#298 - Image Fight

The space craft is placed just below the man's crotch, where he can make sure it stays out of trouble.

                                                Will the thrills never cease?!

I was going to start off this review with a "this game's title makes no sense" anecdote, but realized how inane that would be, considering a good portion of the NES' game library have inscrutable title names. But really, Irem? Image Fight? There's nothing in this mediocre shooter that would leave the player to contemplate the meaning of fighting one's own image a la Dark Link in Zelda II. You are but a simple fighting vessel that can acquire typical upgrades – seeking missiles/lasers, v-cannon, shooting pods that attach to your ship – in order to stop the Boondoggle Galaxy (a most hilarious name for such a terrible menace). Shoot... shoot... shoot, con sarn it, shoot! Shooting is all there is to do. I can get down with shooters, but there's something about Image Fight'sconstruction that feels so... half-hearted. Upgrades are plentiful, enemies come slowly (by shmup standards) and are easily destroyed. Assuming you don't die halfway through the level, boss battles are a cinch. There's very little strategy involved in the entire game, besides getting from point A to point B. The backgrounds are boring and the music is your typical space-battle tripe. I'd say there's nothing here to recommend, but the game plays as well any other competent shooter on the NES. If you've exhausted all other NES shmup possibilties, Image Fight is available. Just don't expect to look into one's own soul and pontificate on the darkness within. Hitting 'A' repeatedly is all that's required.

C-