R-Type Complete CD

~ R-TYPE COMPLETE CD ~

Irem

Super CD-ROM

1991

This must've been really fantastic for R-Type fans in Japan when it first came out, as it eliminated the need to mess around with two separate HuCards and featured cinemas along with a remixed soundtrack (as a CD remake should). Of course, as a longtime owner of the US TurboChip R-Type, I already had access to the entire adventure without having to resort to any card-swapping stuff, so my acquisition of this disc was based solely on curiosity regarding its intermissions and audio. The core game itself is the same, with the same memorization-based gameplay and the same famous bosses.

I knew coming in that the cinemas wouldn't exactly put all other PCE cutscenes to shame, but I'd actually set my expectations a bit too high by believing they would be dull, simple products of obligation.

They're actually bad enough to warrant derision at times, especially when the horrifically ugly human character designs are involved. The "scenery" shots aren't quite as laughable or repulsive, but they're crude. (Check out the rough borders of the clouds and water.) At least the space battle scenes, while simplistic, are fairly cool; I just wish there were a lot more of them.

Quality music might've made up for the poor interludes (which, of course, can be skipped entirely), but the racket in R-Type Complete seldom approaches any level of goodness. As soon as I heard a robotic voice droning "AR-AR-ARRR-TYPE" over upbeat mutilations of Stage 1's classic melodies, I knew I was in for something wholly inappropriate. The "dance" take on these tunes fails for the most part, though the boss track is, uh, "kickin'" aside from its gratuitous "vocals" and sirens. Oddly enough, the tunes I feared would be affected most adversely actually turned out all right: the Stage 2 and Stage 4 themes, effective originally because they created feelings of suspense with relatively slow progressions, serve a different purpose in their sped-up forms by making the rather rigid action seem more spontaneous than it really is. But only the Stage 6 track really seems to be done full justice, as it's the most traditional red book remix of the lot. Even then, however, I prefer the chip number.

And so, disappointed by both the cinematics and the soundtrack, I just had to get whatever enjoyment I could out of the best part of the package: the good ol' game itself. R-Type fans will certainly want to check this out and might even find the cutscenes and tunes quaintly appealing (though I think it just as likely they will end up disgusted with both elements). Those who aren't quite crazy about the game should stick with the US chip version, as the original music is far superior to this new nonsense, and the gathering of ships at the card adventure's conclusion is much cooler than any of the cinematic "drama" presented by the disc.