Just played through Ghost Pilots for the first time in many years.
The problem with this game is it's a 1984 game released in 1990. Don't let the graphics confuse you, that's an illusion.
In fact I can't think of a game that better encompasses that. When you think of early arcade games, you think of games where it's just kind of the same game that goes on and on, with little change in variation. That's exactly what this is, with a 16-bit coat of paint.
Unlike every other game released in 1990, the developers hadn't realized that levels need to differentiate themselves. Every single level is almost the exact same, with very minor differences. It's crazy how 1984 this game is.
There's that fake-out at the beginning where it looks like Ghost Pilots has branching paths a la Darius...and then after a few levels, you go back to the route select and, uh, choose the other remaining route. So no branching paths at all. Not sure what their thinking was with that.
Maybe the best thing about the game - well, aside from the misleading kickass logo - is the bomb. It's a juicy bomb, very juicy. There are three bombs to choose from, and the third one also has a nice sound effect when it drops.
I would pay money to have a look at people's reactions in 1990 upon buying a Neo-Geo for $650 and then an additional $200 or $300 to buy this at the time.