Rail Shooters

Well, rail shmups aren't my fave sub-genre, but there are some pretty cool games like Rez, Panzer Dragoon1/2/Orta and a few others that really are worth getting into.

I've put quite some time into Orta and Rez. Orta is strangely addictive and decently challenging on higher diffs... some unlockables are a bit freaky tho with all those story and "geographical" infos/clips about the PD world, but the extra missions are cool.

And Rez... some say it would be overrated and perhaps it is, but gameplay is spot-on, and I also like the music. I mean, you don't have to be a Japanophile to love Ken Ishii!

Oh, and I've seen a very short clip of an in-house presentation of Jeff Minter's Unity in its early stages, it looks like a hybrid of a rail shmup and elements of Tempest 2k/3k/X3... it's so friggin' sad that this game never will see a release, I would have camped in front of my fave vg store to be the first in town to play it... shame on you, mainstream fund raisers.

Edit: In case you don't know what the hell a rail shooter is, it's a shmup where the game controls most of your movements and takes you from place to place on a pre-set route (as if you would be on rails) with only little control over which direction to go/fly/drive next. In some games, all you have to do is to aim and shoot, others (like PDO) offer more freedom of movement and require the player to actively dodge obstacles, fly through narrow gaps, etc.

Examples:

Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2 (Saturn), Orta

Rez

House of the Dead-series

Star Wars Rebel Assault and most older Star Wars games, specially the early vector/non-filled polygon versions.

HyperZone (SNES)

Star Fox

Sin and Punishment (?)

Well despite what they are, Panzer and Zwei are some of the best games ever period.

Space Harrier pls.

I played some narly Japanese Panzer clone on the PSX where you have a giant turtle guardian, my bud has it ill find the name out.

Takumaji said:

And Rez... some say it would be overrated and perhaps it is, but gameplay is spot-on, and I also like the music. I mean, you don't have to be a Japanophile to love Ken Ishii!

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Why would anyone consider Rez over-rated?

Seems that some ppl don't get what Rez is about. Sure, it's a rail shmup, but it's also a unique visual and aural experience that you have to appreciate in order to get the most out of it.

I've read about Rez being overrated here in Unrelated and on other boards... well, it's a game that "opens up" the more you play it, and given most ppls' short attention spans, it's no wonder some don't like it...

Sad

Well, I didn't get into Rez when I played it, but I'm sure it's a good game.

At any rate, when you're talking about Railed Shooters, Sin and Punishment is king. That game is a piece of art. A piece of art with some of the most intense, incrdible, breath-taking gameplay you've ever seen. I still can't beat it on hard. And you know that part where you're flying around on a chunk of aircraft carrior? Pure genious and so beutiful!

But Panzer Dragoon and Star Fox 64 are also insanely fun. My favortie Panzer Dragoon would have to be Zwei. Man, those games had such amazing soundtracks.

Mad Mage said:

At any rate, when you're talking about Railed Shooters, Sin and Punishment is king. That game is a piece of art. A piece of art with some of the most intense, incrdible, breath-taking gameplay you've ever seen. I still can't beat it on hard. And you know that part where you're flying around on a chunk of aircraft carrior? Pure genious and so beutiful!

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WORD

I think a lot of people look at Rez on the top, skimming the surface, without taking everything about the game into consideration.

The game is like a psychedelic trip, the sum of the parts equals the whole, not just the gameplay.

Rez is an amazing experience.

Mad Mage said:

At any rate, when you're talking about Railed Shooters, Sin and Punishment is king.

Click to expand...

I've first seen the game in action on a local gaming party, one of my friends immediately fell in love with it and imported it straight away. If anything, you could say the game is a bit short, but it still has lots of replay value, Treasure did a great job with that.

I've also heard ppl talking about the low difficulty level of the game... well, guess with a bit of practice, one can breeze through the game in less than three or four hours, but from the few rounds I've played, I didn't get the impression of S&P being too easy, at least not on hard.

Space Harrier, After Burner, Galaxy Force, Panzer Dragoon, Rez.. they're all great. Sega is definately king of the rail shooter. The original Star Wars vector arcade game is also one of my favorites.

NIGHT STRIKER!!!

oh how I love you Zuntata

roker said:

I think a lot of people look at Rez on the top, skimming the surface, without taking everything about the game into consideration.

The game is like a psychedelic trip, the sum of the parts equals the whole, not just the gameplay.

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Thank you professor.

There is a good chance I spelled professor wrong.

Takumaji said:

I've first seen the game in action on a local gaming party, one of my friends immediately fell in love with it and imported it straight away. If anything, you could say the game is a bit short, but it still has lots of replay value, Treasure did a great job with that.

I've also heard ppl talking about the low difficulty level of the game... well, guess with a bit of practice, one can breeze through the game in less than three or four hours, but from the few rounds I've played, I didn't get the impression of S&P being too easy, at least not on hard.

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I think the most difficult aspect of the game is simply coming to grips with the controls.

It normally takes me about an hour to SCC the game on Normal. And honestly, I don't find the game all that easy... perhaps this is more a case of the majority of reviewers calling a game "easy", despite the fact that it took them 20 credits to beat it.

And I certainly agree that the aircraft carrier level (stage 2-2) is one of the single greatest moments in videogaming. ^_^

From sheer memory alone, I'd have to say Star Fox 64 is my favorite rails-shooter ever. However, I haven't played it in years...but just the thought of those dog fights with Fox's rival makes me want to wax nostalgic.

Nowadays I just play Rez a whole lot, "Fear is a mind killer". That shit in the last level opened up a lot of things to me.

Baseley09 said:

I played some narly Japanese Panzer clone on the PSX where you have a giant turtle guardian, my bud has it ill find the name out.

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Gamera.

LoneSage said:

From sheer memory alone, I'd have to say Star Fox 64 is my favorite rails-shooter ever. However, I haven't played it in years...but just the thought of those dog fights with Fox's rival makes me want to wax nostalgic.

Nowadays I just play Rez a whole lot, "Fear is a mind killer". That shit in the last level opened up a lot of things to me.

Click to expand...

That`s ripped from "Dune" the Bene Gesserit`s "litany against fear"

Is Starblade considered a rail shooter? If yes, that's my fav of all time. There's just something about sitting in that cockpit cab with the old school magnifying glass lense-like big screen with the bass pumping around you as you flying into the opening sequence with those motherships...

I liked Ed Hunter, But mostly for the atomisphere and the soundtrack.

damn, WHERE IS THE PANORAMA COTTON LOVE!?!?!?!?!/11

And after burner was always fun too.

N20: Nitrous Oxide and Nanotek Warrior, both for the PSX, are a few of my favorite rails. I highly recommend N20 for the rail shmupper, with it's cool techno music and acid-trippy look.

well, of corz, i enjyed sapce harrier and burning force... and also, i think Rez is a masterpiece, plus, Sin & Punishment is prolly one of the N64's best....

btw, any rail's for DC? besides Rez, which are noteable??

Mad Mage said:

At any rate, when you're talking about Railed Shooters, Sin and Punishment is king. That game is a piece of art. A piece of art with some of the most intense, incrdible, breath-taking gameplay you've ever seen. I still can't beat it on hard. And you know that part where you're flying around on a chunk of aircraft carrior? Pure genious and so beutiful!

Click to expand...

It's really incredible that Treasure managed to make such a beautiful game. The whole thing was just one breath taking scene after another. It's what I would consider a work of art. From the opening dream battle, to taking out the entire empire's fleet on a flying chunk of aircraft carrier, to the music in the future dreamin the subway train - it was just magnificently put together. It not just a game but an experience; a revelation.

what about r type and pulstar

I mean

you can hardly stop or go right,

omg rail shooters.