Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I've been dabbling in emulation again, digging up my Dolphinbar and acquiring a Wii Zapper (I already had a Sega Handcannon also but this has a better form factor for hip firing than pistol-like shells like that and includes the nunchuck controls that more involving lightgun games require for things beyond the trigger firing inputs) to enjoy some lightgun games again even without the 1:1 aiming because the Sinden Lightgun is just too damn expensive and other than Gun4IR which is either DYI and/or also expensive there are no real alternatives. There's the EmuVR option for PC VR kits as well and it's amazing and 1:1 true to real lightgun aiming when it works but it just isn't as compatible and performant and easy to use as plain RetroArch (or stand alone emulators) in my experience as it takes over its systems with its own which still need work. Anyway, I've managed to get my Wii stuff to work with Dolphin (duh), TeknoParrot and some of the RetroArch cores for Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast and old 2D arcade titles too with varying degrees of success (for some games it's excellent for others the cursor just doesn't line up with where the shots actually end up).
Ghost Squad must be the greatest lightgun game ever made (I guess tied with Operation G.H.O.S.T., its own sequel, but I haven't spent as much time with that one). The formula is just Virtua Cop on steroids, no pedals to take cover or other gimmicks here, you just have to shoot, accurately and fast to survive the expertly paced enemy encounters. Where Virtua Cop faltered, variety and replayability, this game thrives, packing a ton of content in a seemingly pitiful 3 missions (just like previous Virtua Cop games) with some alternate paths, different gun firing modes to switch between (or acquire mid mission with power ups or in other ways) and set pieces which range from QTE style counters/dodges/melee battles to the use of sniper rifles or giant machineguns for certain segments. On top of that there's a progression saving system (that the arcade board also had via cards you purchased, when that was put out of commission they released Ghost Squad Evolution with everything unlocked by default for all players) which has you gain xp by your score to level up your character and unlock a variety of outfits and weapons to use on subsequent playthroughs. The missions also increase in level which makes them harder, does cosmetic changes like a different time of day and can also enable more alternate routes that aren't available initially, with wholly different sections or set pieces to play through. It's so fun even without proper 1:1 lightgun accuracy and the crosshair always on as you have to do when playing with the Wii controller technology (or older flat screen lightguns like AimTrak). It's still far from a cakewalk as well. Some of the unlocked guns have laser sights which means they essentially gave crosshair in the arcade version itself, granted they may instead decrease the score & xp you get awarded as they're all ranked in difficulty of use too, but that still didn't end up making the game too easy and therefor eventually boring or anything, far from it.
So yeah, there are many great lightgun games you can discuss instead, many of them from Sega and others from Namco among others, but this must be in everyone's top 5, right? At least if we exclude games that might have infatuated folks by some licenced IP but weren't actually that great.
Ghost Squad must be the greatest lightgun game ever made (I guess tied with Operation G.H.O.S.T., its own sequel, but I haven't spent as much time with that one). The formula is just Virtua Cop on steroids, no pedals to take cover or other gimmicks here, you just have to shoot, accurately and fast to survive the expertly paced enemy encounters. Where Virtua Cop faltered, variety and replayability, this game thrives, packing a ton of content in a seemingly pitiful 3 missions (just like previous Virtua Cop games) with some alternate paths, different gun firing modes to switch between (or acquire mid mission with power ups or in other ways) and set pieces which range from QTE style counters/dodges/melee battles to the use of sniper rifles or giant machineguns for certain segments. On top of that there's a progression saving system (that the arcade board also had via cards you purchased, when that was put out of commission they released Ghost Squad Evolution with everything unlocked by default for all players) which has you gain xp by your score to level up your character and unlock a variety of outfits and weapons to use on subsequent playthroughs. The missions also increase in level which makes them harder, does cosmetic changes like a different time of day and can also enable more alternate routes that aren't available initially, with wholly different sections or set pieces to play through. It's so fun even without proper 1:1 lightgun accuracy and the crosshair always on as you have to do when playing with the Wii controller technology (or older flat screen lightguns like AimTrak). It's still far from a cakewalk as well. Some of the unlocked guns have laser sights which means they essentially gave crosshair in the arcade version itself, granted they may instead decrease the score & xp you get awarded as they're all ranked in difficulty of use too, but that still didn't end up making the game too easy and therefor eventually boring or anything, far from it.
So yeah, there are many great lightgun games you can discuss instead, many of them from Sega and others from Namco among others, but this must be in everyone's top 5, right? At least if we exclude games that might have infatuated folks by some licenced IP but weren't actually that great.
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