POTENTIAL COMPETITORS

What Ultracore would’ve been up against

MEGA TURRICAN

■ As the game that inspired the creation of ultracore, naturally there are a lot of comparisons to make. The look and feel of mega Turrican is quite uncanny with ultracore, though the latter’s spectacle – as the robot enemies shatter into debris that bounces across the floor – would’ve helped it to stand out.

contra: HARD corps

■ A big focus during the development of ultracore was to ensure slick, 60fps gameplay. This was naturally well suited to the mega Drive, but that’s something that Contra: Hard Corps demonstrated exceptionally well. The larger-than-life boss fights are equally comparable.

GUNSTAR Heroes

■ The difference here was that gunstar Heroes is more of a typical run-and-gun, while ultracore allowed for a little more exploration. gunstar Heroes became popular because of its intense combat that could be played in two-player mode, and perhaps that would have edged it out in the end.