SôKô KIHEI VOTOMS
( Armored Trooper Votoms - The Battling Road )
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(C)TAKARA CO.,LTD,1993
(c) SUNRISE
Cartridge SHVC-VO
Shooter / 3D
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Armored Trooper Votoms is an action game by Takara
and based on a famous Japanese animation series aired for the first
time in 1983. Players take controls of heavy armed mechas and fulfill
missions assigned to them. But before getting into intense action,
the player will have to play a quick training practice and learn how
to pilot a standard ATM-09-ST (aka The Scope Dog) with a
weak arm punch as only weapon. Passed this test, the first real
mission begins. Now an Heavy Machine Gun is available for combat and things
get a big more serious with real enemies capable of firing Vulcan
guns as well as missiles. Later stages get harder, from simple area mode
where the player can freely move around a closed arena, to complex
stages where he has to follow a given path and affront heavily armed
bosses. More weapons will also be given along the way, like the
powerful Shoulder Missile Launcher.
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Soukou Kihei Votoms ( aka Armored Trooper Votoms ) is a classic
japanese TV series first aired in 1983 and created by Ryosuke Takahashi
(original creator and director), Norio Shioyama ( Character Designer )
and Kunio Okawara ( Mecha Designer ). Far in the Astragius Galaxy,
The Gilgamesh Confederation and the Balaran Union are at war and a
peace agreement is being signed by the two parties. The series tells the story of
the elite warrior and Trooper pilot Kiriko ( aka Shirico Curvie)
who end up betrayed by his own side. His long journey will get him to unveil a
conspiracy that threatens galactic peace. The series was immensely famous in
Japan and video games obviously followed. Here is a non exhaustive list : Soukou Kihei
Votoms Dead Ash ( Sharp X68000 ). Soukou Kihei Votoms Black
Unicorn ( Nec PC8801 ),
Soukou Kihei Votoms The Real battle ( Nec PC9801 ),
Soukou Kihei Votoms Gaiden: Blue Knight Berserga Story (Takara, Playstation, 1997),
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Woodo Kummen (Takara, Playstation, 1998),
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Koutetsu no Gunzei (Takara, Playstation, 1999).
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Soukou Kihei Votoms is one of the fifteen Super Famicom games
that used a DSP-1 chip ( Digital Signal Processor ) inside the cartridge.
This math co-processor was used to boost-up the existing Mode 7 and enhance
sprite scaling and rotations. Despite adding a cost to the original cartridge,
those co-processors were somehow a simple way to prevent piracy. Other famous
Super Famicom games had an on board DSP chip. They include Super Mario Kart,
Pilot Wings and Super Air Diver.
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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s
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Armored Trooper Votoms is somehow an interesting title
but it has aged visually, but it remains kind of fun to play. Controls can be
a bit awkward and your Mech can be very hard to control and handle.
Unlike you, enemies seem to be able to maneuver and stear around really
fast. However, their ammo is limited which is an incredible feature.
If you are patient enough, some of them will eventually run out
of missiles and it will be time to engage them in close combat.
All in all, Armored Trooper Votoms is interesting and fun,
but doesn't compare to any big mech-games available on the market
today, like Armored Core. It is a bit unfair to compare
them in a general sense, I know, but they usually go the for same
kind of price...
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