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Good: One of the best GBA games ever

Bad: It ends

Absilio Mundus: Still have no idea what this means.

There's only one word that can fully describe and explain how Gunstar Super Heroes plays: fun. Before we got our copy of GSH, I had read impressions and previews for it, but I still had moderate excitement upon receiving it. Little did I know that once I popped that sucker in, I'd embark on one of the greatest video game experiences. That literally is what Gunstar Super Heroes is.

GSH comes to us courtesy of Treasure, who in the past has been known for Wario World, Ikaruga, Gradius V, and more. All the games Treasure produces usually have a knack for an arcade style gameplay. Fast and lots of action is what they shoot for. The great thing about Treasure is that they seem to deliver the "fast and lots of action" theme to us in a variety of ways every time. GSH is the epitome of what Treasure games are about. Each level in GSH has its own unique style of gameplay and they're all incredibly fun to play.

Amazing as it is, GSH impresses level after level. You'll just clear one stage and as you move on to the next you'll be saying to yourself, "Oh hey, they haven't done that yet." The game is mainly consisted of an action side-scroller but twisted in different ways. For instance, sometimes the room you are in will be rotating or you'll be riding a vehicle to move about. It's all simple and very easy to pick up. As far as what your character can do, you'll be able to fire three different canons. Each character has their own guns that they can use although they all seem to have the same array of streaming fire, homing fire, and explosive fire. You'll also be able to fight melee style with a slash attack and various jump kicks and uppercuts. There's a lot you can do but you'll mainly be using your guns because as you use them, they charge up for your special power.

Special powers are limited to the guns only but these things are just ridiculous. They are exaggerations of their regular canon counterparts as they do a ton of damage. You'll soon learn that the special powers will be best against bosses as they just tear away at their health. It's great because whether you are on foot or riding around, the controls still stay the same.

The game is stunning visually. Some of the best sprite and 3-D simulating effects are used. It's full of colors and to my surprise the frame rate holds up pretty darn well. You'll also notice that there are a lot of things going on the screen at once. Enemies will be charging in, explosions will be going off, different charge effects will be scattered around, and a ton more. It's important to have the steady frame rate too because the game relies on fast action to entertain. This way you'll never have a break from the action or get frustrated by slowdown. Bottom line is that GSH contends for some of the best visually work ever on a GBA game. The audio also plays a major role in the action as well as the visuals. The game contains some great Japanese techno (a la Mega Man) to help move the action along. Explosions and gunfire all sound very crisp and energetic. I tried playing the game without sound a couple times and believe me, the experience is quite different without it.

GSH is probably my sleeper hit of the year and it is a shame too. What could be the best GBA game of the year will undoubtedly go unnoticed by the public. For those who are lucky enough to know about the game or read this review, go get this little gem right now. GSH represents the reason video games were made back in the old days: simple, yet amazing gameplay brought to you by a lot of explosions and some bad ass guns.

Graphics: A

Sound: A-

First Play: A-

Last Play: A

Gameplay: A

Overall: 93% A