Gaming Union writes "Thexder NEO is a project that was undertaken by Square Enix to revive a very old classic action-arcade game originally made by Game Arts way back in 1985 under the guise of Thexder. It was well received at the time, but its revival initially took people by surprised. Thexder NEO is essentially a remake of the original, and it hopes to capture those who have fond memories of the title, while introducing new players to some old school gaming."
Square-Go writes: "The story in Thexder Neo is not exactly the USP of the game (Unique Selling Point in marketing speak). This is by and large because there isn't one. Basically, you're a robot that turns into a jet and shoots lasers, there are bad guys and each level has an exit point. Frankly, the robot/jet/lasers part is reason enough to buy a game for any child of the 80's. Cue "The Touch"... Maybe not."
Fans of old-school action are rather spoilt these days, especially since the advent of downloadable services such as Xbox Live, PSN, and the Wii's Virtual Console. Every week it seems as though some forgotten gem is either being re-released, remade, or re-jigged slightly. However, for every household name such as Contra, there's a much more obscure title being unleashed - case and point, the bizarrely named Thexder Neo.
RunDLC writes: "If you've never heard of Thexder, you're not the only one. It was a robot shooter initially made popular back in the 1980's, when the NES was just getting started and the only PC gaming at the time was done with the Apple IIgs and the Amiga. It did well in Japan, but didn't strike much of a chord here in the US. However, that didn't stop Square Enix from remaking it for the PSP a couple of months ago. Now that same game is available on the PlayStation 3, and it seems to work better on a home format."
It's a decent revival, but there are too many elements of 1985 game design present.
Can't say I've played the original but this remake looks pretty neat. I'm all for old school games every now and then!