With no new Nintendo Classics to talk about and this month's PlayStation Plus titles in the rearview mirror, what am I left to do? Play catch-up, of course. Earlier this year, Ratalaika games released an upgraded port of Final Zone on modern consoles. We also learned that Clear River Games intends to bring R-Type Delta back in an HD Boosted release with improved graphics and brand-new modes. That's really cool news, but are either of these games actually worth playing? And what about Final Zone II, which was seemingly left behind? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. Get ready to dodge way too many bullets, because this is another action-packed episode of the Review Crew.


First released in the U.S. back in 1990 on the Genesis, Final Zone was an isometric shooter from celebrated developer Wolfteam. It stars Howard Bowie, commander of the “Team Undead” unit of El Sharia's foreign legion. Armed with a futuristic mech suit with all kinds of firepower, it's up to Howard to infiltrate enemy territory and destroy the weapons of mass destruction before they are used on innocent civilians. In other words, it's a RoboCop-inspired action game released right at the end of the Cold War. Let's see what the critics thought of Final Zone.

Believe it or not, there's a surprising gulf between this game's high and low scores. Let's start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which just so happens to be at the bottom of the scale. Giving it a low average of 4.5 out of 10, Final Zone was EGM's 17th worst-reviewed game of 1990. 152 games scored higher than this shooter. Ed argued that “something is missing in this shooter. It's not for lack of enemies nor places to move to. Perhaps it's the lack of different things to do. After a while, the levels become predictable and the excitement of ‘what is coming up next?' just never materializes.” Steve liked the game even less, concluding that “Final Zone has great graphics, but the main characters appear as though their pasted on rather than interacting within a real universe. There's plenty to shoot at, but with horrible control and movement that, while visually pleasing, is tough to get used to, Final Zone ends up average.”

As we take a trip across the pond to the United Kingdom, we see that there were a couple of different magazines that genuinely liked the game. We'll get to those in a moment, but first we should check in with Sega Force. With a score of 73%, they find themselves right in the middle, though their write-ups suggest they may be more aligned with EGM than their British peers. “Final Zone doesn't have the makings of a smash ‘coz it gets a touch repetitive after a while; there ain't enough here to hold your attention for long. Control of the main dude's a touch shoddy. Try holding down fire and changing directions. It's a nightmare! Scrolling's a touch shoddy during the first end-of-level battle and the game slows down a little when a lot's happening. Not a bad game, although completing it won't give ya too much brain strain.”

When it comes to the highest score, there's a tie. MegaTech couldn't help themselves, going all the way up to an 84%. That's the same score you saw in Sega Pro when they reviewed it in their first issue. “Wear your transformer style Axis suit and walk the streets to clear them of criminals. Various weapons can be used in this 3D blasting extravaganza. Great graphics and surprisingly addictive gameplay make for a fine shoot ‘em up.”

Although EGM wasn't into it, the rest of the critics were, giving Final Zone a better-than-expected overall score of 72%. That said, buyer beware: This game has not aged well, and playing it in 2025 can be a rough experience. Your mileage may vary.

Fans of Final Zone wouldn't have to wait long to get their hands on the sequel, as Final Zone II was released the same year as the original. That's the good news. The bad news is that this follow-up landed on a completely different consoles – the TurboGrafx-CD. While that probably frustrated the dozens of fans of the Genesis game, it did lead to a more cinematic game that was filled with fun 16-bit cut scenes. Beyond the cinematics, the sequel added more playable characters and changed the gameplay to be less restrictive. Let's see if that changed the critic's minds back in 1990.

So, get this, Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed the original Final Zone in issue 17. They then followed it up by reviewing Final Zone II only one month later, in issue 18. That has to be the shortest amount of time between sequels in the magazine's history. The good news is that they liked it a lot more than the first game. The bad news is that EGM still isn't sold on the Final Zone franchise. Ed asked an important question: “Why bring this out on CD? Other than a few great intro scenes and intermissions, the game could have been done on a card. The game is much too short and not up to the high standards we expect from a CD game. Good voice though.” Sushi-X was the one critic who actually recommended the game, giving it an 8: “Final Zone II is another great CD game for the TurboGrafx. The graphics are great, the voices are excellent and the music isn't dull and boring. The gameplay is fast and there is a lot of action. The one complaint is that you can't keep moving while you shoot. Too short.” Electronic Gaming Monthly ended up giving Final Zone II an average score of 6.5 out of 10, up two full points over the original.

As we turn our attention over to the competition, we see that GamePro largely agreed with Sushi-X, giving the sequel a solid score of 4 out of 5. Let's ignore the factually inaccurate part of the review and focus on the fun pun: “Final Zone 1 apparently never made it across the Pacific, but Final Zone II's landed with a vengeance. If you dig action-packed, land-based shoot ‘em ups versus overwhelming odds, go get Zoned out.” For the record, GamePro missed out on reviewing the first Final Zone on Genesis, which most definitely did come to America.

With an overall average of 73%, the critics liked this game just a little more than the original. This is certainly the better of the two, even if probably didn't need to be on CD.

When Irem first introduced R-Type in 1987, pretty much everybody was won over by the great graphics, amazing boss designs and atmospheric horror elements. They also loved the little “Force” drone that can be placed in the front or back, in order to deflect bullets and shoot out special attacks. Fast-forward eleven years, and Irem was ready to take on a whole new generation with R-Type Delta, the franchise's fourth installment and the first to employ 3D graphics. Spurred on by the success of Taito's RayStorm, Irem wanted to outdo the shooter with an even better and more impressive next-generation shooter, and the fans loved it. Many consider this to be the high-water mark for the franchise. But what about the critics? Did they love the PlayStation game when it hit store shelves in 1999?

For the most part, everybody agreed that R-Type Delta was a step in the right direction for not just this game, but all shooters in general. Let's once again start at the very bottom and work our way up. While the notoriously grumpy Next Generation gave the shooter a score of 3 out of 5 in their 57th issue, it's Computer & Video Games that I want to start with. “If you've never played a game like R-Type, get ready for a very tough challenge. It's full of colourful enemies, great sounds and music, spectacular bosses and dazzling weapon effects. But not everything's perfect. There's quite a bit of slowdown in some sections and the arcade thrills mean that once completed, the high score is the only reason to continue playing. Although the three different ships add a little longevity. But if you're a shoot ‘em up fan, get ready for one of the best blasters around, where skill and reflexes are more important than combos and racing lines. They don't make them like they used it.”

Working our way up the scale, we see Edge give the game a so-so 7 out of 10, while PSM went a bit higher with a 4 out of 5. That's the same score we saw from GamePro when they reviewed it. Game Fan was a bit more impressed, giving it an 81%. And then there's Electronic Gaming Monthly, who went all the way up to an 8.25 out of 10. Shoe issued a strong warning in his review: “You'll die a lot. Oh, will you die a lot. Set it on easy, and you'll still die a lot. Learn the patterns, and you'll still die a lot. Get really good at the game, and you'll still die a lot. If you can handle pulling out all of your hair in frustration, and your family can deal with your inevitable cursing out loud at the game, then you have got to check out R-Type Delta.” John wasn't as into the challenge: “I really like shooters, but to be completely honest, it's been so long since a good one came along that I'd forgotten how frickin' angry I get when a laser globule the size of an atomic particle tears my ship apart for the seven-zillionth time. That said, though, the level design in Delta is excellent, and the graphics are beautiful ... but it's a tough cookie to beat.”

When it comes to the top score, the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine has you covered. They ended up giving R-Type Delta a strong 4.5 out of 5, raving about more than the presentation: “What makes Delta truly great has nothing to do with how it looks. Like previous titles in the R-Type series, Delta is all about gameplay. Level designs are also unique and perfectly suited to the game. Sections where a giant walking ship approaches you from behind and you have to go under its legs as it plods forward, or another where you dodge giant twirling pipes and broken-down spacecraft, are different enough from the usual shooter fare to keep you glued to the controller. If you have ever enjoyed shooters, this game won't change your mind. But if you've ever got a sore thumb from a good shoot ‘em up, even in the old arcade or 16-bit days, R-Type Delta is for you.”

While not every critic was ready to jump back in the pilot seat for another impossibly hard shooter, pretty much everybody agreed that the redesign looks nice and the series is still a lot of fun. With an overall average of 76%, the general consensus is that both genre fans and those looking for a tough difficulty will dig it.