[79] Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV (included in Space Invaders Invincible Collection)
Had a blast with this, enough to play it obsessively and attain top 10 rankings in all modes, including the North America adaptation Super Space Invaders '91.
It’s a really fun fixed scrolling shooter, with great variety in enemy formations and level themes, fun bonus stages and really good pacing with its route map. Puzzlingly the North American version does away with the route map entirely and forces you to play through all stages in order, messing with the pacing and making a run through three times as long.
My only niggle with it really is how little variation there is in the scoring between regular stages, and an overimportance in the power up that increases your shot fire speed. Without it you’re basically stuffed at having a fair shake in the second half of the game.
[80] GG Aleste (Aleste Collection)
If it weren’t for special mode I don’t think I’d play this again - it’s very technically impressive but on modern hardware it’s also rather dull with little threat to your ship. It’s pretty clear that the designers probably designed around the game gear screen’s notoriously low contrast and high motion blur, and it is indeed more challenging under those conditions!
[81] Power Strike II (Master System, Aleste Collection)
Finally cleared this game without continuing! Really enjoyed it. Okay, the first two stages are uneventful, but the second boss prepares you for the rest of the game. Stages 3-8 are just great fun, and the power-up system encourages experimentation rather than discourages it as in Mark III Aleste and GG Aleste. The quickest route to the finish isn’t the easiest.