Steel Gunner
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is a 1990
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
developed and published by
Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
. Players take control of Garcia and Cliff, a duo of police officers that are part of the Neo Arc police force, as they must use their powerful Gargoyle mecha suits to destroy the STURM terrorist organization, who have taken captive scientists Dr. Ryan and Dr. Ellis to create a world-ending superweapon. Gameplay revolves around using a crosshair to shoot down enemies and avoid harming civilians. It runs on the Namco System 2 Plus arcade hardware. ''Steel Gunner'' is Namco's first
light gun A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games, typically shaped to resemble a pistol. Early history The first light guns were produced in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensing ...
video game. The game was produced by Kazunori Sawano, who was previously a designer on games such as ''
Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...
'' and '' King & Balloon''. Namco engineer Shigeki Toyama produced the
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
and light guns, and worked as a planner closely with the development team. The prototype models of the guns were originally depicted as being more futuristic. Namco executives instead decided to use them for ''
Golly! Ghost! is a 1991 shoot'em up, light gun shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. It employs a diorama which is controlled by the game's driver board to open and close mechanical doors which are connected to solenoids, much like the moveable ...
'', forcing Toyama to design a new version of the guns in two days though having complete fiberglass prototypes of the original designs. ''Steel Gunner'' was well-received by critics for its gameplay, visuals and overall presentation, often being compared to ''
Operation Wolf is a light gun shooter arcade game developed by Taito and released in 1987. It was ported to many home systems. The game was critically and commercially successful, becoming one of the highest-grossing arcade games of 1988 and winning the Go ...
''. A direct sequel, '' Steel Gunner 2'', was released in 1992.


Gameplay

''Steel Gunner'' is a
light gun shooter Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a shooter video game genre in which the primary design element is to simulate a shooting gallery by having the player aiming and discharging a gun-shaped controller at a scre ...
video game. The plot stars the police officers Garcia and Cliff, who are members of the Neo Arc police force that use mecha suits named "Gargoyles" equipped with powerful weapons. Garcia and Cliff are assigned by the Neo Arc to destroy the terrorist organization STURM, who have captured the scientist Dr. Ryan and his assistant Dr. Ellis to create a world-ending superweapon. Gameplay revolves around using a light gun to control a crosshair around the screen while shooting enemies. Players have infinite ammunition and do not need to reload their weapons. Players also have access to a limited number of screen-clearing missiles. The game consists of four
levels Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
, with seamless horizontal and vertical-scrolling transitions. Stages feature a large variety of objects that can be destroyed purely for amusement, such as boxes, windows, barrels and fuel tanks. The players have a
health meter Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...
that deplete when they are inflicted with enemy fire. Health can be gained by protecting innocent civilians found throughout levels from enemies, while shooting civilians will deplete the player's health. Stages end with a
boss fight In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...
, with the fourth stage having players face off against the leader of STURM, Gaste Bernard. The loss of all health results in a game over. At the end of each level, players are graded based on shooting accuracy, and health and missile stockage are automatically refilled. If players' shooting accuracy was low, a
cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
plays of the Neo Arc police chief berating Garcia and Cliff about causing almost as much damage as STURM.


Development and release

''Steel Gunner'' was released by
Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
for arcades, initially with a limited release on October 3, 1990, followed by a wide release in March 1991. It was the company's first
light gun A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games, typically shaped to resemble a pistol. Early history The first light guns were produced in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensing ...
video game. It was produced by Kazunori Sawano, who had previously been a designer on games such as ''
Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...
'' (1979) and '' King & Balloon'' (1980). The game's light guns and
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
were designed by Namco engineer Shigeki Toyama, who is often described as the company's " Doc Brown character" for his strange yet innovative ideas.
Translation
by Shmuplations. ).
It is the final game that Toyama produced the cabinet for, and the first on which he worked directly with the game designers as a planner. The light guns originally had a much more futuristic, science fiction design to them. When Namco executives instead decided to use them for ''
Golly! Ghost! is a 1991 shoot'em up, light gun shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. It employs a diorama which is controlled by the game's driver board to open and close mechanical doors which are connected to solenoids, much like the moveable ...
'', Toyama was forced to create new designs for the guns in two days, though having already finished fiberglass prototypes for the originals.


Reception

''Steel Gunner'' was successful in arcades. In Japan, it was the eighth highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1991. In North America, it was the top-grossing new video game on the ''RePlay'' arcade charts in June 1991, and then the fourth top-grossing upright cabinet in July 1991. It remained among the top ten arcade games on the ''RePlay'' charts for a year through June 1992, when ''Steel Gunner'' was the eighth most popular upright arcade cabinet and tenth most-successful software conversion kit. ''Steel Gunner'' was well-received by publications, being noted for its
action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
-like presentation and violence. In 1991, Japanese publication ''
Gamest was a Japanese video game magazine that specialized in covering arcade games. Published by Shinseisha, it first began in May 1986 and originally published bi-monthly, later changed to be a monthly-issued magazine in the late 1980s. The magazine al ...
'' awarded the game several runner-up awards based on reader votes, including "Grand Prize 9th", "Best Shooting Prize 10th", "Best Directing 6th", and "Annual Hit Game 31st". ''
Your Commodore ''Your Commodore'' was a magazine for Commodore International, Commodore computers, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and the Commodore Personal computer, PC range. It was published in the UK from October 1984 until late 1989 when the name was s ...
'' labeled it as "quite a good blast", and retrospectively ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' applauded its overall presentation and quality, saying that being Namco's first light gun shooter was impressive alone. The gameplay was heavily praised, with several complimenting its responsive controls and well-designed levels. In 1998, ''Gamest'' reviewed the game as part of its ''Gamest Mook Vol. 112'', where the unique and entertaining gameplay was greatly applauded. ''Gamest'' stated its amount of action was comparable to films such as ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whos ...
'', and said it helped make it one of the best light gun shooters of the era. ''
Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazine ...
'' found its quality and gameplay superior to
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
's '' Laser Ghost'', claiming it to be "more attractive" than Sega's offering for its mature-oriented approach. Some reviewers have also drawn comparisons between ''Steel Gunner'' and
Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...
's ''
Operation Wolf is a light gun shooter arcade game developed by Taito and released in 1987. It was ported to many home systems. The game was critically and commercially successful, becoming one of the highest-grossing arcade games of 1988 and winning the Go ...
'' (1987). The visuals and presentation of ''Steel Gunner'' were praised. Many publications enjoyed its colorful graphics, with detailed and interactive environments. ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' applauded its sprite-scaling effects and amount of shootable background objects, which add depth and realism to the levels. ''Gamest'' said its level designs were creative and unique, and of better quality than those found in games like ''
Space Gun Space Gun may refer to: * Space gun, a method of launching an object into space * ''Space Gun'' (album), a 2018 album by Guided by Voices * ''Space Gun'' (video game), a 1990 arcade game * Ljutic Space Gun, a 12 gauge single-shot shotgun See also * ...
''. ''Your Commodore'' enjoyed the comical
cutscenes A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
depicting the player's police chief berating them. ''Sega-16'' expressed disappointment towards the lack of a home release, specifically for the
Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...
and 32X, saying that its intense action and great gameplay would "undoubtedly have sold among Genesis owners".


Sequel

A direct arcade sequel, '' Steel Gunner 2'', was released a year later in Japan in March 1992 and in North America the following month. The plot follows Garcia and Cliff piloting their Gargoyle mecha suits to fight off the Vanguard organization, a terrorist group with an army of genetically-engineered supersoldiers to destroy all of Earth and enslave mankind. Gameplay is largely similar to the original, with new stages and the story being told through dialogue boxes during levels. It was sold as a conversion kit for both the original and Taito's '' Operation Thunderbolt'', or as a dedicated machine. Much of the design staff from the original ''Steel Gunner'' worked on the sequel.


Notes


References

{{reflist 1990 video games 1991 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Bandai Namco Entertainment franchises First-person shooters Light gun games Namco arcade games Video games about police officers Video games about terrorism Video games developed in Japan