Nowadays, “shooter” typically refers to the third or first-person genre, you running around with a gun blasting away at aliens and explosive red barrels.
But listen up kids–back in the day, a “shooter” was a game where you directed a tiny spacecraft around a horizontally or vertically scrolling screen and shot glowy balls and weirdo aliens.
Journey back in time with us now–what are some of your favorites?
This is going to hurt come morning.
The Charge
One war, two epic sagas.
Opening Statement
A History Chanel fan’s electronic wet dream, Eidos Interactive’s Battlestations: Pacific, the sequel to Battlestations: Midway continues the tradition laid out by the previous installment of offering a unique twist on WWII-themed shooters, downplaying the “action” segments of WWII games and emphasizing the “strategic” and “simulation” aspects. Fancy yourself a general of the five-star variety? Think you can command a fleet of planes, boats and submarines to victory n the South Pacific?
Facts of the Case:
Pearl Harbor, 1941. The Japanese have attacked American soil, and the US now finds itself embattled into a conflict spanning the entire Pacific against a feisty and daring foe. Battlestations: Pacific puts you in command of entire fleets of naval vessels and airplanes as you march (uh, swim and fly) your way to victory. Experience one war from two perspectives—the American and the Japanese—and possibly even change the outcome of history. Well, for the Japanese at least.
Much of my formative video game years were spent playing two genres: the side-scrolling beat’em up and the shooter. Both were popular in the 16-bit days, but have since largely vanished from the gaming consciousness, save for cameo appearances on PSN or XBLA or the DS.
I played many shooters on my Genesis, and forged my love through repeated run-throughs of the magnificent Thunder Force III. But my addiction took root with M.U.S.H.A., a quirky vertical-scrolling effort that featured all the characteristics of the genre: huge enemies, upgradeable weapons, and thousands of glowy balls of death on the screen. It was formula, but it was formula perfected.
The Charge:
War Perfected.
Opening Statement:
The original Killzone arrived on Sony’s Playstation 2 console in late-2004, a mere week before Microsoft’s 800-pound gorilla, Halo 2, made its record-setting presence felt. Pre-release cries of “Halo-Killer” vanished amidst middling reviews and Halo 2 fever. Killzone was a solid, though perhaps a tad overzealous effort, but when people expect a revolution, solid just isn’t good enough. After close on five years of waiting, controversy over pre-rendered trailers, intense scrutiny from the community, and ridicule from both the press and the players, Sony, via their first party studio, Guerilla, has finally delivered Killzone 2, but does it in turn deliver the goods?