Speed Power Gunbike, a PlayStation One game that never released in the west due to its failure in Japan. Honestly feels rude reviewing it since it wasn’t meant for the west. It’s like seeing a car with a spare tire on it. Clearly they’re trying to get to their job to pay off the bills on top of needing a new tire. This game was like that for Inti-Creates, known for the Mega-Man Zero games on the GameBoy Advance and recently successful titles like Azure Striker Gunvolt, and Blaster Master Zero. Coming out on their own, and needing to get on their own two feet, this game was a “We need to get a return of our investment, so lets get this out.” It’s not bad for Inti-Creates first venture, but certainly rough around the edges. There are some cool concepts I like about this game and I can only imagine of what could have been. Like Chernobyl could have ushered in an age of clean Aenergy. So I’m writing the review to say Please try again, with a more experienced staff, proper marketing, funding, and a less corrupt government.
While that moment of smooth gameplay is met with race tracks you’ll be on most of the game, everything tends to fall apart when you’re to use Robot Mode. Generally, you’re to build up ramming speed for Robot Mode to do some damage, but they have implemented other mechanics that don’t work well when you need to use Robot Mode to fight. The super moves you get have a long start up time. So long, that enemies will have long moved out of the way before you can finish your attack animation. Its like watching Dragon Ball Z, but everyone is smart enough to side step an Kameha. Moving the Robot is also a clunky mess. Jumping is useless, can’t even use it with speed to jump gaps and land sweet tricks. You’re either walking terribly slow, or using L and R that equates to a “look behind you but don’t make it look obvious” levels of uncontrollable speed.
Speed Power Gunbike is a good idea not executed well. I don’t believe it has to do with its inspiration of 1980s cyberpunk anime, and would 100% welcome another crack at the idea. With how the internet today has caused time to fold in on itself to where people have nostalgia for eras they were never born in, Speed Power Gunbike could find an audience in the New Retro Wave thats happening in the corners of the web. Seeing how Inti-Creates new titles like Azure Striker Gunvolt has found its footing with a futurecop aesthetic, and other titles like Astral Chain have found their niche, I have no doubt Speed Power Gunbike Retread could find a fast lane to success.
