Super Mario 64 and it’s ilk ruined 2D for us old school purists. After Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the next generation of consoles was supposed to be the pinnacle of 2D gaming. Instead we got a slew of 3D titles, some good (Goldeneye, Super Mario 64), and many really bad ones. Companies though were determined to make 3D work and prove the superiority of their systems. With this determination 2D gaming slowly disappeared into the dustbin of history many of us shaking our heads sadly and wondering “what if?”

Fast-forward to 2006, and that question of “what if” is finally being answered. 2D gaming is making a savage comeback, with platforms like Xbox Live Arcade, the Nintendo DS and the Playstation Network paving the way for a true “next generation” of 2D gaming.

It’s fitting then that Assault Heroes 2 blazes it’s way onto Xbox Live Arcade, further refining the insane level of 2D fun that the original Assault Heroes provided us in 2006. The developers at Wanako Studios obviously played in the same arcades I did as a kid … the Assault Heroes series plays homage to old school top down shooters like Ikari Warriors. Ikari Warriors on crack that is.

Gameplay:

The game stays true to the original Assault Heroes. The player starts off in their assault buggy and is armed with a number of weapons – machine gun, flamethrower, ice gun, and heavy cannon. Scattered throughout each level are various powerups that further increase the power of the weapons. In addition players have grenades they can toss and missle power ups/

Arrayed against the player are literally hundreds of bad guys. Bad guys destined to die spectacularly horrible deaths as your deadly arsenal of weapons mows them down. Although your most basic baddie gets cut down quickly, armoured foes like tanks take abit more of a beating, which is where choice of weaponry comes into play. While the heavy cannon takes down an enemy tank quickly, this leaves you open to attack by the many little soldiers swarming around … enemies much better taken down with your machinegun or flamethrower. This is part of the strategy of the title … picking the best weapon to use as chaos erupts around you.

Like the previous Assault Heroes 1, players will also get a chance to get out of their vehicle and hot foot it. In addition to the vastly improved underground levels, some parts of the top levels are set up as “infantry” only affairs, and are definitely tenser as you lose the armoured protection of your assault buggy.

In addition to your regular assault buggy, Assault Heroes 2 allows players the chance to use 3 new vehicles, the heavy tank, the helicopter, and the mech unit. While all 3 are fun to use, I personally feel that fully powered up assault buggy is generally the better choice. Even so, the extra units add variety to the title.

Graphics:

For those of you that felt the graphics in Assault Heroes 1 were really good, you are in for a treat. Assault Heroes 2 offers more of the same but even better. The art/feeling of the game is absolutely spot on, with massive explosions, a bright vibrant world, and over the top insanely beautiful yet terrifying looking bosses. The underground levels look a million times better than the first game as well … they look so good that my co-op partner and I found ourselves almost enjoying these levels more than the top side.

I’m not sure what else to say except that from a graphical perspective Assault Heroes 2 is exactly how I would have imagined a next gen 2D top down shooter should look, back when I was a teenager in the 90’s.

Sound:

The game sounds great. Explosions boom through your speakers, with the controller rumbling when you use heavy weaponry. The tell tale suicidal scream of incoming enemies is always an “oh crap” moment as seconds later a zillion enemies swarm onto the screen. The audio in this title is a constant assault of explosions, enemy screams, and sustained gunfire.

In short, glorious.

Longevity:

Perhaps the biggest downfall of the game is its repetitiveness. Don’t get me wrong, Assault Heroes 2 is a lot of fun … but it’s fun in short bursts. Perhaps time has changed the tastes of even this old school gamer, but after a couple hours playing Assault Heroes 2 my co-op partner and I both felt kind of burned out.

It’s important to remember that back in the “old” days, top down shooters could be finished in 30 – 40 minutes … often less. These titles were also designed to suck in as many quarters as possible, meaning that even with a couple continues most players were playing in 10 – 15 minute bursts.

Assault Heroes 2 on the other hand offers a gigantic single player campaign (relatively speaking when comparing to similar old school arcade titles), multiple levels with each level further broken into sub levels + bonus underground levels. Thankfully you “unlock” each level as you reach it, meaning you can take breaks in-between play sessions and continue on at a later date.

The Co-op mode is awesome … there’s something really special about playing through the campaign with a buddy on the same system or over Live. All the familiar memories I have as a kid at the arcades came rushing back as we laughed at each other’s mishaps, or shouted warnings to each other of incoming doom. Co-op mode also features a neat “co-op gun” mode which is a hoot to use, even though me and my partner usually both ended up dead from uncoordinated assaults.

The game offers several difficulty modes, which should keep folks coming back … all in all there is a lot of value to be had in this ten dollar title.

Overall:

When it’s all said and done Assault Heroes 2 has a lot to offer for it’s price, and does so in a very slick package.

Fans of the original Assault Heroes will be overjoyed to return to the franchise, as the game retains everything that made it fun to begin with, only better. Gamers that look back at the 2D era of gaming fondly will revel in this next generation 2D shooter. Assault Heroes 2 is a title that answers the question of what next generation 2D gaming might have looked like if the 3D generation never had happened.

Thank god for Xbox Live Arcade.