Pat MillerOnce a mainstay of the game industry, the transition to 3D has relegated the shoot-'em-up genre to a niche. Pat Miller looks at some innovative independant titles in this genre, created by Kenta Cho.
Issue 33 - Retro Like You've Never Seen It Before
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
Original Comment by: Christopher Hunter
http://www.xanga.com/chunter
I'm glad to see that sort of work get attention, though Escapist has mentioned the popularity of Bejewelled before as well.
I'm surprised things like www.happypenguin.org don't get more mention, as if games have to be sold in a carton for $49.99 to count for anything.
I don't consider these sorts of games to be necessarily "retro" although they show the influence of older video games, when all this video gaming stuff was still somebody's fun experiment, as much as I see the 'look what we can do with this' spirit that's missing from so many video games now. Is it a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, or nobody wants to take risks with money? If that's the case, the future lies with games that are made in individuals' spare time and cost no money to play.
I think much better things can be done with Java and cell phone games than anyone has dared to attempt. Some startoff suggestions: An MMO that runs in a web browser, or a Legend of Zelda clone that runs in cellphones, and lets players share items with each other between phones.
Back to ABA Games; yes, we should encourage this kind of stuff. It can only get more creative.
http://www.xanga.com/chunter
I'm glad to see that sort of work get attention, though Escapist has mentioned the popularity of Bejewelled before as well.
I'm surprised things like www.happypenguin.org don't get more mention, as if games have to be sold in a carton for $49.99 to count for anything.
I don't consider these sorts of games to be necessarily "retro" although they show the influence of older video games, when all this video gaming stuff was still somebody's fun experiment, as much as I see the 'look what we can do with this' spirit that's missing from so many video games now. Is it a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, or nobody wants to take risks with money? If that's the case, the future lies with games that are made in individuals' spare time and cost no money to play.
I think much better things can be done with Java and cell phone games than anyone has dared to attempt. Some startoff suggestions: An MMO that runs in a web browser, or a Legend of Zelda clone that runs in cellphones, and lets players share items with each other between phones.
Back to ABA Games; yes, we should encourage this kind of stuff. It can only get more creative.
Original Comment by: N. Ng
http://www.shrinemaiden.com
Brilliant! Kenta Cho is quite the master, and it's a little sad that his work isn't more well-known. (One wonders whether the designers of Geometry Wars 2 were cribbing from his visual style.
)
Consider also the work of ZUN (http://www16.big.or.jp/~zun/). His games aren't free, but they do boast a massive fan following. They're pretty conventional for the most part, but there are a couple of standouts such as his latest, "Shoot the Bullet".
"Shoot the Bullet" is an incredibly clever re-invention of the shmup genre, where you do your shooting not with a (notional) gun but with a camera. Each stage is a single boss encounter, where you have to take a certain number of pictures of the boss. There are a couple of wrinkles, though, namely:
- your score is based on the number of bullets you capture in your viewfinder, along with a number of bonus multipliers for such things as being in the shot yourself,
- bullets that get captured in the viewfinder are erased, and
- since your camera is ancient, it takes awhile to wind the film between shots, although you can speed the process by holding down a key to "manually wind" it (although doing so makes you move reeeeaaaalllly slooooowly).
His other games are more conventional but still quite excellent.
The games are available via a couple of online stores, although not directly from his website. I've left a URL for an English fansite where interested parties can get more info.
http://www.shrinemaiden.com
Brilliant! Kenta Cho is quite the master, and it's a little sad that his work isn't more well-known. (One wonders whether the designers of Geometry Wars 2 were cribbing from his visual style.
)Consider also the work of ZUN (http://www16.big.or.jp/~zun/). His games aren't free, but they do boast a massive fan following. They're pretty conventional for the most part, but there are a couple of standouts such as his latest, "Shoot the Bullet".
"Shoot the Bullet" is an incredibly clever re-invention of the shmup genre, where you do your shooting not with a (notional) gun but with a camera. Each stage is a single boss encounter, where you have to take a certain number of pictures of the boss. There are a couple of wrinkles, though, namely:
- your score is based on the number of bullets you capture in your viewfinder, along with a number of bonus multipliers for such things as being in the shot yourself,
- bullets that get captured in the viewfinder are erased, and
- since your camera is ancient, it takes awhile to wind the film between shots, although you can speed the process by holding down a key to "manually wind" it (although doing so makes you move reeeeaaaalllly slooooowly).
His other games are more conventional but still quite excellent.
The games are available via a couple of online stores, although not directly from his website. I've left a URL for an English fansite where interested parties can get more info.
Original Comment by: Jeff Staple
Now this was an interesting read. I've been a fan (though not a hardcore one) of Shmups since I was young, and when Ikaruga came out I snatched up a copy. These games of Kenta Cho are quite superb. I've downloaded about 3 already and each one is excellent. I particularly like how their control scheme is standardized. The learning curve is lower that way.
I could go on further, but I don't want to bore anyone. Thanx for bring these titles to our attention.
These and the likes of Geomotry Wars might just bring a resurgence of these simple but addictive genres... if they catch on with the general public that is.
Now this was an interesting read. I've been a fan (though not a hardcore one) of Shmups since I was young, and when Ikaruga came out I snatched up a copy. These games of Kenta Cho are quite superb. I've downloaded about 3 already and each one is excellent. I particularly like how their control scheme is standardized. The learning curve is lower that way.
I could go on further, but I don't want to bore anyone. Thanx for bring these titles to our attention.
These and the likes of Geomotry Wars might just bring a resurgence of these simple but addictive genres... if they catch on with the general public that is.
Original Comment by: Jacob Mikkelsen
My personal favorite is the game Warning Forever [http://www18.big.or.jp/~hikoza/Prod/]
You are up agains an endless stream of bosses spaceships that you destroy piece by piece by shooting at it from all directions. Next boss after that will grow bigger depending on how you destroyed the previous one and how it killed you (if that happend).
Its a blast! Retro action with retro gfx!
My personal favorite is the game Warning Forever [http://www18.big.or.jp/~hikoza/Prod/]
You are up agains an endless stream of bosses spaceships that you destroy piece by piece by shooting at it from all directions. Next boss after that will grow bigger depending on how you destroyed the previous one and how it killed you (if that happend).
Its a blast! Retro action with retro gfx!
Original Comment by: Gencore Operative
An Excellent article, and very inspiring for a someone hopeing to write a shump at some stage!
An Excellent article, and very inspiring for a someone hopeing to write a shump at some stage!
Original Comment by: Zaphod
Fantastic article! I think the shmup rests at the heart of gaming, all stripped down to core elements and served raw with with a side order of no apologies.
Thanks also for the links to Mr. Cho's gaming goodness. Getting these for free makes me feel as though I've walked out of the store without paying.
Good times indeed!
Fantastic article! I think the shmup rests at the heart of gaming, all stripped down to core elements and served raw with with a side order of no apologies.
Thanks also for the links to Mr. Cho's gaming goodness. Getting these for free makes me feel as though I've walked out of the store without paying.
Good times indeed!
Original Comment by: jlaakso
http://7178.blogspot.com
Kenta Cho cannot have enough exposure. It seems that every time he's mentioned in gaming media, there are plenty of people who haven't found his stuff yet. Yet he's been covered in Edge, for instance.
Anyway, Kenta's awesome. I do find myself playing more of the aforementioned Warning Forever, which is sheer genius. Kenta's games tend to be really cool, but not that balanced. WF is more of a refined package.
Of Kenta's game's, Parsec47 is probably the best and the one I keep coming back to. Tumiki Fighters is a laid-back experience. The best overall feel is offered by Noiz2SA, which for some reason is often ignored in these talks of his games. It offers great music, unique graphics and pretty good gameplay, if a little too much on the random side.
http://7178.blogspot.com
Kenta Cho cannot have enough exposure. It seems that every time he's mentioned in gaming media, there are plenty of people who haven't found his stuff yet. Yet he's been covered in Edge, for instance.
Anyway, Kenta's awesome. I do find myself playing more of the aforementioned Warning Forever, which is sheer genius. Kenta's games tend to be really cool, but not that balanced. WF is more of a refined package.
Of Kenta's game's, Parsec47 is probably the best and the one I keep coming back to. Tumiki Fighters is a laid-back experience. The best overall feel is offered by Noiz2SA, which for some reason is often ignored in these talks of his games. It offers great music, unique graphics and pretty good gameplay, if a little too much on the random side.