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Veigues Tactical Gladiator, a game created by Game Arts on the NEC PC-88 then ported by "Bits" and published by Victor/NEC on the Turbografx-16 is basically a shoot'em up like mech game. While the game might be hard at the beggining, if you're willing to give it a chance you'll soon get used to the control scheme (which is not bad at all) and start to get further and further into the game, seeing how fun it can be. In my opinion it's a very underrated Turbografx title... apart from the complex control scheme it's pretty fun. In the beggining you'll begin with the weakest weapon/armor attributes but the 1st level is easier to allow the player to gather up points, which can be used in between levels to upgrade several items: the "body" which is a weapon that can be used by holding II + I and can be fired at any direction, useful to take down ground drones/enemy generators; the Veener which is basically what allows you to stay up in the air for more time (like a jetpack), which is pretty weak in the lower levels but at level 5~6 you can stay in air for pretty long which makes the game feel like a shoot'em up; the Shield which is fundamental to "upgrade" because each level is one life bar, and if you lose a "life" you'll have to upgrade it again -- if the last shield level is depleted you'll start to lose your parts one by one, like the head, the vulcan cannon, the weapon arm, etc. and when all is gone you'll explode and you'll be booted right to the title screen with no continues, so the shield is priority number one. Of course you can also upgrade the main weapon level. When you have enough firepower and maxed out shields (not hard to do) and you're already good at the controls you'll see how fun the game can be! A little tip, when you're changing your direction (left/right) you're invulnerable.

Thanks for sharing! I was always curious about this game but never had a chance to play it back in the day. I gave it a few minutes in an emulator and gave up, though suspected there was more to it than a cursory glance would reveal. I hope to take this title for a longer spin and master the controls in the near future based on your thoughts of this game.

So I've given it some more play time and have to say, Veigues is one enjoyable game! The controls still give me problems (up for jump, and down to turn left/right? ugh....) but I understand why they have to be that way given that we only have 2 buttons to work with. So far I've not been able to clear level 3 but I'm sure I'll get there. I'm glad you shared your opinion on this title, Punch. It probably wouldn't have bubbled up to the top of my playlist for many moons otherwise.

I'm glad you enjoyed the game! One very useful tip is to upgrade only the body and shield after level one, because you'll be able to rack up on kills at the beggining of level 2 (just stand at the left corner of the screen and shoot the drones with I + II, you'll end with 120~140 kills) and have lots of spare points and firepower through the game. But make sure you stay with at least 4 shields else you're risking get booted to the main menu.

Very good advice on the chest cannon. Made it to the final boss, but his 2nd form killed me. I shall clear this game by Thanksgiving, though! Let it be known that i have vowed thusly!!!!!

nullity wrote:Very good advice on the chest cannon. Made it to the final boss, but his 2nd form killed me. I shall clear this game by Thanksgiving, though! Let it be known that i have vowed thusly!!!!!

I lied. Still haven't cleared this game. ) : oh but i will... yes... i will.

Anyone else taken Veigues for a spin lately?

I enjoyed Veigues back in the day.

Honestly, all you had to do was read the directions and the control scheme was quick to learn.

Experimenting with different weapons vs. opponents provided some opportunity for devising strategies (better have chest cannon powered-up for stage 3!).

I thought the minimalist music used for certain sequences was actually pretty kool—it added a very distinct flavor to the atmosphere (sterile, mechanical....i know my mech is a drone, no humans/organic life is to be found anywhere in this game).

Anyway, I concur with original poster...this was/is an under-appreciated game in TG-16 catalog.

Q: Why did I just waste valuable time responding to this topic? Why?

so I could necro reply... necroply another two months later.

esteban wrote:
Q: Why did I just waste valuable time responding to this topic? Why?

Because VEIGUES.

Punch wrote:

esteban wrote:
Q: Why did I just waste valuable time responding to this topic? Why?

Because VEIGUES.

EXACTLY.

You know, no joke, I rarely have time to play these days and I think I'll actually play Veigues because I know I can beat it and, even though it could have been better, I still like this damn game.

HERE'S THE THING: I am a creature of habit, and I have been using the same sequence to POWER UP MY GOBOT since I got this game back in the day. WHY DON'T I TRY POWERING UP DIFFERENTLY? I should, but it seems like I am somewhat reluctant to do it. WHY IS THAT?

AM I THAT PREDICATABLE?

Seriously.