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Gameplay recorded by Retronomicon (NVSGamer) 🚀 Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker (TurboGrafx-CD) – A Harsh, Ambitious Sequel 💥 Released in 1992 as a Japan-exclusive, Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker is the CD follow-up to Irem’s 1988 arcade classic Image Fight. Known for its brutally unforgiving difficulty, the sequel carries that reputation forward but attempts to expand the formula with enhanced visuals, CD audio, and more elaborate presentation. The result is a shooter that’s visually striking for the system but still divisive because of its punishing gameplay. 🎮 Gameplay Like the original, Image Fight II is a vertical scrolling shooter where precision and memorization are key. You control a high-tech fighter ship as humanity fights back against alien invaders, navigating tight corridors and heavy enemy fire. Pod system: Collect power-up pods that can attach to your ship and fire in multiple directions, allowing for strategic offense and defense. Speed controls: As with the first game, you can adjust your ship’s speed, adding depth but also raising the skill ceiling. Stage design: Levels are varied, combining open enemy waves with claustrophobic sections that demand pixel-perfect dodging. Boss fights: Large, intimidating enemies with layered attack patterns, though some drag on due to high health. 🎨 Presentation CD enhancements: Fully voiced cutscenes and anime-style story segments flesh out the narrative in ways the arcade original never did. Graphics: Sharp, colorful visuals with detailed enemy sprites and smooth scrolling make it one of the more impressive-looking shooters on the PC Engine CD. Soundtrack: CD-quality music delivers tense, high-energy tracks that elevate the atmosphere, though some tracks loop quickly. ⚠️ Weak Spots Extreme difficulty: Even compared to other Irem shooters, this one is ruthless. Dying strips you of power-ups and often leaves you unable to recover. Pacing issues: Some boss fights feel like endurance rounds rather than thrilling climaxes. Limited accessibility: Its Japan-only release makes it rare and costly to own physically. ✅ Final Verdict Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker is a fascinating relic of early ’90s shooter design. It pushes the TurboGrafx-CD hardware with impressive visuals and audio, and it adds cinematic flair with its story cutscenes. But it inherits the unforgiving difficulty and stiff learning curve of its predecessor, making it a game mostly for hardcore shmup fans and collectors. If you crave a challenge and want to see Irem at its most uncompromising, Image Fight II is worth a try. For more casual players, it might feel more frustrating than fun. 💬 Have you tried Image Fight II? Do you think its difficulty adds to its charm or holds it back? Let me know in the comments! 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more TurboGrafx-CD reviews, shooter deep dives, and retro gaming rarities. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 4:30 Stage 1 8:41 Stage 2 11:24 Stage 3 16:36 Stage 4 20:43 Stage 5 25:28 Stage 6 28:28 Stage 7 32:07 Stage 8 39:11 Stage 9 45:20 Stage 10 47:46 Ending #ImageFightII #TurboGrafxCD #PCEngine #RetroGaming #Shmup #ShootEmUp #Irem #HardcoreGaming #hiddengems Follow me on: Twitter -
http://www.twitter.com/#!/nvsgamer This channel features instructional & highly edited video game guides, walkthroughs, speedruns and other uniquely transformative videos. My own personal gameplay, extensive editing & creative input are clearly added into each video, ensuring that all videos adhere to YouTube's partner program guidelines. My walkthoughs take tremendous amounts of work & editing so that all videos are straight to the point & can be used as professional video game guides. I have spent thousands of hours practicing & mastering games before recording to ensure the highest quality gameplay possible. All gameplay is my own & is recorded and edited solely by me. Permission to upload each game was provided by the game publisher.
