I just picked up Ghost Squad because I was bored, and I ended up playing it for a couple hours with my roommate. My roommate who never plays videogames.
I talked about it because it was fun, but I didn't want to keep playing it.
One day my I come home to see my roommate (the one who never plays videogames) leveling up his Ghost Squad character, Zach MORRIS.
Now he may or may not be an idiot, but I'm intrigued. Please tell me more about Wii Rail Shooters including but not limited to Ghost Squad, House of the Dead II & III Return, and Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles. Don't say one game sucks or is great or isn't the best or I would be better off buying an arcade gaming cabinet. Talk about what you like, what makes shooters good or bad, pacing, experiences you've had with normal people (read: nongamers).
I mean, shit guys, popping in a rail shooter is the *easiest* way to get people to videogame party with you, especially when it's full of zombies (or terrorists, or ninjas, or girls in bikinis).
Games
The Gun Shooting thread
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The Gun Shooting thread
by another god » 18 Mar 2008 22:05
- another god
- Joined: 28 Apr 2006 20:37
by Dale » 18 Mar 2008 23:23
I think the Wii is a great outlet for this under appreciated genre.
I'll do some mini reviews/analysis of the one's I've played.
TC1: It has no scoring mechanism outside of the timer and forces you to be precise and mindful of what you want to shoot as it only gives you 6 shots. This is the only one I own that I can't 1cc, I consider it to be the 2nd best in the series. The final boss fight I consider to be the best boss fight in the series. This game has forgiving bullet colission but not as forgiving as 2 or 3.
TC2: This game gives you 9 shots which almost feels like to many at times(I almost never get the reload warning). This one is by far the easiest TC game, the collision for your character is very workable and forgiving. Great bosses fights and some of the best enemy layout.
TC:3 The new weapon switching system works really well and makes the game more strategic. This game throws more variety of things at you and is much harder then 2. The collision is forgiving but not anywhere near 2, slightly more forgiving then TC1's.
TC4: I don't really care for this game for one specific reason and that is the completely impossible to duck anything bullet collision. This does make it more realistic but it makes it too much of a memorizer. This really brings the game down a lot but it does have great intensity and presentation. The parts where you fight bugs are also great.
VC2: Very good level design and flow but it has what I'd consider a slight flaw. Certain enemies will start locking onto you before they are on screen. This doesn't make it into an overly memorization based game like TC4 but it's still a tad annoying, you can predict their positions well enough despite this so it's not that big an issue. The hostages are very very annoying and I think lower the fun factor for most people. If they would actual die when they were shot they would be much less of a nu sense.
VC3:Same flaws as VC2, even better level design, good mini games to break the action, very well implemented bullet time system, good placement of enemies that start shooting immediately and great boss fights. This is the best of the more recent lightgun game's.
I'll post some more later.
Edit:I'm sorry If I derailed your thread about Wii games, I'll delete my post if you think it doesn't pertain to what your talking about.
I'll do some mini reviews/analysis of the one's I've played.
TC1: It has no scoring mechanism outside of the timer and forces you to be precise and mindful of what you want to shoot as it only gives you 6 shots. This is the only one I own that I can't 1cc, I consider it to be the 2nd best in the series. The final boss fight I consider to be the best boss fight in the series. This game has forgiving bullet colission but not as forgiving as 2 or 3.
TC2: This game gives you 9 shots which almost feels like to many at times(I almost never get the reload warning). This one is by far the easiest TC game, the collision for your character is very workable and forgiving. Great bosses fights and some of the best enemy layout.
TC:3 The new weapon switching system works really well and makes the game more strategic. This game throws more variety of things at you and is much harder then 2. The collision is forgiving but not anywhere near 2, slightly more forgiving then TC1's.
TC4: I don't really care for this game for one specific reason and that is the completely impossible to duck anything bullet collision. This does make it more realistic but it makes it too much of a memorizer. This really brings the game down a lot but it does have great intensity and presentation. The parts where you fight bugs are also great.
VC2: Very good level design and flow but it has what I'd consider a slight flaw. Certain enemies will start locking onto you before they are on screen. This doesn't make it into an overly memorization based game like TC4 but it's still a tad annoying, you can predict their positions well enough despite this so it's not that big an issue. The hostages are very very annoying and I think lower the fun factor for most people. If they would actual die when they were shot they would be much less of a nu sense.
VC3:Same flaws as VC2, even better level design, good mini games to break the action, very well implemented bullet time system, good placement of enemies that start shooting immediately and great boss fights. This is the best of the more recent lightgun game's.
I'll post some more later.
Edit:I'm sorry If I derailed your thread about Wii games, I'll delete my post if you think it doesn't pertain to what your talking about.
- Dale
- Joined: 04 Oct 2007 02:24
- Location: Michigan
Re: The Light Gun Shooter Thread
by icycalm » 19 Mar 2008 00:43
First off,
If you expected people to say such a thing in response to this thread, either you are stupid or you think that we are stupid. So let me just inform you that there are no stupid people in this forum and therefore comments like the above are unnecessary, not to mention annoying.
As for the rest of the thread, you seem to have got your genres/sub-genres mixed up. "Rail shooters" or "on-rail shooters" is the genre, which includes games like Panzer Dragoon and Rez, as well as games like Time Crisis and Ghost Squad. And then you have the "Light Gun" sub-genre, or "Gun Shooting" sub-genre as it is known in Japan, which includes the light gun games that seem to be the subject matter of your thread.
As for devoting a thread to only a couple of Wii-exclusive light gun shooters and to the handful that have so far been ported to the Wii, I don't quite see the point. So I renamed your thread from "The Wii Rail Shooter Thread" to "The Light Gun Shooter Thread". Therefore now Dale's mini-reviews are on-topic, and I must say I much appreciate them. Post as many more as you want Dale.
Now as for my own preferences in the genre, the light gun game I've had most fun with up to now is The House of the Dead 2. I've always thought that the ducking system in the TC games was completely awesome, but at the same time I've also hated the presentation and atmosphere of these games, so I've never been able to get that much enjoyment out of them. Over the years I've enjoyed a ton of different light gun shooters, from cutting classes to play crap like Mad Dog McCree back in high school, to little-known classics like Warzaid/World Combat, and the 4-player Wartran Troopers that was supposed to be its sequel.
I am currently looking forward to the evolution of the genre, at which point light gun games will escape from the on-rails genre altogether, and will become more like FPSes with guns. I talked a bit about that in my review of Time Crisis 4. Apparently the PS3 port had a few stages that played in this manner, but I haven't checked them out yet. My understanding is that they were not all that good.
In any case, when someone manages to really nail this sort of game I expect it to be an unforgettable experience.
rayguntheater wrote:Don't say... I would be better off buying an arcade gaming cabinet.
If you expected people to say such a thing in response to this thread, either you are stupid or you think that we are stupid. So let me just inform you that there are no stupid people in this forum and therefore comments like the above are unnecessary, not to mention annoying.
As for the rest of the thread, you seem to have got your genres/sub-genres mixed up. "Rail shooters" or "on-rail shooters" is the genre, which includes games like Panzer Dragoon and Rez, as well as games like Time Crisis and Ghost Squad. And then you have the "Light Gun" sub-genre, or "Gun Shooting" sub-genre as it is known in Japan, which includes the light gun games that seem to be the subject matter of your thread.
As for devoting a thread to only a couple of Wii-exclusive light gun shooters and to the handful that have so far been ported to the Wii, I don't quite see the point. So I renamed your thread from "The Wii Rail Shooter Thread" to "The Light Gun Shooter Thread". Therefore now Dale's mini-reviews are on-topic, and I must say I much appreciate them. Post as many more as you want Dale.
Now as for my own preferences in the genre, the light gun game I've had most fun with up to now is The House of the Dead 2. I've always thought that the ducking system in the TC games was completely awesome, but at the same time I've also hated the presentation and atmosphere of these games, so I've never been able to get that much enjoyment out of them. Over the years I've enjoyed a ton of different light gun shooters, from cutting classes to play crap like Mad Dog McCree back in high school, to little-known classics like Warzaid/World Combat, and the 4-player Wartran Troopers that was supposed to be its sequel.
I am currently looking forward to the evolution of the genre, at which point light gun games will escape from the on-rails genre altogether, and will become more like FPSes with guns. I talked a bit about that in my review of Time Crisis 4. Apparently the PS3 port had a few stages that played in this manner, but I haven't checked them out yet. My understanding is that they were not all that good.
In any case, when someone manages to really nail this sort of game I expect it to be an unforgettable experience.
-
icycalm - Hyperborean
- Joined: 28 Mar 2006 00:08
- Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands
by Dale » 19 Mar 2008 01:32
Ghost Squad/Ghost Squad Evolution: This game uses a really nice gun set up. It feels a tad awkward at first after using pistols for so many years but with the button lay out they designed it worked really well. Everything about the gun feels like it was designed with the same concepts of ease of use as an actual assault rifle. The enemies in this game can range in toughness. The hostage release system and land mine removal system work really well when mixed with combat to my surprise. This game lacks traditional boss fights so you end up with quite a bit of standard combat area's and very good diversionary concept area's. I don't want to call them mini-games as they this wouldn't be much of a game without them and are and are and important part of the games flow and feel. They work real well and most of the time are more fun then the regular combat portions. The custom options in this game also add a lot to the experience.
HoTD1: The hostages or people in need of help in this game are actual used well and the areas were you have to make precise shots to save them are very well thought out. The boss fights feel very cinematic tense but not like in TC. These feel more like desperately fighting off something scary rather then having a gun dual with the bad guy of an action movie. The boss fights never feel unfair yet offer a good challenge. Fighting the normal enemies is a blast as they are very unpredictable yet die when they should instead of getting cheap hits. The destruction of these Zombies bodies is probably my favorite portion of the game. In no other video game has mowing down enemies been so satisfying.
HoTD4: This game brings the desperation feeling to a whole new level. This game is all about Quantity rather then how the olds one's were about fighting a few tough enemies. The games scoring is interesting as it both awards precision and barely not getting hit. The way you can beat Zombies off of you gives me a sense of connection to the game like no other light gun game. With the larger quantity of enemies and a system that awards you for almost taking damage almost reminds of some scoring mechanics of the shmup genre. The grenades also remind me of panic bombs. Bosses are about on par with the other Sega light gun games I've played. The Uzi perifial makes you feel real cool while wielding it.
Vampire Night: This game plays almost exactly like the HoTD series but this is no reason to discredit it. The game makes nice use of branching paths and has an art style very different from HoTD. The character models can look ugly to gorgeous depending on the moment. Some of the stage artwork in this game is absolutely gorgeous. Some neat boss concepts here and their but don't expect game design brilliance. The last boss fight is particularly good.
HoTD1: The hostages or people in need of help in this game are actual used well and the areas were you have to make precise shots to save them are very well thought out. The boss fights feel very cinematic tense but not like in TC. These feel more like desperately fighting off something scary rather then having a gun dual with the bad guy of an action movie. The boss fights never feel unfair yet offer a good challenge. Fighting the normal enemies is a blast as they are very unpredictable yet die when they should instead of getting cheap hits. The destruction of these Zombies bodies is probably my favorite portion of the game. In no other video game has mowing down enemies been so satisfying.
HoTD4: This game brings the desperation feeling to a whole new level. This game is all about Quantity rather then how the olds one's were about fighting a few tough enemies. The games scoring is interesting as it both awards precision and barely not getting hit. The way you can beat Zombies off of you gives me a sense of connection to the game like no other light gun game. With the larger quantity of enemies and a system that awards you for almost taking damage almost reminds of some scoring mechanics of the shmup genre. The grenades also remind me of panic bombs. Bosses are about on par with the other Sega light gun games I've played. The Uzi perifial makes you feel real cool while wielding it.
Vampire Night: This game plays almost exactly like the HoTD series but this is no reason to discredit it. The game makes nice use of branching paths and has an art style very different from HoTD. The character models can look ugly to gorgeous depending on the moment. Some of the stage artwork in this game is absolutely gorgeous. Some neat boss concepts here and their but don't expect game design brilliance. The last boss fight is particularly good.
- Dale
- Joined: 04 Oct 2007 02:24
- Location: Michigan
Re: The Light Gun Shooter Thread
by HeavyElectricity » 19 Mar 2008 14:30
I'm intrigued by the mention of Warzaid as a classic. I've seen the game quite a few times and I believe that there's still a machine in the London Trocadero, but I have never been particularly enticed by it. I should probably take the chance to play it next time I'm there.
As for the the evolution of the genre, 2 Spicy provides an interesting variation by adopting some mechanics more common to fighting games. I've only managed to play it once as I don't get to Namco Station very often, but I enjoyed what time I got with it. Are there any other light gun games which put players in direct competition with each other like this?
As for the the evolution of the genre, 2 Spicy provides an interesting variation by adopting some mechanics more common to fighting games. I've only managed to play it once as I don't get to Namco Station very often, but I enjoyed what time I got with it. Are there any other light gun games which put players in direct competition with each other like this?
- HeavyElectricity
- Joined: 18 Feb 2008 23:26
- Location: Essex, UK
by Molloy » 19 Mar 2008 15:47
The one I've pumped the most money into over the years would have to be Virtua Cop 3. I used to play it every day when I was working in the airport and discovering all the little nuances like the hidden health and weapons was fantastic fun. The boss fights are beautifully designed too.
I'm not sure wether I like or dislike Ghost Squad Evolution. One things for sure, the sniping sections are bleeding annoying. I find it very hard to do accurate single shots with the machine gun. You kind of need to all the time too because spraying bullets is a sure fire way to hit a hostage.
I remember reading about a Japan only PSOne game by Sony years ago. Was meant to be some sort of rail shooter/lightgun shooter hybrid. Did anybody play that? Sorry I can't remember the name unfortunately.
I'm not sure wether I like or dislike Ghost Squad Evolution. One things for sure, the sniping sections are bleeding annoying. I find it very hard to do accurate single shots with the machine gun. You kind of need to all the time too because spraying bullets is a sure fire way to hit a hostage.
I remember reading about a Japan only PSOne game by Sony years ago. Was meant to be some sort of rail shooter/lightgun shooter hybrid. Did anybody play that? Sorry I can't remember the name unfortunately.
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Molloy - Joined: 29 Mar 2006 20:40
- Location: Ireland
by icycalm » 19 Mar 2008 18:28
I am building a database of PlayStation games here:
http://insomnia.ac/archive/games/playstation/
I've only got a couple hundred so far, but when I get close to finishing it you should have a look at it and see if you can find that game. Could be interesting.
No.
http://insomnia.ac/archive/games/playstation/
I've only got a couple hundred so far, but when I get close to finishing it you should have a look at it and see if you can find that game. Could be interesting.
HeavyElectricity wrote:Are there any other light gun games which put players in direct competition with each other like this?
No.
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icycalm - Hyperborean
- Joined: 28 Mar 2006 00:08
- Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands
by Dale » 20 Mar 2008 04:39
Yeah 2Spicy looks great, I really want to play it.
Ninja Assault: The standard enemies in this game are very viscous, compared to games like HoTD or VN this game's enemies attack much faster. Boss fights are well done, the final boss is probably the most notable fight. This is one of the few light gun games were I have trouble discerning the background from projectiles. It also doesn't help that many enemies teleport constantly. The level layouts in this game felt very abstract like their was no real structure to where your character decides to go. The scoring system in this game felt really well done, one of the best I've seen.
Ninja Assault: The standard enemies in this game are very viscous, compared to games like HoTD or VN this game's enemies attack much faster. Boss fights are well done, the final boss is probably the most notable fight. This is one of the few light gun games were I have trouble discerning the background from projectiles. It also doesn't help that many enemies teleport constantly. The level layouts in this game felt very abstract like their was no real structure to where your character decides to go. The scoring system in this game felt really well done, one of the best I've seen.
- Dale
- Joined: 04 Oct 2007 02:24
- Location: Michigan
by Molloy » 20 Mar 2008 15:09
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Pmt40Djwl4
Elemental Gearbolt is the one I was thinking of. Doesn't look that amazing really. Always wondered what it looked like after seeing it mentioned in Edge a few years ago.
Elemental Gearbolt is the one I was thinking of. Doesn't look that amazing really. Always wondered what it looked like after seeing it mentioned in Edge a few years ago.
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Molloy - Joined: 29 Mar 2006 20:40
- Location: Ireland
by another god » 25 Apr 2008 13:10
Amazon just got restocked on Nyko Perfect Shots. I just ordered a pair for myself. These things are super hard to find for a reasonable price, so if you were looking, here they are.
- another god
- Joined: 28 Apr 2006 20:37
by loempiavreter » 01 May 2008 13:12
Lightgun Shooter one of my favorite genre's next to Beat'em up/Brawlers.
How about some obscure Konami ones?
Cooper's9
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5719
I love this one for it's presentation, art style, (boss) character designs, assassins theme, slapstick comedy story more then it's mechanics (kinda why I liked NMH, sorry), which is pure chaos. Really need to find a cabinet here in europe again....
A rare gameplay vid from this game: http://youtube.com/watch?v=s2RoYR6-Adc
Evil Night
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5015
On the surface a HotD rip off, but with a twist. Player 1 and 3 have a handgun (with a penetrating bullet special), while player 2 has shotgun for widespread killings.
Total Vice
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=2192
Virtua Cop rip off, I believe it didn't really tried to do anything special like most Konami Lightgun Shooters do.
Police 24/7 (2)
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=4840
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=2852
Motion sensoring Lightgun game where you have to dodge everything in real life. The first game got ported to ps2 and I believe including a camera (but i remember it being quite rare, it isn't the same as eye toy, but it does look like one if i remember correctly).
Silent Scope (2, EX)
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1641
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1602
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5022
I think this series needs no explanation, probably the best known Konami Lightgun Shooter that tries to do it different by being sniper based. Laughable boss character designs has it charms, it did receive a console-exclusive sequel called Silent Scope 3.
And there are other Terraburst (alien invasion lightgun shooter), the mentioned Warzaid and the follow up Wartran Troopers (really need to play both).
How about some obscure Konami ones?
Cooper's9
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5719
I love this one for it's presentation, art style, (boss) character designs, assassins theme, slapstick comedy story more then it's mechanics (kinda why I liked NMH, sorry), which is pure chaos. Really need to find a cabinet here in europe again....
A rare gameplay vid from this game: http://youtube.com/watch?v=s2RoYR6-Adc
Evil Night
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5015
On the surface a HotD rip off, but with a twist. Player 1 and 3 have a handgun (with a penetrating bullet special), while player 2 has shotgun for widespread killings.
Total Vice
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=2192
Virtua Cop rip off, I believe it didn't really tried to do anything special like most Konami Lightgun Shooters do.
Police 24/7 (2)
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=4840
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=2852
Motion sensoring Lightgun game where you have to dodge everything in real life. The first game got ported to ps2 and I believe including a camera (but i remember it being quite rare, it isn't the same as eye toy, but it does look like one if i remember correctly).
Silent Scope (2, EX)
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1641
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1602
http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5022
I think this series needs no explanation, probably the best known Konami Lightgun Shooter that tries to do it different by being sniper based. Laughable boss character designs has it charms, it did receive a console-exclusive sequel called Silent Scope 3.
And there are other Terraburst (alien invasion lightgun shooter), the mentioned Warzaid and the follow up Wartran Troopers (really need to play both).
- loempiavreter
- Joined: 01 May 2008 12:43
by loempiavreter » 01 May 2008 14:29
Yeah, i'd rather see Konami getting Cooper's9 out of their vaults and porting it over to the Wii, instead of publishing Target: Terror for Wii.
- loempiavreter
- Joined: 01 May 2008 12:43
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