AXNJAXN
Member
So the other day I was playing through the goodNes romset on my dreamcast, checking out each game to see what would be good for my GP32 on a trip. I got to the G section, and there I found a wonderful gem of a game called GUN-NAC.
Here's the idea - it's an old-school vertical shooter with a fairly generic story, but a great execution.
PREMISE:
In a solar system of seven planets orbitting an artificial sun, things go a little caca and some evil presence makes all the machinery go nuts. Somehow, blowing up a whole bunch of stuff sounds like a good idea to the government, and they look to you, a space pilot codenamed Gun Nac to do the job.
FEATURES:
Four types of screen-clearing bombs: water, fire, lightning, and plasma (these are probably not the real names, but i don't care). They level up if you collect several of the same type, or you can go for quantity and grab everything. Four levels of each bomb exist.
Five weapons: Vulcan, ball lightning, chaser, flamethrower, and laser (once again, names are made up.) They level up eight times a piece, increasing number of shots fired, fire rate, direction of fire, and intensity.
Also, there are ship upgrades: turbo boosts and a wing upgrade that boosts all weapons by changing the way they fire.
After each area, there is an item shop where you can spend money that you pick up in the levels on weapon upgrades, run by a VERY perky saleswoman.
GRAPHICS (4/5):
It's NES, so you're looking at low color depth and a limited number of items onscreen. Fortunately, the limitations are handled really well, and so you'll have a lot thrown at you in each level. This feels very arcade-like, with graphics to match.
Sprites are crisp and a little cartoony by comparison to other shooters.
SOUND (3/5):
Once again, think eight bits. The gunfire sounds like arcade noise, which is quite tolerable and fits the graphical style. The music is nothing special, but mostly benign. The level music is stereotype (no pun intended) for an NES game, but the item shop music is really annoying. Really.
Overall, nothing terrible, nothing great.
PLAYABILITY (4.5/5):
This is a shooter that is made for play. First off, there is a throttle that lets you adjust ship speed to how you like it that is accessed by pressing select. The default speed (i think it's 2) works well, and the handling feels just right.
The weapons are managable, the bombs are managable, and dodging bullets is a skill that can be acquired without tearing one's head out in frustration. Difficulty is fairly easy, but not too easy. It's enjoyable.
I play mine in Little John GP, and it runs at full 60fps like most other games. No compatibility issues that I know of.
OVERALL (11.5/15):
I gave it four stars: it's an excellent game. If you enjoy shooters that aren't too serious, this one's for you. It certainly is worth a look.
Here's the idea - it's an old-school vertical shooter with a fairly generic story, but a great execution.
PREMISE:
In a solar system of seven planets orbitting an artificial sun, things go a little caca and some evil presence makes all the machinery go nuts. Somehow, blowing up a whole bunch of stuff sounds like a good idea to the government, and they look to you, a space pilot codenamed Gun Nac to do the job.
FEATURES:
Four types of screen-clearing bombs: water, fire, lightning, and plasma (these are probably not the real names, but i don't care). They level up if you collect several of the same type, or you can go for quantity and grab everything. Four levels of each bomb exist.
Five weapons: Vulcan, ball lightning, chaser, flamethrower, and laser (once again, names are made up.) They level up eight times a piece, increasing number of shots fired, fire rate, direction of fire, and intensity.
Also, there are ship upgrades: turbo boosts and a wing upgrade that boosts all weapons by changing the way they fire.
After each area, there is an item shop where you can spend money that you pick up in the levels on weapon upgrades, run by a VERY perky saleswoman.
GRAPHICS (4/5):
It's NES, so you're looking at low color depth and a limited number of items onscreen. Fortunately, the limitations are handled really well, and so you'll have a lot thrown at you in each level. This feels very arcade-like, with graphics to match.
Sprites are crisp and a little cartoony by comparison to other shooters.
SOUND (3/5):
Once again, think eight bits. The gunfire sounds like arcade noise, which is quite tolerable and fits the graphical style. The music is nothing special, but mostly benign. The level music is stereotype (no pun intended) for an NES game, but the item shop music is really annoying. Really.
Overall, nothing terrible, nothing great.
PLAYABILITY (4.5/5):
This is a shooter that is made for play. First off, there is a throttle that lets you adjust ship speed to how you like it that is accessed by pressing select. The default speed (i think it's 2) works well, and the handling feels just right.
The weapons are managable, the bombs are managable, and dodging bullets is a skill that can be acquired without tearing one's head out in frustration. Difficulty is fairly easy, but not too easy. It's enjoyable.
I play mine in Little John GP, and it runs at full 60fps like most other games. No compatibility issues that I know of.
OVERALL (11.5/15):
I gave it four stars: it's an excellent game. If you enjoy shooters that aren't too serious, this one's for you. It certainly is worth a look.
