'Toaplan's attempt at a Gradius/R-Type-style
side-scrolling space shooter might have been
doomed to obscurity if not for one of the most
hilariously mistranslated "Japenglish" introduction
sequences in videogame history..' (Classicgaming)

Its actually not a bad game. I once lent a mate
(not a huge shooter fan) a copy of the Megadrive
version and he woudnt stop playing it. Come to
think of it I think he's still got it..

You can capture enemy ships with this tractor beam thing.
Then shoot 'em off at stuff. As if this would ever work.. :)

'How are you gentlemen?'

"How are you gentlemen. All your base are belong to us !! You are on the way to destruction. You have no chance to survive make your time."

Reviewed by Zerowing!

Zerowing is a little-known side-scrolling shooter from the early nineties for the Sega Megadrive (and arcade). Most people were lured to this game by "All your base are belong to us", a cyber-famous quote taken from the amusingly translated intro to the Megadrive version (which is a must-see in any retro gaming fanatic's book).

Released in 1991 the home version of the game passed unoticed by most people until early 2001 when through the glorious medium of the internet and rediscovery through emulation the ludicrous 'japlish' translation for some reason sparked the imagination of hundreds of web users. Things quickly turned a bit extreme, with sites springing up like 'all your base' on planettribes.com http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/story.shtml really taking it to the limit. The 'All your base' catchphrase started turning up on goods on Ebay. The craze even got a mention in Time magazine. (My favourite 'All your Base' item is here.. you need shockwave. Mike)

But this is not a scratch on the surface. The game is what is important. It is the embodiment of what a side-scrolling shooter should be. The enemies look dated. The scenery is peculiar. The weaponry is somewhat limiting. The ending makes no sense. And then you start all over again. The levels have "themes", but they are all so blatantly rip-offs of other games that it is for the most part amusing.  So how can it possibly redeem itself? It's the quirky twists that make this game. It has more character than any of the current crop of high-detail 3d first person shooters. Don't get me wrong.. I play them and love them. But this far outshines them. It just feels right. Play it (in Genecyst) and see, and be prepared to save often...

The music shines as ahead-of-it's time techno. An mp3 was created of it which can be found at mp3.com, and which can also be partly attributed to the massive rise in the awareness around the game. I've completed this game more than ten times in a row (I wanted to see what the counter would do once it's digit was forced past a single number barrier; sadly it goes to letters, and I really can't be bothered to see what happens after that) and I have a save-game for genecyst for anyone interested in playing at this unfeasably difficult level. Most of the reviews of this game have tended to focus on the intro and ignore or slander the game beneath, but I think that to do so would be a grave injustice to one of my most-loved games ever.

Lyall Williams (aka Zerowing )

Links:

Zero Wing review at Shmups
Game of the Week at Classicgaming!
'All your Base are Belong to us!'
Review of the 'All your Base' Video!