Rail Shooters

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Wether they're in first person with a light gun (Time Crisis, House of the Dead, etc...), Third Person (Sin and Punishment, Kid Icarus Uprising...) or even ship-based ones (Starfox, Panzer Dragoon...) feel free to talk about your favourites of a genre that sadly died out a bit with the arcade becoming scarcer and FPS taking over on consoles.

 

[ciro64]

Star Fox 64 <3

Still waiting for a true official/spiritual successor.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Star Fox 64 <3

Lylat Wars (yeah I'm a filthy European that doesn't do things like the others) is cool, very cool. I even got the 3DS remake and more recently Starship on PC.

I legit wish we could get the SNES game (aka Starwing where I live) on PC with proper widescreen and sweet 60 FPS

At least Starfox Exploration Showcase has a lot of content.

Still waiting for a true official/spiritual successor.

Aside from Assault and Zero you say?

Well, there's Starlink but it's not exactly a Starfox game, more like its own thing featuring Fox McCloud from the Starfox series.

There's also Ex-Zodiac which is a neat low poly rail shooter that is also reminiscent of Panzer Dragoon

Save 55% on Ex-Zodiac on Steam

A fast-paced low-poly 3D rail shooter heavily inspired by classics of the early 90's. Join protagonist Kyuu as she fights to free the worlds of the Sanzaru Star System, overrun by the intergalactic terrorist organization known as Zodiac.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Sunnyside]

Panzer Dragoon's atmosphere is something else. Ditto for Rez. I think anyone with an interest in rail shooters owes it to themselves to check those out.

I personally love House of the Dead Overkill. The whole thing is pure vulgar stupidity but that gives it a lot of charm imo. It's still hated by part of the fanbase, understandly so.

And of course I have to mention the grandfather of all of them: Space Harrier. Primitive but the music still gives me waves of nostalgia.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Panzer Dragoon's atmosphere is something else. Ditto for Rez. I think anyone with an interest in rail shooters owes it to themselves to check those out.

Reminds me that I should do Zwei and Orta before tackling the more complex Saga.

I wish Sega expanded that mysterious and intriguing world more because it reminds me a bit of Dune and Nausicaa (of the Valley of Wind) with a notch of Mobius' great style (I love his drawn cover). I'd buy the remake of Zwei if they ever made one but like HotD 1 and Panzer Dragoon 1 I'd wait for sales.

Rez is basically the reason I fell in love with Mizuguchi's synaesthetic games (followed by Meteos because I already liked Sakurai as well). I need to tackle Child of Eden someday.

I personally love House of the Dead Overkill. The whole thing is pure vulgar stupidity but that gives it a lot of charm imo. It's still hated by part of the fanbase, understandly so.

I'm not into Grindhouse but I always saw Overkill as a spinoff if not its own thing but then again HotD had cheesy moments with the infamous voice acting of 2.

Shame that 3 was the weakest and Scarlet Dawn didn't feel that great. On the other hand I really liked 4 and still wish for a proper re-release.

And of course I have to mention the grandfather of all of them: Space Harrier. Primitive but the music still gives me waves of nostalgia.

I was not used to the whole analog controls where the character "recenter" each time you let go the stick (I prefer the more conventional control you can have in the Sega Ages release on the Switch).

I absolutely love that theme btw, probably one of my top 10 video game music of all time.

 

[ciro64]

I legit wish we could get the SNES game (aka Starwing where I live) on PC with proper widescreen and sweet 60 FPS

Me too.

Assault, Zero, and Ex-Zodiac all have qualities of their own, but I think they all went too far apart from 64's formula.

I want arcade replayability, branching pathes, a story that unfolds during gameplay, multiple killable allies that affects your route, other talking characters through the levels, all-range mode, a score that uses single units as a base, a charge shot that awards bonus points for hitting multiple enemies at once, medals, no pace killers and no detached movement from shooting.

I'm picky, I know.

 

[nobitakun]

Does Elemental Gearbolt count? :)

 

[Mahan_Native]

i enjoy them a lot.
my favorites one is House of the dead.
i also enjoy Panzer Dragoon, Sin & Punishment and Star Fox 64.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

House Of The Dead was always my favorite in the arcade. I remember almost getting kicked out because I liked pretending to hit zombies with the butt of my gun LOL.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

I’ve been getting into Panzer Dragoon more recently. Totally see what the buzz is about. As a series, it has this artsy vibe to it while still not letting that distract it from having awesome gameplay.

They are hard though. Considering the entire game world can be pretty difficult in more heated battles. Thankfully, the games are designed so you’ll always be able to get through with a bit of planning and good aim. I recently got through most of the first game while on the infamous U.S. SEGA Saturn arcade stick lmao. Turbo buttons go!!!

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Me too.

Assault, Zero, and Ex-Zodiac all have qualities of their own, but I think they all went too far apart from 64's formula.

I want arcade replayability, branching pathes, a story that unfolds during gameplay, multiple killable allies that affects your route, other talking characters through the levels, all-range mode, a score that uses single units as a base, a charge shot that awards bonus points for hitting multiple enemies at once, medals, no pace killers and no detached movement from shooting.

I'm picky, I know.

Ex-Zodiac is trying to be closer to SNES Starfox but I think the dev said they would make multiple paths.


There are also 2 All-Range levels although there's no maneuver (like the loop and U turn) and to be honest I prefer the straightforward levels over those.

Does Elemental Gearbolt count? :)

Yeah, why not?

I’ve been getting into Panzer Dragoon more recently. Totally see what the buzz is about. As a series, it has this artsy vibe to it while still not letting that distract it from having awesome gameplay.

They are hard though. Considering the entire game world can be pretty difficult in more heated battles. Thankfully, the games are designed so you’ll always be able to get through with a bit of planning and good aim. I recently got through most of the first game while on the infamous U.S. SEGA Saturn arcade stick lmao. Turbo buttons go!!!
View attachment 85994

My small gripe is that in Panzer Dragoon when you want to go up to dodge hits you'll have to aim up.

It's not that intuitive and the lack of the ability to shoot down while being still up like in a conventional rail shooter makes the game trickier to deal with.

Thankfully there's a charged shot for multiple aiming in the game to help with it.

I'm noticing that Sky Chase from Sonic Adventure is basically a replica of Panzer Dragoon because of the multi-aiming charged shot:

 

[Your_Homie_Gale]

The only rail shooters I have experience with are House of the Dead 2 & 3, Time Crisis 2 & 3, and Resident Evil Chronicles for the Wii. I actually enjoy these but they're a bit rare for me to get my hands on. The times I do play them I do enjoy them however. I don't even remember what I did with my copy of RE Chronicles either.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

I'm noticing that Sky Chase from Sonic Adventure is basically a replica of Panzer Dragoon because of the multi-aiming charged shot:
View attachment 86023

A really… really bad version of Panzer. The mechanics are similar, yes, but the game feel is nothing alike and is far worse in Sonic Adventure.

Sorry to be abrasive. I don’t want anybody reading this thread to think they’ve played Panzer Dragoon because they played Sonic Adventure and come to some wild negative assumption about its game feel. The series has been neglected enough already.

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:41 PM

To bring some positivity back in, Star Fox 64 is one of the reasons to own an N64 to this day for me. One of the big reasons why is the secrets, which can change your run very easily.

What I respect is how intuitive and mysterious many of these secrets are. In that way, they can be a pain to get, because many are the “you fail to fly through one thing and you aren’t getting it” kind, but the game is well enough designed that you have multiple chances to get where you need to go.

For me, I DESPISE All-Range Mode (and free flying games in general. I’ve never been able to handle them for some reason), so I plan my route around avoiding All-Range Mode as much as possible lmao. The fact the game even allows me to do that, while still giving me options on which levels to play, is very commendable.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

A really… really bad version of Panzer. The mechanics are similar, yes, but the game feel is nothing alike and is far worse in Sonic Adventure.

Sorry to be abrasive. I don’t want anybody reading this thread to think they’ve played Panzer Dragoon because they played Sonic Adventure and come to some wild negative assumption about its game feel. The series has been neglected enough already.

I do agree that it's a bit boring since the lock on is pretty OP.

Then again Unleashed is a QTE fest.

To bring some positivity back in, Star Fox 64 is one of the reasons to own an N64 to this day for me. One of the big reasons why is the secrets, which can change your run very easily.

Not to say SF64 isn't a good game but I think that Arcade games already slowly started to fade since Mario 64, Goldeneye and soon to come Ocarina of Time would be bigger games with a longer longevity.

But the secrets and alternative paths were great for the replay value, I just wished they'd include a level select for training.

What I respect is how intuitive and mysterious many of these secrets are. In that way, they can be a pain to get, because many are the “you fail to fly through one thing and you aren’t getting it” kind, but the game is well enough designed that you have multiple chances to get where you need to go.

I think you can restart the run for one life.

For me, I DESPISE All-Range Mode (and free flying games in general. I’ve never been able to handle them for some reason), so I plan my route around avoiding All-Range Mode as much as possible lmao. The fact the game even allows me to do that, while still giving me options on which levels to play, is very commendable.

I understand how it works but I think Assault made it feel better.

But I prefer the pure rail shooting.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

I gotta get around to Star Fox Assault someday. I don’t want my opinion of that game to be taken from people who dismiss anything new in Star Fox.

One day, funny GameCube game. One day…

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I gotta get around to Star Fox Assault someday. I don’t want my opinion of that game to be taken from people who dismiss anything new in Star Fox.

I am not entirely sure what you mean but I'll probably try Adventure on Dolphin with an open mind (even if I think that a Zelda like isn't what I want from Starfox) but for Command I'll probably use the d-pad romhack.

 

[MasterEn]

Lylat Wars (yeah I'm a filthy European that doesn't do things like the others) is cool, very cool. I even got the 3DS remake and more recently Starship on PC.

i remember reading that star fox was changed to lylat wars because there was a company over in europe named star fox, or something very similar.

 

[Sunnyside]

I'm noticing that Sky Chase from Sonic Adventure is basically a replica of Panzer Dragoon because of the multi-aiming charged shot.

How in the hell have I never made that connection? I played Adventure to death growing up. XD

It's so obvious! Sega was already aping Bass Fishing for Big's stages. Why wouldn't they copy another one of their series on top of that? I'm surprised Twinkle Circuit wasn't a Virtua Racing knockoff for good measure.

My mind is blown.

 

[moonbits]

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the best rail shooter. The genre peaked.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the best rail shooter. The genre peaked.

That was Treasure's last "big" game (well, they made handheld ones after then nothing).

I still prefer the original on the N64 for different reasons but the Wii was, with the PS Move to a lesser extent, the last remnants of light guns since the switch from CRTs to plasma screens killed them...

 

[sandogma]

Is the Panzer Dragoon remaster worth playing or should I stick with the original Saturn via emulation? I really want to fully play through this game sometime!

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Is the Panzer Dragoon remaster worth playing or should I stick with the original Saturn via emulation? I really want to fully play through this game sometime!

The remake has issues. But it comes down to what you have.

Saturn emulation requires a PC. No ands ifs or buts. If the remake is the easier to get your hands on, then make no mistake: it’s still Panzer. And it’s beautiful.

Post automatically merged: 48 minutes ago

Oh, and there’s ports to both the PS2 and Original XBox (XBox port is a completion bonus inside PD Orta). So, if you want to play the original game but perhaps on a system you already have an emulator for, those options are out there!

Sadly, Zwei, Saga, Orta, and Mini are all trapped on their original systems. I’ve been loving what I’ve been playing so far of Saga and I enjoyed what I was able to play (the game is hard) of Orta, so I have high hopes for when I finally buckle down and spend the big bucks to get a copy of Zwei (I would like a U.S. copy to match with my U.S. copy of the first game).

 

[snes9x]

I dusted off my Wii recently and plan on giving Ghost Squad a whirl. I see it a lot on hidden gem lists and Nintendo Power was pretty keen on it back in the day

Post automatically merged: 1 minute ago

I gotta get around to Star Fox Assault someday. I don’t want my opinion of that game to be taken from people who dismiss anything new in Star Fox.

One day, funny GameCube game. One day…

I found Assault atrocious. I'm not opposed to the on-foot sections per se (being able to hop into your mid-battle Arwing is a great feeling) but the controls are frustrating and the mission structure is tedious. Plus there aren't any alternate routes so any replay value is shot to hell. Very very lazy.