Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge is a 1993 light gun shooter video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to Battle Clash (1992) and one of several titles that require the Super Scope light gun. Taking place three years after the events of its predecessor, the player acts as the gunner of the Standing Tank (ST) Falcon piloted by Mike Anderson, fighting a group of chiefs in the Battle Game, the returning emperor Anubis, and the invading Eltorian alien race.

Metal Combat was created by Team Battle Clash, a group within Intelligent Systems made up of Nintendo R&D1 staff, which previously worked on Battle Clash. It was directed by chief graphic designer Toshitaka Muramatsu, who worked in the Fire Emblem and Paper Mario series, and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, who also scored Battle Clash. The game garnered generally favorable reception from critics; praise was given to the refined gameplay, different strategies of each enemy, variety of modes, and overall improvements made over its predecessor. Some reviewers criticized the single-player campaign for its short duration, repetitive action, and difficulty.

Gameplay

thumb|left|Internal view of the ST Falcon, battling against the ST Cobra on Saturn

Like its predecessor, Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge is a light-gun shooter game which requires the Super Scope light gun peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to be played.

Gameplay consists of four different modes divided into single-player or multiplayer submenus: Battle, Time Trial, Training, and Combat. The game is one of several titles that requires the Super Scope. It was directed by chief graphic designer Toshitaka Muramatsu, who worked in the Fire Emblem and Paper Mario series, and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. Shinya Yamamoto and Toshihiro Nishii acted as two of the game's co-programmers, who later worked on Tetris Attack.

The game was unveiled at the 1994 Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) under its original title, Battle Clash II, but the name was changed shortly before its North American release. Nintendo first published Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in December 1993, followed by Europe in May 1994. The game was housed in a 16-megabit (2 MB) cartridge using the OBC-1, a sprite manipulation enhancement chip. Metal Combat was only released in Western regions, as the Super Scope proved to be less popular in Japan.

Reception

Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge received generally favorable reception from critics and retrospective commentators. Nintendo Power considered it to be a much improved follow-up to Battle Clash and highlighted its multiplayer mode; however, they found the single-player campaign weak, pointing out the difficulty of seeing incoming enemy fire. Destructoids Zoey Handley regarded it as one of the best light gun games ever developed.

Notes

References

  • at Intelligent Systems