Uchuu Senkan Gomora

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UchuuSenkanGomora MDTitleScreen.png

Uchuu Senkan Gomora MDTitleScreen.png

Uchuu Senkan Gomora
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: UPL
Developer:
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: UPL
Sound driver: YMOIMO (Cube/Masaru Suzuki)
Genre: Shooting[1][2]

















Number of players: 1-2
Official in-game languages:
  • 日本語
  • English
  • Release Date RRP Code
    Sega Mega Drive
    JP
    ¥7,500 (7,725)7,500e[1][3] T-42023
    Non-Sega versions

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    Uchuu Senkan Gomora (宇宙戦艦ゴモラ) is a Sega Mega Drive horizontal shoot-'em-up game developed by Aisystem Tokyo and published by UPL. A port of the titular 1990 UPL arcade game Uchuu Senkan Gomora, it was released exclusively in Japan in September 1991.

    Gameplay

    Unlike most shooting games, you control a heavy battleship instead of a small efficient glider, resulting in slow paced gameplay unusual for the genre. A shoots your weapons; the laser weapon from your main ship can be charged by holding A. B allows you to take control of a beam shot. While B is held down, the D-pad will move a box-shaped target on the screen and A will shoot beam shots toward the target. This beam is multiple times stronger than the regular shot and can hit any position on the screen, for the cost of losing controly over the ship.C is listed as "PAD MODE", when this is activated, the score counter turns gray to indicate itÄs activated. In this mode, pressing -not holding- B switches between moving the ship and the box shaped target. In each level, you can get orbs which give you either subships that shoot weapons diagonally or certain powerups (such as an automatically moving beam target or doubling the size of your ship).

    Pressing  START  at the title screen gives you a configuration menu where you can, among other things, choose to play one of two 2-player modes. Normal 2-player mode is 2-player cooperative (two ships on screen at once), while another option allows the second player to take control of the beam laser while you take control of the main ship.

    History

    While the arcade version was released overseas (in the US under license from American Sammy under the name Bio-Ship Paladin), the MD version was only released in Japan — however an American title screen is present in the ROM and displayable if the region is set to US, which may mean a US release was planned (this is unconfirmed).

    UPL would go bankrupt shortly after publishing Uchuu Senkan Gomora (the later Task Force Harrier EX was ported and published by Treco.)

    Versions

    Considering the hardware it was ported to and small rom sizes of that time, the game can be considered a faithful port. All stages and bosses are present, the ending is identical. The game displays an unusual high amount of objects on screen. The Megadrive version's main differences are:

    • The game has a hard coded autofire limit, making autofire generally slower.
    • Bosses appear after a short phase (3-5 seconds) that allows one background layer to scroll out, not instantly.
    • All Graphics are a tad vertically compressed, likely to compensate for the arcade versions wide screen type resolution.
    • Some different colors for bosses, enemies and backgrounds. The reason is that the game uses 3 fixed 16 color palettes for Player ships, objects and all enemies, only the background color palette is swapped each stage.
    • More slowdown, although the arcade version isn't slowdown free either
    • Additional scrolling background layers in some stages.
    • Background music in the bio station and submarine base have been swapped for an unknown reason.

    Production credits

    • Program Design: Mutaka Ai, Daikoku Hisaya
    • Character Design: Masayuki Suzuki, Shigeki Maeda, Ryuji Watamabe
    • Background Design: Aiko Hirosawa, Ryuji Watanabe
    • Sound Effect: Masato Takahashi
    • Director: Tsutomu Fuzisawa
    • Special Thanks: Toshio Arai, Isamu Yanagida, ...and UPL All Staff
    Copyright ©1991 by UPL
    Source:
    In-game credits
    Uchuu Senkan Gomora MD credits.pdf
    [4]


    Magazine articles

    Main article: Uchuu Senkan Gomora/Magazine articles.

    Promotional material

    Logo-pdf.svg
    Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-06: "June 1991" (1991-05-08)
    Logo-pdf.svg

    Physical scans

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    {{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
    Based on
    0 review
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
    40
    [5]
    Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
    37
    [6]
    Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
    68
    [7]
    Consoles + (FR)
    75
    [8]
    Console XS (UK) NTSC-J
    71
    [9]
    Computer & Video Games (UK)
    86
    [10]
    Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
    50
    [11]
    Games-X (UK)
    30
    [12]
    Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
    40
    [13]
    Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
    56
    [14]
    Joystick (FR) NTSC-J
    70
    [15]
    Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J
    59
    [16]
    Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
    71
    [17]
    Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
    51
    [18]
    Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU)
    55
    [19]
    Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
    70
    [20]
    Sega Mega Drive
    58
    Based on
    16 reviews

    Uchuu Senkan Gomora

    Mega Drive, JP
    BSP MD JP Box.jpg
    Cover
    UchuuSenkanGomora MD JP CartTop.jpg
    USG MD JP Cart.jpg
    Cart
    BSP MD JP Manual.pdf
    Manual

    Technical information

    Main article: Uchuu Senkan Gomora/Technical information.

    References


    Uchuu Senkan Gomora

    UchuuSenkanGomora MDTitleScreen.png

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