its way into the title (e.g. ‘Densetsu’). I didn’t realise it was a long running series, I just thought it turned up here and there dependent on regional variation (i.e. Super Aleste on the PAL SNES was renamed Space Megaforce in US territory. For some reason completely unknown to me).

At the same time, I also found out that the awesome Master System game Power Strike 2 was actually part of the series. According to Wikipedia (which probably totally wrong) It goes ;

• Aleste (MSX2)
• Aleste 2 (MSX2)
• Aleste Gaiden (MSX2)
• Aleste / Power Strike (Sega Mark III/Sega Master System)
• Power Strike 2 (Sega Master System)
• GG Aleste (Sega Game Gear)
• GG Aleste 2 / Power Strike II (Sega Game Gear)
• Musha Aleste / M.U.S.H.A. (Sega Mega Drive/Genesis)
• Seirei Senshi Spriggan (PC-Engine)
• Spriggan Mark 2 (PC-Engine CD)
• Super Aleste / Space Megaforce (Super Famicom/Super Nintendo)
• Dennin Aleste / Robo Aleste (Mega CD/Sega CD)

Strikethroughs are for ones I’ve yet to play. Please tell me if I’m really missing out. Because I always thought Musha Aleste was dull. None of the originality of Gynoug/Wings of Wor or the nippy controls of Hellfire – or the fantastically brutal Twin Cobra. It’s an uninspiring, predictable vertical scroller (considering its the spawn of Zanac though, I shouldn’t be surprised). Super Aleste, although handicapped by extreeeme sloooow doooownnn surely was surely the series apex, with Dennin Aleste a close second.

What it does deliver though, is some of the most incredible artwork of ANY Megadrive game ever released. Fantastic anime-style artwork through-out, with real soul and character. Therein lies the reasoning behinf my personal sadness. Rather than losing a killer game, I’m losing a fantastic piece of aesthetic gaming history. To me, that’s what it will always be remembered for. That, and also that I sold a loose US cartridge version for £30. That was crazy times. Obviously, before the financial institution fell to pieces.

Wrap your peepers around the following.

Filed under Japanese Megadrive JAP/JP, Megadrive US/Genesis, Super Famicom / SFC Japanese JAP JP · Tagged with Aleste, Compile, cover, manual, MUSHA, scan, shmup, shooter, Toaplan, vertical, 東亜プラン