3d On-rails Shooters

3d rail shooters often don't get the same respect as their 2d "shmups" brethren. Personally, I prefer the 3d rails stuff to the regular shooters overall. I'm going to use a loose definition of the term and include any game with forced forward/backward scrolling where you shoot(except for FMV shooters. I'm not including most of them because there's enough to talk about already).

3d rail shooters originated in the arcades with Cinematronics' 1979 game Tail Gunner. I played this game through emulation and it's pretty neat. You shoot from the rear view of a ship. A sequel came out a year later.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...&game_id=10012

Atari's arcade game Red Baron came out in 1980. I'm disappointed it hasn't showed up in any compilations yet.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...R&game_id=9289

There were several of these shooters in the early '80's. Mattel released Star Strike for the Intellivision in 1982 and later ported it to the 2600. These graphics were very impressive for a console game back then.

http://www.atarihq.com/reviews/1664/...classics04.gif

Also on the 2600 was Milton Bradley's Spitfire Attack. I don't know the year it came out.

In 1983, Atari continued their streak of quality vector graphics arcade games with Star Wars. This was one of my favorite arcade games as a kid. The two-handed controller for it was perfect and having Obi Wan's voice guide you made the experience even more fulfilling. Atari made a similar Empire Strikes Back game a couple years later.

http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-gts/Image8.gif

Also released in 1983 was Williams/Vid Kidz' Blaster. This shooter is a sequel(in story) to Eugene Jarvis' earlier game Robotron.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...B&game_id=7145

Jaleco's Exerion was another good 1983 game. It was ported to the Famicom.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...E&game_id=7731

Taito's Sky Destroyer was released for the Famicom in 1985.

1985 marked the point where Sega become the technology leader in the arcades. One game that showed off their hardware power was Space Harrier. Space Harrier was a trippy, sensory overload and a simply a great game.

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/...ce_Harrier.png

Space Harrier had an impressive Master System port, although it was surpassed years later by other home versions. The SMS also had an exclusive game in the series, Space Harrier 3d which used the Segascope 3d glasses; it was neat stuff. Space Harrier 2 was a first-generation Genesis game and Planet Harriers was a disappointing arcade sequel that came out in 2001.

Atari released Solaris for the 2600 in 1986.

These kind of shooters were very popular in the arcades for the rest of the '80's. Sega followed up Space Harrier with Thunder Blade and After Burner 1 and 2 in 1987. Thunder Blade was a mixture of vertical 2d levels and on-rails 3d ones. Its Genesis sequel Super Thunder Blade was disappointing. After Burner 3 came out years later on Sega CD.

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/..._Burner_II.jpg

Konami released Falsion for the Famicom Disk System in 1987 and it was one of the few games to support Nintendo's Famicom 3D System.

http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/fds/falsion.html

Similar to Thunder Blade was Data East/Tatsumi's 1988 arcade game Apache3. Unlike Thunder Blade, it has no 2d levels and the gameplay also consists of rescuing people on the ground. I'm dying to play this game again. I pumped so many quarters into it back then.

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/.../yApache_3.jpg

Galaxy Force was an impressive space shooter by Sega in 1988. Galaxy Force 2 is the same game in a less fancy cabinet. I love this game and I'm still waiting for an arcade-perfect port.

http://www.nemoprod.net/emu/arcade/fburnshot/gf2.jpg

Namco had their own arcade Space Harrier-clone in 1989 called Burning Force. I haven't played the arcade version of this one but I enjoyed the Genesis port.
http://www.system16.com/namco/hrdw_system2.html

Speaking of Space Harrier-clones, Asmik released Cosmic Epsilon for the Famicom. I would go as far as saying this is visually the most impressive game on the 8-bit Nintendo due to its incredibly smooth scrolling. http://www.vgmuseum.com/pics3/cosmicepsilon.html

Another game similar to Thunder Blade is Taito's Night Striker.

Also released in 1989 was a lesser-known Sega arcade game: AB Cop. http://www.system16.com/sega/hrdw_xboard.html

Not all 3d rail shooters involved flying characters. Taito's Rambo 3 continued the ground-based shooting action started by Konami's Devastators except it made it more shooter-like by having forced-scrolling gameplay.

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/...xRambo_III.png

Also worth mentioning are racing/shooters like Atari Games' S.T.U.N. Runner and Hydra. Taito's 1990 arcade game Aqua Jack is similar to these. I haven't played it but it looks awesome.

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/...yAqua_Jack.png

NEC/Hudson packaged Battle Ace with their SuperGrafx console.

http://www.vgmuseum.com/pics8/battleace.html

In 1990, Sega made an After Burner-style game called G-LOC. A year later they made a special version in a 360 degree rotatable cockpit called R-360. Strike Fighter also appeared in some R-360 cabinets.
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...R&game_id=9217

Namco released Galaxian 3 in 1990 and Starblade in 1992.

Sega's Rail Chase came out in the arcades in 1991. This one literally takes place on rails. A sequel was made five years later.

Konami's 1992 arcade game G.I. Joe was another great ground-based one.
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?...G&game_id=7872

Nintendo and Argonaut collaborated to bring the polygon shooter Star Fox to the SNES in 1993. Although blocky as hell, the game was quite good. After abandoning work on a 16-bit sequel, Nintendo made Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64, which came out in 1997.

http://dorando.emuverse.com/images/star-fox.u-12_02.png

Also released in 1993 was Crystal Dynamics' Total Eclipse for the 3DO. The graphics were excellent but the game was dull. Later versions appeared on the Saturn and Playstation.

Namco followed up Galaxian 3 with Attack of the Zolgear.

The Mega Drive's hardware was pushed to its limits in 1994 with Sunsoft/Success' Panorama Cotton. A similar game, Rainbow Cotton landed on the Dreamcast years later.

When the Saturn came out in North America in 1995, the launch title that impressed me most was Panzer Dragoon. Home rail shooters had been taken to another level. The atmosphere and music was beautiful. Panzer Dragoon Zwei and Panzer Dragoon Orta were even better.

http://www.flatbatteries.clara.net/g...ges/pdrag1.gif

The Playstation got its own Panzer Dragoon clone in 1997 with Gamera 2000.

Also from 1997 is Tetragon/Virgin's Nanotek Warrior for the Playstation, a Tempest-inspired shooter.

Similar to Nanotek is Fox/Gremlin's PS1 game N20.

In 2000, Treasure and Nintendo combined forces to create Sin and Punishment for the Nintendo 64. This fantastic game resurrected the ground-based 3d rail shooter and mixed in some jumping and melee combat. I even love the game's elevator music most people seem to dislike.

http://nintendo.gamerweb.com/media/feature/sin.jpg

3d rail shooters returned to their vector graphics roots in 2001 with Sega's Rez for the Dreamcast and Playstation 2. Rez mixed trippy TRON-like imagery with techno music and Panzer Dragoon-style lock-on shooting.

http://www.game-revolution.com/games...ction/rez3.jpg

Anything I missed? What are your favorites?

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In 2000, Treasure and Nintendo combined forces to create Sin and Punishment for the Nintendo 64.

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*humps* Quite possibly my favorite game of all time. Sweet Jesus I love it so.

That is all.

Lots of good stuff here... my favourite? Definitely Rez! :)

It would be cool if Solaris had something to do with Tarkovsky's film, but I doubt it does.

Star Fox has quite possibly the best theme music of all time. I gotta play that game again sometime soon.

I sort of think the atmosphere of the Panzer games are a waste in the shooters. I don't find the gameplay exciting, and Saga was just so much more interesting in every way.

Does 'Nam 1975 belong to this genre?

Nice write up.... Bravo.

Sin and Punishment and Space Harrier are definately my favorites, with Galaxy Force close in tow. Star Wars and Thunderblade were awesome as well. But it's a great genre. I'm a little disappointed not to see Sega's first entry into the series, Buck Rogers and the Planet of Zoom. Zaxxon 3D was neat too. Also cinematronics Web Warp, and Narrow Escape on Vectrex were favorites.

Damn, I didn't think I missed any of Sega's. Thanks for the additions. Buck Rogers, especially, is a pretty big omission.

Nice thread. I've been playing S&P for the first time recently and I'm really enjoying it so far. My favorites are Starfox 64 and PD Orta.

3D on-rails shooters don't get the respect of 2D shooters because they're generally not as good and don't stand the test of time as well. Games like Galaxy Force, for example, were mind-blowing in their day, seem awfully simplistic today.

Still, Space Harrier is probably my favorite game of all time.

Has anyone ever played either of the Rail Chases? The preview in Next Gen made it look real good.

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Originally posted by Kinopio
It would be cool if Solaris had something to do with Tarkovsky's film, but I doubt it does.

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Yippee, Tarkovsky!

And it actually is based on the film/novel. In one level, you have to sit through ten minutes of traffic, and in another, you have to look at Solaris's pink clouds and the ocean for an hour. Pressing the button at any time during the game results in automatic game over.

What about games like Wild Guns? You don't actually move but it kinda plays like a 3D shooter.

My favorite would be Starfox 64. :)

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Originally posted by Sqoon
Has anyone ever played either of the Rail Chases? The preview in Next Gen made it look real good.

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Yeah, I used to play the first one all the time. Pretty straight forward, but fun co op.

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Originally posted by sleeveboy
3D on-rails shooters don't get the respect of 2D shooters because they're generally not as good and don't stand the test of time as well. Games like Galaxy Force, for example, were mind-blowing in their day, seem awfully simplistic today.

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I was with you up until Galaxy Force. Galaxy Force still holds up beutifully for me. Though it's as much of a ride as a game.

I played the first Rail Chase too. It's good but not really a classic.

I think this genre holds up just as well as the 2d ones. It's just that the 2d ones are far more numerous and therefore there are more good ones in total.

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Originally posted by Frogacuda
I was with you up until Galaxy Force. Galaxy Force still holds up beutifully for me. Though it's as much of a ride as a game.

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Don't get me wrong, I still love Galaxy Force, but I'll be the first to admit it isn't that deep or exciting minus the enormous rotating hydraulic cabinet.

Same goes for G-Loc and its gyroscope cab.

Cabal?

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Originally posted by sleeveboy
Don't get me wrong, I still love Galaxy Force, but I'll be the first to admit it isn't that deep or exciting minus the enormous rotating hydraulic cabinet.

Same goes for G-Loc and its gyroscope cab.

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I still like it better than Star Fox. Even at home the sense of motion is incredible. It's got a great feel to it, too. Depth isn't a requiste element for good gameplay.

NeoZeedeater is my Pimp.

Please keep making these awesome threads. You rock.

I'm starting a petition to acknowlede that these threads rock my face.

I am dying to play Planet Harriers...

F-15 City War for the NES is a pretty blatant rip-off of Thunder Blade (city landscapes and even has the same kind of oblate bullets). But still, a bit impressive for the NES, and very impressive for an unlicensed game.

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Originally posted by kingoffighters
I am dying to play Planet Harriers...

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Don't get your hopes up. Space Harrier trounces it.

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Originally posted by Regus
Don't get your hopes up. Space Harrier trounces it.

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Even still, I've heard it's a very good game from a few people, and I want to play as Opa Opa.

Planet Harriers is far from a bad game. It's just that many of us expected so much more from such a legendary franchise being reborn.

There's a great Space Harrier clone on the Famicom called Cosmic Epilison.

And now I must play REZ.... *-neo

There was an Atari Lynx game called Blue Lightning, which was released when the system launched in 1989. It was developed by Epyx and published by Atari. It had some similarities to Sega's After Burner, and also showed off some of the slickest graphics seen on a handheld system for years. The game was also quite thrilling, with nine missions that had a lot of variety and technique.

A few years later, Attention to Detail developed a Jaguar CD version of Blue Lightning. It was one of the pack-in games with the Jaguar CD unit. Many people (myself included) thought it was inferior overall to the Lynx game. It did have a great soundtrack, though.

Another title that should be mentioned is Iridion 3D. This is a Game Boy Advance launch title that was developed by Shin'en and published by Majesco. It played a lot like Space Harrier and looked great by handheld standards, but some people (myself not included) were turned off by the game's difficulty.

http://www.game-museum.com/picture/p...d%20runner.jpg
3D World Runner?

For some reason I can not remember how this one played.

Blue Lightning was great. And speaking of the Lynx, there's also Turbo Sub(I think it was on-rails or was it fully free-roaming?)

Iridion has great graphics but I didn't like the game.

You don't shoot in World Runner, IIRC. The graphics were impressive at the time.

I think Turbo Sub let you roam.

Blue Lightning was a brilliant game. Great arcade feel, amazing graphics. Just awesome all around.

You can shoot in 3D World Runner.

Game's still a POS, though.

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Originally posted by kingoffighters
I am dying to play Planet Harriers...

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Amen to that. It should've had a home port a long time ago, but noooo... they feel like waffling for stupid nonsensical reasons. Feh.

You forgot about Knife Edge: Nose Gunner.

:)

Is it any good?

That reminds me of another N64 game, Buck Bumble. Is Buck on-rails or free-roaming?

I believe Buck Bumble is free roaming.

Knife Edge: Nose Gunner certainly isn't a great game, but it's enjoyable to take for a spin every once and a while. Some of the boss battles are pretty cool.

Sewer Shark!!! Stop laughing...no, really, stop...

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Atari released Solaris for the 2600 in 1986.

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It's been over a decade, but as I recall Solaris wasn't strictly a rail shooter - there were rail sections, but much of the game was free roaming in space. It was the sequel to Star Raiders; I believe there was another in the series as well. I believe those two were also free roaming. Solaris was damned impressive for that hardware, even if I could never figure out how the hell you were supposed to win it.

Your definition of the genre is quite broad - going by that, I'd list games like Cabal and Blood Brothers, as well as Zaxxon and Viewpoint.

My personal favourite is Rez, although I'd say Space Harrier and Star Fox are the twin kings of the genre.

I should be picking up Orta this week; I'm really looking forward to checking that out.

mmmmmmmm REZ... =)
you forgot Solar Eclipse, the Saturn sequel to Total Eclipse.
I LOOOOVE Rail Chase 1, great level design and layout.
Planet Harriers I got a chance to play once and hated the controls...I don't know if they were messed up but the game was just as people say, dissapointing. AMAZING, and I really mean amazing visuals though.

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Originally posted by Sqoon
Has anyone ever played either of the Rail Chases? The preview in Next Gen made it look real good.


Yippee, Tarkovsky!

And it actually is based on the film/novel. In one level, you have to sit through ten minutes of traffic, and in another, you have to look at Solaris's pink clouds and the ocean for an hour. Pressing the button at any time during the game results in automatic game over.

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:lol: Good stuff :lol:

And Neo, Another awesome bit of history write-up. Keep up a great work man.

I love Sin & Punishment, even with some flaws it has, its one very cool game. For me its the only game worth getting N64 for :)

nice thread

no mention of starglider 1 and 2 - the parents of starfox :) -- not really on-rails since you have a lot more freedom than Starfox but still ......

camps

Glad you guys like the thread. Thanks. :)

Thanks for the Solaris correction, Strider. I bought Solaris a month or so ago but I only played it once or twice and I assumed the whole game was on-rails. It really is impressive for the hardware. The 2600 was pushed farther than it was even supposed to go.

I figured a broad definition was necessary for this genre since it's very difficult to decide where the line is drawn.

Even Zaxxon wasn't isometric in every version: the 2600 and Intellivision versions had a behind the ship view.

Did you ever figured out what that pre-Starfox Argonaut/Nintendo Game Boy collaboration was? It looked like it belongs here as well.

And if you ever figure out how to win Solaris, let me know. I got the impression there was a way to find the quadrant you're looking for, but I went everywhere back in the day and couldn't find it.

Actually, I completely forgot about X. When I was thinking about games to include in this thread, I neglected portable games. Blue Lightning was an important one I missed.

Not alot of people know about this one but how about Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact on the Dreamcast:

http://www.quintet.co.jp/godzilla/godzilla/g_img4.jpg

http://www.quintet.co.jp/godzilla/godzilla/g_img2.jpg

http://www.quintet.co.jp/godzilla/godzilla/g_img3.jpg

http://www.quintet.co.jp/godzilla/godzilla/g_sel.jpg

Well, if rambo 3 counts, you should add Dynamite Duke on the Master system. similar game play, with some melee fighting thrown in.