Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad

Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad (ショックトルーパーズ セカンドスカッド) is a run and gun arcade game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1998 for the Neo-Geo arcade and home platform. It has no connection with the first Shock Troopers game. 2nd Squad was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in the North American region in 2012. SNK Playmore released it for iOS, Linux and Windows via Humble Bundle and Steam in 2016.

Gameplay


The gameplay system has been drastically changed because only four characters are selectable and there is no team mode from the first Shock Troopers. The graphics use pre-rendered sprites and the action is more violent. A major new feature is an ability to ride some vehicles, as in the Metal Slug games.

Reception
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad for the Neo Geo was given a positive review by Classic Game Room despite being considered not as good as its predecessor. According to Hardcore Gaming 101, "Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad is often viewed as a disappointing follow up the original. Just like with Gunstar Super Heroes, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad really only makes the mistake of sharing its name with a superior game. If judged by itself, it is really a great game and if it had been released as a stand alone with a different name, it would be recognized as such, rather than as an inferior sequel." The Virtual Console release of the game received a score of 7/10 from Nintendo Life.