50 Great Arcade Games #9 - Shinobi

You simply can't go wrong with this one. The original Shinobi is definitely an arcade classic. There's so much to absorb in every playthrough and the attention to detail and smart game design is groundbreaking. It's no wonder the release of this game prompted a bunch of developers to release clones/similar-styled games. 

As the ninja Joe Musashi you fight through five levels to take down the leader of the criminal underworld known as Zeed. All of these levels are broken up into stages with a bossfight at the end. Your only weapons are your limitless shurikens, your karate, maybe a gun & a sword, and even some ninja magic. 

HOWEVER if you want to get the highest score possible you need to forget about your shurikens, gun, and magic. Cause at the end of every stage you're given huge bonuses for not using any of those things. The only way to not use a shuriken(since you only have one attack button) is to get as close as possible to an enemy. This is tricky business because they'll punch you, shoot you, stab you, and all those other nasty things(especially considering you can only get hit once). Figuring out the best way to take out everyone as well as doing it in the limited amount of time you have really makes the most of this game.

If that wasn't enough Sega devised a number of really interesting scoring techniques you're not likely to pick up on during regular play. Sure most of them won't affect your chances of survival(you've got enough problems as this is one of the harder arcade games) but they're certainly interesting. Even little things like how you choose to rescue hostages can lead to some large bonuses.

Though the stage variety comes up short compared to later console-only Shinobi games you'll hardly complain as all five levels feature crafty design and are a constant challenge. The bossfights take what you've learned in the stages and dresses them up to make some memorable fights. Bonus rounds between levels where you attempt to kill the ninjas before they get to you is a good source for 1ups as well as points. This all helps to further round out the package, constantly forcing you to keep your guard up.

The sequel Shadow Dancer adds an interesting concept(a ninja dog!) but for the most part the game is just like the original as you'll recognize many of the mechanics at work. It's a good game but just not quite as good as the original. It's also in my opinion a fair bit easier.

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So okay you read the last update where I mentioned Time Crisis 3 and now you're thinking: "First he faults Time Crisis 3 for having multiple weapons though only one is perfectly suited for scoring but then he praises Shinobi for having the same? What a hypocrite."

I'll go ahead and point out the difference right now. In TC3 your handgun while it doesn't have the pure destructive force of the rocket, the ammo clip and rapid fire of the machinegun, or the large area that the shotgun covers, it still has a decent enough clip and can handle any situation even if you have nothing else to turn to.

What exactly is Joe's close-range attack good for? Close range and that's about it. In fact you actually have to go out of your way and make the game harder just to guarantee you'll be able to punch/sword certain enemies. If you screw up you're likely to throw a shuriken which'll cost you serious points or worse you'll get killed since there is really no room for error. In essence you switch from shuriken to close-range to make Shinobi much harder and you switch from machinegun/shotgun/rocket to handgun to make Time Crisis 3 normal difficulty. 

So how exactly does one go about making Shinobi harder? Well take this into consideration. There's a guy with a gun standing behind a crate firing away. With a shuriken you can take him out either while he's reloading or even when he's shooting(provided you remember to duck or jump out of the way as well). A punch, kick, or sword? Well now you'll have to work your way around him(though thanks to the multiple plane system this is usually not that hard) and take him down from there. This is a simple scenario but obviously one can expect they'll get more complicated as the game progresses(especially when enemy ninjas are introduced).

Thankfully Shinobi introduces a very important design decision in that simply bumping into enemies won't kill you(just don't bump into their weapons and attacks). Instead you'll be knocked harmlessly away(or not so harmlessly if you happen to be standing next to a pit) along with the foe, allowing you a chance to strike. Rolling Thunder has somewhat similar gameplay but touching a foe instantly drains half of the player's life away(while a bullet or other weapon will take it all). This is all well and good until one realizes that they could be killed from enemies walking in through doorways and other needlessly frustrating issues. I bring this up because Rolling Thunder came out in 1986 while Shinobi hit in 1987. It's entirely possible Sega noted the issue in enemies running into the player and devised this design. I think it worked out quite well in that a number of action games that followed Shinobi use similar designs in their handling of the player colliding with enemies. I'm not sure if I would call it groundbreaking (though I'll be the first to point out any action game worth their salt requires that the player can not be killed or even damaged by running into an enemy) but it did inspire other developers in the arcades to follow the same route(especially since a number of them put out clones of Shinobi). 

It should also be noted that not using magic or shurikens to gain the most points is a mainstay of the Shinobi series(even the console-exclusive titles do this..except Shinobi PS2 I believe). Also while titles like Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi 3 added health meters one can still get a substantial amount of bonus points for not getting hit at all. 

50 Great Arcade Games #8 - Ghost Squad

Ghost Squad has got to be one of the deepest gun games out there. Never before have I seen such a large number of weapons(all with varying attributes, with the harder-to-use ones having higher scoring potential), trick-shots, and the variety in gameplay is matched only by Point Blank.

Cause really if you strip all of that stuff away Ghost Squad is a pretty easy game. In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see people 1CC it the first time they pick it up. GS however is perhaps one of the few arcade games that uses a leveling mechanic in a manner that's good for arcade play. From a fresh character you only have access to the easiest versions of missions. As you successfully complete these three missions however you can up the difficulty level. Upping the difficulty adds more objectives while making them longer and more difficult. Some objectives will have you protecting people, some others will have you engaging in CQC, and still others will have you disarming bombs, sniping, and doing a variety of other things(The bossfights are similar, as they have you doing besides the "just shoot a big guy over a thousand times"). 

Aside from fulfilling objectives the best way to score lots of points is learning the various trickshots. The Justice shot from Virtua Cop(where you aim for the enemy's gun or hands to take them out of the fight) is still there but has been joined by a variety of other shots. Whether it's by shooting a series of people without missing, taking out two guys with one bullet, or a number of other ways to effectively fight terrorism. Finding the best combination really does add a lot to the depth of this game.

With Sega's attention to design and execution to supplement everything else you end up with another classic in the gun genre.

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Really I think the level setup in Ghost Squad is the best thing about it. For some it may seem weird or even poor design to lock away most of the game to first-time players but personally I think it's brilliant and I'm surprised more gun games aren't picking up on it. It actually feels more rewarding being able to complete the game on your first or second play and then move on to a slightly harder difficulty than to attempt a go at a "full" game and die on the first boss, second boss, and so on. Then again I'm probably biased as I always start with easier settings in games and then work my way up. I find it better to know what I'm going against while dealing with additional challenges like less health, more enemies, etc that higher difficulties bring than to hit a wall everytime I run into a difficult encounter with something I haven't seen before.

I also think it's good that after you decide on a weapon you're pretty much stuck with it for the rest of the game. All of the weapons have their own strengths and weaknesses(like the shotgun which shooters a large number of bullets over a large area, great for hitting terrorists and civilians...oops or some of the more powerful rifles which can shoot through multiple foes but have very little ammo before requiring a reload). Although I wish that the game featured scoreboards that focused on every gun(since some are simply better for scoring than others) I still think it's a better system than Time Crisis 3. While I regard Time Crisis 2 as a classic, TC3 suffers from having multiple selectable weapons at any time. It's supposed to promote one particular of game design by requiring the player to have the right tools for job but even in a short game one will more likely find themselves hoarding everything and never using it...which makes the system rather pointless. I also suspect that in order to score the most points in TC3 one has to use the handgun anyway, which relegates the other weapons to some form of "real-time difficulty switching" instead of being an important part of scoring and thus mastering an arcade game(there's a chance I am wrong though so feel free to correct me if so).

50 Great Arcade Games #7 - Outrun 2: Special Tours

Outrun 2: SP is everything Outrun 2 is and more. The most obvious changes/additions are that the game is slightly easier(hitting a wall is less likely to kill your game) and you can slipstream to gain additional speed. Couple that with an entirely new set of tracks to drive on and you essentially have the definitive version of O2.

I shouldn't really have to go over what makes O2 great because it's all very easy to figure out. You get a team together known for great mechanics and solid game design(in this case AM2). You build upon the foundations/ideas set by past racing games(And with Sega you've got some of the best). Most of all however you put together a game that's accessible to anyone. 

Outrun 2 SP offers a multitude of cars and tracks that vary in difficulty. The more skillful players will choose faster cars with tougher handling, and race on the most difficult tracks to show off. Gamers interested in just having a smooth ride and enjoying the wonderful sights and sounds can go the other way. It's certainly a refreshing change of pace when compared to the Initial Drifting Wangan Tokyo midnight grind-a-thons where you have to spend more than your car payment to get a decent ride.

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I guess I should go further into what this game is all about. You're in a Ferrari with your girlfriend and you have to impress her by driving well. Aside from dodging traffic and smoothly drifting through turns you'll also have to contend with other Ferraris on the road(referred to as Rivals). Passing rivals is a bit more difficult than any other car but they're worth far more points. So in fact going fast is required not just to get a good time but also to get a score, plus it keeps you from running out of time. While the lower difficulty might make the game too easy for some the greater scoring possibilities allow for some true masters of the game to really show off. I for one kind of prefer this direction.

In the end though it's not a terribly deep game in that there's some complicated processes you have to know in order to get some really amazing times and scores. Even the heart attack mode which throws in little minigames during each track are simple to understand and complete since they rely on the same basics that are involved in finishing a race. 

I should also point out that Outrun Online is available on Xbox Live Arcade. It's a decent enough port though it only includes the Special Tours set of tracks and no Challenge mode(which consisted of a lot of minigames with tons of unlockables). If you want the complete edition you'll have to hunt down a copy Outrun 2: ST for the original Xbox or Playstation 2. Warning though the PS2 edition has framerate issues and the Xbox version has some annoying bugs when ran on a 360.

Some people prefer vanilla Outrun 2 as well(which is Xbox only). I'm not exactly sure why that it is because all it offers is a slightly higher difficulty and the removal of slipstreaming(and only one set of tracks as opposed to the two in Special Tours. Although Outrun 2 does have the Scud Race/Daytona USA 2 tracks so I guess that gives it a point for curiousity's sake.

Happy Birthday...

I guess I should mention that I turned 28 almost four hours ago. Woop.

AAA looks at: Growl

Growl is not a great arcade game. I'm not even sure if it can qualify as good. I will however say it's definitely competent and totally worth playing.

Like most Taito games the story is absolute nonsense. In what looks to be the 1940s evil poachers are capturing animals left and right and the government sends in an Indiana Jones lookalike and three of his buddies(all with varying stats) to set things right. Setting things right is done by...of course...killing them all.

I use the word competent to describe a game that doesn't particularly do anything wrong but it's still nothing exceptional in terms of design, mechanics, and execution. However Growl is maybe 15 minutes in length and you could definitely do alot worse than check this bad boy out. 

First off this game really loads it up on the enemies. Typically in a beatemup you'll somewhere between 2 and 5 bad guys on the screen. Growl triples this as you'll likely see 15 or even 20 guys gunning for you at the same time. To balance it out the good guys have access to some serious firepower(like grenades, rocket launchers, guns, etc). On top of that every now and again animals will come by to give the player a helping hand.

Secondly there are a ton of moves. Most of these are context sensitive(as in depending on where you are in relation to your foe you'll pull off different moves). So don't be surprised that you might grab a guy and knee him in the face several times or actually crouch down and punch his teeth in. Or maybe you'll grab him by the neck and slam him multiple times(which takes down surrounding foes). You can also perform a couple special moves by pressing both the attack and jump buttons together. There are few things better than spin-kicking through a dozen foes at once.

Third and most important this game doesn't give a crap about anything. If you're the kind of person who thinks body parts should go flying whenever someone is shot with a rocket this is your game. If you think trains have to run over people and send them to pieces this is also your game. Women in short skirts pulling grenades out of their shirts? This game has them by the hundreds. Bosses that inexplicably explode when you kill them? Uh huh. A giant spike ceiling that crashes down whenever you continue during a bossfight? You didn't ask for it but it's in there. This game is absolutely ridiculous and yet makes for a very thrilling ride.  

Also this game introduces a neat idea that will be seen in future games. The lone platforming section in the game allows you to stay on platforms as long as you don't jump. Thus you don't have to worry about walking over the edge before you make your jump. Sure one can argue that this game really didn't need a platforming section at all but I think it's nice that they were thoughtful enough to go with this design decision. 

Unfortunately the only problem is neither the Taito Memories nor the Taito Legends 2 releases have this game in its uncut form. So when somebody gets blown up they simply disappear instead of spreading flaming bits of themselves all over the landscape. Those interested in playing this version will have to seek out an alternative. Sure more violence shouldn't make a game better but trust me, would you watch a G-rated version of Robocop?

So yeah I think this is one game you won't regret it. Even if you hate it it's still less than 15 minutes of your life. You can even quit before the admittedly terrible second form of the final boss.

AAA looks at: Nastar

This sequel (though the game takes place before the first Rastan) to Rastan is not what you would expect. The popular adage "Bigger and Better" does not apply here. Well I guess it can be argued that this game definitely has bigger sprites. It is unfortunately worse than Rastan in every way(and as I mentioned earlier the original game was not all that great either).

Nastar's world is certainly a bit different looking and populated by a more unique and stylizied set of creatures. They also happen to show more unique behaviors and even some semblance of personality(in other words your foes do more than blindly rush at you swords swinging). Nastar also happens to be a bit shorter and suffers from some terrible level design. One particular section is simply a long enemy-filled corridor with nothing to punctuate it. The lowest points however are the jumps. While Rastan had simple and effective platforming Nastar attempts to mix it up by creating some devious jumps, some of which the player simply won't be able to figure out on their first attempt. Some of these require the player to stand at the very edge of the platform(we're talking so far along that both of the player's feet are standing off the edge of a cliff) while the hero pauses for a fraction of a second before he jumps(which helps prevent slipping off an ledge) it is still frustrating at best determining how to properly get through an area.

Another problematic aspect of this game is the combat. Most enemies fall to a single hit(though larger foes can take a few more). The bosses however can take tons of hits while your hero can only take a few. Though the game offers weapons(provided you can hold onto them as they disappear when you die) and a "Level" statistic(you get a levelup after you beat each boss. These may or may not have an effect on your strength). The problem is of course the fact that you have to survive the awful platforming to get to the bossfights. Eventually you could probably memorize how to handle these areas and breeze through the game but why bother? There's better games to be playing.

You need every ounce of power you can grab because as I said earlier the bosses can take an insane amount of damage. You however are stuck with a time limit. One grating scenario in particular is the second boss. While you can easily jump and stab the creature in the head and avoid her attacks with ease, you'd be hard-pressed to finish her off without running out of time. Sure on one hand if you can reach her without continuing you'll have that extra level of strength(and possibly a better weapon) so it'll be an easier bout but again this game really does nothing that feels rewarding to the player that goes out of their way to master it.

There are so many other aspects of this game that only serve to frustrate the player. Some examples include:

An item that increases the player's speed. Why not simply make the player faster from the start? Aside from that why does the character jump and fall faster as well? All that's good for is screwing up their timing for difficult jumps.

Two-player mode. Co-op is always welcome sure but this really isn't the game for it. 

A special ability that causes enemy-killing orbs to surround the player. Unfortunately this replaces the far more useful fireball or lightning ability if the player already has those. Why even bother?

Swinging ropes can only be grabbed from a particular spot(it's discolored making it easy to notice) however that still doesn't guarantee the player will actually grab onto the rope when they jump for it.

Sometimes the screen doesn't scroll properly. As in if you jump on a swinging vine the screen doesn't scroll to show what's ahead of the player. How did something like this even pass Q/A? It's absolutely horrendous.

The one good thing the game has going for it is the very impressive blocking system, which is done well and is more than useful for the various encounters the player will run into. However on the other hand it's simply not worth dealing with the poorly designed aspects. All in all best to skip this and go on to Warrior Blade, easily the best game of the Rastan trilogy. Unfortunately the only honest way to play that game is via one of the Taito Memories sets(which will set you back nearly $40). Maybe one day I'll pick up that particular set and figure out if it's actually worth the money(since like with the other three releases 20+ other games are included).

AAA looks at: Puchi Carat

Puchi Carat can best be described as a combination of Bust-A-Move and Breakout. Bust-A-Move as you probably know is a "falling-block" style puzzle game where you aim balls that rebound off of walls in order to destroy like-colored balls. If you hit a ball that others are attached to you can also knock them loose creating large combos and in a Vs game, completely destroy your opponent. Breakout is even simpler to explain. You move a paddle from left to right hitting a ball and destroying blocks. 

Thus in order to succeed at Puchi-Carat one has to move a paddle from left to right hitting a ball that rebounds off of walls and destroys balls. Instead of like-colored balls you simply have to hit balls that cause entire chunks of them to fall off the screen, keeping your butt out of the fire and sticking it to your opponent(and/or scoring a lot of points). Two things to look out for is that when your balls pass your line it's Game Over and if your ball hits the ground below your paddle your playfield advances three lines. There is actually some strategy to this as advancing the playfield can create huge attack situations.   

After selecting your character(which determines where balls go on your opponent's space when make a huge attack, selection is key because these attacks have weaknesses that can be exploited) you can choose from three modes. The first mode is your standard single-player mode where you simply have to survive a constantly advancing playfield and score tons of points. All of the rules I mentioned in the previous paragraph apply. The second mode is the VS CPU mode which I advise you to avoid at all costs(more on this later). The third mode is VS HUMAN which is self-explanatory.

I say avoid VS CPU because of the nature of the game. This puzzle game is not an easy one. For most puzzle games you have to have two things: the knowledge to figure out a solution, and the means to do it. You can have a huge solution sitting right in front of you but if you don't have the missing piece you're out of luck. Puchi-Carat adds a third variable in that you have to properly aim in order to succeed. Unless you're skilled in Breakout and its many variations I would avoid this game. If you can't get around the third variable you simply won't succeed. VS CPU further complicates by what else? The computer. VS-style puzzle games are notorious for having absolutely insane AI. The AI always has the answers and even if you can figure them out as well you still have to deal with the paddle. Combine further with the awful shrill voices screeching every few seconds and it's just a huge headache.

The game is still worth a look I guess but please...spare yourself the same headache that I have and avoid the VS CPU mode, it's complete garbage.