n64 game , "run and gun" maybe..by treasure?!

[so_tough!]

anyone know?

[Desfeek]

Sin and Punishment?

 

Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O?

 

Those are the only real rail shooters/top down shooters for N64, and both are Japanese imports. While the N64 is region locked, it only has to do with the little plastic tabs on the back of the cartridge. So, get yourself a Japanese version of either game, and swap the back piece with a Madden 99 or something worthless. Boom! You are playing another Treasure treasure.

[Austin]

You can also buy a converter if you don't want to mess with the Japanese carts.

[Drixxel]

You can also buy a converter if you don't want to mess with the Japanese carts.

 

Or, for another possibility, an N64 GameShark.

[Koopa64]

I can't believe nobody has the right answer yet.

 

The game so_tough is describing is Mischief Makers, and yes it had a US release.

[Drixxel]

I can't believe nobody has the right answer yet.

 

The game so_tough is describing is Mischief Makers, and yes it had a US release.

 

Ehh, maybe, but I'd say Mischief Makers is more an action platformer, not so much a run-'n'-gun. Sin & Punishment seems to fit the bill better as per the criteria here.

[Koopa64]

I've never known any 3D shooters to be called "run & guns", only 2D ones. Metal Slug, Contra and Gunstar Heroes are all perfect examples of what a run & gun type game is and they are all 2D. The term stems from the combination of a platformer and a shooter.

[Desfeek]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmxanWXvAgA

 

Please tell me how this differs greatly from Contra or Gunstar Heroes.

 

I have heard the genre name "rail shooter" used to describe S&P but I don't think that accurately describes it either. Its a run and gun game, pure and simple, in a different perspective.

 

Treasure only released 3 games for N64 - Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh, Sin and Punishment and Mischief Makers

 

 

This definitely has a perspective more like Contra, but the gameplay is not something I would call 'run and gun' - its more of a platformer.

[Austin]

Mischief Makers is hardly a run 'n gun. It's traditional 2D platforming through and through.

 

Sin & Punishment can possibly be seen as a hybrid of sorts. It has run 'n gun elements with the character being able to jump, but the cursor-based gameplay and locked set of motion keeps it having more in common with Panzer Dragoon than anything else (an on-rails shooter).

[DickNixonArisen]

For those who care to hear it, I differentiate true Run N' Gun titles from platformers with distance weapons based on fifteen separate factors.

 

 

 

1. To be a RnG game, the character must have near-constant access to a projectile weapon. (It says "And Gun" in the genre name)

 

2. If the main projectile weapon has limited ammo, a game is LESS likely to be a Run N' Gun. (Platform games might give a player limited access to a distance weapon for variety, like in the Mario titles or Wonderboy/Adventure island)

 

3. A higher weapon ROF points in the direction of Rng. (RnG's might be considered hybrids of the shooter and platformer genres. A gun which fires fewer than two shots a second is uncharacteristic in most RnG's unless it is a subweapon specifically limited in ROF to compensate for power or versatility.)

 

4. A succession of difficult jumps points in the direction of platformer. (Platforms)

 

5. Puzzle elements or any slower-paced sections of alternate style gameplay point towards platformer. (Pace. Platformers are slower, generally more based on consideration and estimation of gameworld physics than on instinct and response.)

 

6. A faster pace of game and faster character movement points somewhat in the direction of RnG. (Run)

 

7. Every additional projectile weapon type available points somewhat in the direction of RnG. (Gun)

 

8. If the main projectile weapon or MOST subweapons can fire up, down, or on diagonal angles it's MORE likely to be RnG. (Gun)

 

9. If the character must stop moving or jumping to fire, it's much less likely to be a RnG. (This is the "And" part. If a character can't Run AND gun at the same time, that flies right in the face of the name.)

 

10. Every active enemy projectile onscreen at a time pushes a game somewhat in the direction of RnG. (Gun)

 

11. Larger sprites point vaguely in the direction of RnG. (It's a hit box issue... a seven-pixel high character might be alright for a primitive platformer, but he'd be awful hard to hit for the enemies)

 

12. The wider the screen focus, the more likely it is to be a RnG. (Space is needed to dodge bullets, like in shooters. Platform games can afford to have only a few game elements visible onscreen at a time, in higher pixel resolution, since generally only the player sprite itself is an active player element. In RnG's as in shooters, projectile fire is an active player element that must be shown at close, medium and long range, and so the screens are generally "Zoomed out".

 

13. Retraceable paths (the ability to enter previously traversed areas) point towards platformer. The delicious platform subgenre of the metroidvania includes the metroid and castlevania titles (if not every early title in the latter series) as well as such lovely things as Cave Story and Blaster Master.

 

14. A life bar points strongly towards platformer. (Most true RnG's are one-hit, one-death for you.)

 

15. RPG elements like permanent upgrades, multiply selectable equippable items or levelling systems point strongly towards platformer. (RnG's have more arcade heritage, RPG's have more computer and thus home console heritage)

 

 

So of course contra, metal slug, gunstar heroes, midnight resistance, alien soldier etc are clearly RnG.

Mario's fireballs are not constantly accessible, nor can they fire at multiple angles. Titles like rolling thunder and shinobi may have distance attacks, but they are not fluidly integrated into movement, always accessible, available at many angles, or unlimited in ammunition. Mega Man games are a trickier question, or something that might be fairly labeled as both. If the mega buster could do multiple angles like the metal blade and there was a little less emphasis on jumping, Mega Man games might be fairly called RnG. The aforementioned cave story uses a fairly unique system to regulate ROF for later weapons, essentially mimicking real-life overheat on machineguns. Since weapons can fire up and down, pace is fast, ROF high, enemies have projectiles, shooting and movement is fluidly intertwined, screen focus is fairly wide, multiple weapons are available and the character has constant access to a projectile weapon, the game has at least 75% RnG DNA. The emphasis on jumping, retraceability and strong puzzle elements pull it backwards from being wholly RnG. The Turrican titles are other RnG's with purity lower than 95%... too much jumping, and the life bar element (even though many hits drain the entire bar in some Turrican games) drag them away.

 

There are also a few games like Strider, x-calibur 2049(?), Run Saber or maybe even Rush N' Attack that have a physics feel similar to flagship RnG titles with swift character movement, high jumps and rapid attacks. They're still clearly platformers since they lack the major RnG elements and feature characters with short-distance attacks. Why do I care about all this? First, this is just the stuff I'm into. Second, I think it might be useful for myself and others interested in the makeup or the making of games to examine the rules to see how they might be better obeyed or better broken. Just like you can get instant attention and often success in the music world by combining two previously-thought-to-be-incompatible elements (death metal and finnish polkas/jenkas, punk rock and appalachian folk, rap and grindcore), your game can be hotly anticipated or enjoyed just by being a frankenstein of two never-before combined things. Puzzle quest became a big success by merging bejeweled with an RPG, Sigma Star saga clumsily grafted shooter sections into a space RPG, there was that one DS title recently which featured a professor jumping on the top screen and puzzle on the bottom, professor Henry Hatsworth. Damn fine title, btw.

 

The point is that there are a few unexplored areas here. What about a true RnG in all ways save the inclusion of puzzle elements and backwards traversability? A blend of zelda and contra, set in the modern world or sci-fi future? Another thing that might work would be placing a character with a sword or other melee weapon into a game designed for a RnG character (Sort of an inverse of that brilliant little Super Mario Crossover). Emphasis could be on dodging, defense and the ninja or jedi-like tactic of knocking projectiles back at their casters (An element in the Wii title Muramasa, though an undercooked one). Maybe even drop a fighter character from Samurai Shodown or something in there. If anyone is familiar with MUGEN, they'll probably know that it was originally designed to create true SHMUP shooter games but turned out to be better at making fighters. I'd pay to see Ryu vs. Opa-Opa any day. How about a slower-motion RnG focused on acrobatic bullet dodging and reflection, like a danmaku SHMUP? The integration of sword attacks into those bullet hell games would still play well when they were forced back into being platform sidescrollers. Bangai-o is somewhere around this region already, but remove projectile weapons from the player, slow the pace, increase enemy fire pattern complexity and cover, and you have a true danmaku RnG.

 

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It just occurred to me that Wikipedia might have an entry for this and I checked it.

 

"The run and gun platformer genre was popularized by Konami's classic Contra. Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug are also among the most popular examples of this style. Side-scrolling run and gun games are an attempt to marry platform games with shoot 'em ups, characterized by a minimal focus on precise platform jumping and a major emphasis on multi-directional shooting. These games are sometimes called platform-shooters. This genre has strong arcade roots, and as such, these games are generally known for being very difficult, and having very linear progression, without backtracking.

 

There are games which feature a heavy degree of shooting but do not fall into this sub-genre. Mega Man, Metroid, Vectorman, Jazz Jackrabbit , Earthworm Jim and Turrican are all platformers with a heavy focus on action and shooting, but unlike Contra or Metal Slug the platform jumping elements, as well as exploration and back-tracking, still figure more prominently. Run and guns are generally very pure and, while they sometimes have vehicular sequences or other changes in style, they stay focused on shooting throughout."

 

Aside from the idea of difficulty, which I've always found somewhat arbitrary and relative, I really like the wiki entry and am glad that I didn't miss any major points in it. I've never played Jazz Jackrabbit. Hm.

 

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As a side note, I consider the 8-way shooter (Ikari Warriors, Commando, the unheralded but awesome Jackyl, Ninja commandos, a few rambo titles here and there) a subgenre of the RnG. Multiple angles, multiple weapon types, ROF, Fluid interaction between moving and firing, fast pace, lack of backtracking, arcade DNA, enemy projectiles and wide focus all put them into that camp. They're simply top-down or isometric, with no other major change from RnG.

[Austin]

Awww shheeeiiiit, the Nixon has Arisen!