The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

Wii Shooters

ThrustinJThrustinJ Registered User regular
edited July 2008 in Games and Technology
I'm interested in a Wii light gun-style shooter. I've read reviews on IGN for Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, and House of the Dead: 2 and 3. IGN's reviews on RE and HotD seem to point out that neither of them has the detail, accuracy, or gameplay of Ghost Squad.

I just wanted to get some opinions since Ghost Squad is probably the cheapest on eBay and they're all the same price used on Gamestop.

ThrustinJ on

Posts

  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I have RE and it's very good, probably best played with Nyko's Perfect Shot. It does get to be ridiculously difficult towards the end, though.

    AbsoluteZero on
    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
  • zimfanzimfan Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I think RE is best if you play with friends.

    zimfan on
    PasscodeSig.png
  • NevaNeva Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Did they add levels in the Wii version of Ghost Squad? I remember the arcade version only having three levels or so.

    Neva on
    SC2 Beta: Neva.ling

    "Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
  • zimfanzimfan Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Neva wrote: »
    Did they add levels in the Wii version of Ghost Squad? I remember the arcade version only having three levels or so.

    I think it's still 4 levels but they made a lot of branching paths for Replay Value.

    zimfan on
    PasscodeSig.png
  • ThrustinJThrustinJ Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I would like a game that is "playable". I have enough games I'll never finish as it is.

    ThrustinJ on
  • Myself980Myself980 Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Ghost Squad is excellent. There are only 3 levels, but they have branching paths, as well as the ability to gain experience, so that you earn new weapons and costumes, and the levels gain new enemies and challenges. The multiplayer is also excellent with up to 4 players.

    RE is good and huge but difficult, and Target: Terror is pretty bad with loose aiming and absolutely crap graphics. Why they still digitize actors in this day and age is beyond me. Limited continues also blows.

    Myself980 on
    Bad command or cheese. Abort/Retry/French?
  • DracilDracil Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I only have RE but I really like it. The biggest problem with playing with friends is that none of them can do the dodge mechanics AT ALL. They simply don't have the reflex/experience to do them. If only there were a way to disable that.

    Dracil on
    3DS: 2105-8644-6304
    Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
    MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
  • zimfanzimfan Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Dracil wrote: »
    I only have RE but I really like it. The biggest problem with playing with friends is that none of them can do the dodge mechanics AT ALL. They simply don't have the reflex/experience to do them. If only there were a way to disable that.

    This, we spent about an hour an one of the reflex things.

    zimfan on
    PasscodeSig.png
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I wasn't too impressed with Ghost Squad. It's not awful, but there isn't much content (even with all the branching paths & what not) and I really disliked how you basically had unlimited lives for 95% of the game, but if you messed up in the boss section at the end of each episode (which incidentally never played very similarly to the main game), you were toast regardless of how good or bad you did in the actual episode. And it was very easy to mess up in the boss encounters I found (one gives you like 5 seconds and 1 bullet to shoot the boss in a rocking plane if I remember correctly).

    Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles though is a fantastic game. Drastically more content than any gun game you would find in an arcade along (seriously, it'll take you several hours just to get through all of the levels a single time to say nothing of multiple paths, 3 difficulty levels, bonus extra levels, and miscellaneous secrets) with plenty of Resident Evil fan service. Tons of fun, especially in 2-player co-op. Heck, even my wife who has never played a Resident Evil game in her life thought it was a blast. Highly recommended.

    RainbowDespair on
  • ArdeArde Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I had more fun with Ghost Squad than RE:UC.

    However, if you like some storyline and depth to your shooter, RE:UC's definitely a good buy.

    For fun mindless shooting, Ghost Squad and HoTD are a blast.

    Arde on
    Wii code:3004 5525 7274 3361
    XBL Gametag: mailarde

    Screen Digest LOL3RZZ
  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    My biggest problem with RE: When you get your weapons fully upgraded, the game is pretty broken and so easy it isnt even fun anymore.

    AbsoluteZero on
    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    zimfan wrote: »
    I think RE is best if you play with friends.

    Hell yeah. I beat RE4 in two days with a friend.

    We never stopped playing as soon as the disk entered the Gamecube.

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
  • urahonkyurahonky Cynical Old Man Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    HotD 2/3 was very buggy for me. At random times nothing would show up on the screen and hit me, and some of the dialog was written poorly. (Actually that last one isnt a bug, but man... I love the dialog)

    RE:UC was amazing. I loved the whole game the whole way through... Though I wonder, when they consider "critical shots" does that mean you have to do that in ONE shot, or can you shoot them in the torso a few times, then hit the critical point and it count it? I know I did a run where I KNOW I hit like 50+ crits, and it ended up being like 12.

    urahonky on
  • slash000slash000 Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I wrote this a long time ago when someone asked if they were to buy only 2 of the lightgun shooters for the Wii, which should they get:




    Well, to sum it up, Ghost Squad and HOTD2+3 focus on traditional, fast-paced lightgun action with short playthroughs, with replay focused on getting better ranks/scores with fewer lives and trying different paths. Resi Umbrella Chronicles is slower paced, has a lot more content (on single playthroughs and unlockable), more depth to the weapons system, and has a 'survival horror' atmosphere and gameplay influence.


    So if there are 2 lightgun shooters to pick up for the Wii, I'd recommend getting RE:UC and Ghost Squad, because they represent the best iterations of two very different gameplay types on the Wii. Just remember that RE:UC is $50 and GS is cheaper at $30. *note; time has passed, these may now be cheaper.



    For some in depth descriptions of each of these games, I wrote these up:


    Umbrella Chronicles -

    Spoiler:
    show spoiler

    Umbrella Chronicles is a very different take on gameplay for a lightgun shooter. It's much slower paced, and has a lot more depth than the other games in this genre. It has a classic Resident Evil, survival horror atmosphere to it as well, which is pretty impressive given the nature of the genre. The game moves slower, but you still have to be precise with your shots for three reasons. One, you have to conserve ammo (in traditional RE style) for your special guns, because only the pistol is unlimited. Second, enemies have very small and precise Critical Hit areas, so steady, accurate shots are preferred to gun-blazing. Third, the game Ranks your success on each level, part of which is based on both Time, # of kills, and # of Critical Hits - and increased Ranks on levels unlocks more levels and more bonus content.

    With weaponry, you're given an unlimited pistol, but you get to take a secondary weapon with you of your choice as you begin the mission. The secondary weapons vary in subcategories of 4 or five weapons types; like 3 types of submachine guns, 3 types of shotguns, 3 different types of rocket launchers, etc. Once you choose your secondary weapon, you have limited ammo to use it in the level. So you have to choose your shots with yoru secondary weapon well. This adds depth and strategy to the levels, because you have to choose whether to take out areas of enemies with your slow, low-powered pistol or use your shotgun and risk running out of ammo later. There is a ton of strategy for bosses, too -- these bosses have patterns and specific weak points during various stages of their attack patterns. So having good weapons for good situations with enough ammo is part of the boss strategy. Sometimes the boss strategies aren't obvious, either; so it takes some thinking to figure out a good combo of primary/secondary weapons and when and where to use them.

    Now, while it's good to conserve secondary ammo, each level has weapons stored in various places. These will give your even more weapon and ammo options, or restock your current chosen secondary weapon with ammo. So you're not out of luck if you run out. Also, you get to use Grenades as another weapon that you take with you. These are limited, but have powerful room-clearing and boss-killing abilities. But they also take out lots of Objects destructible in the environment, which may be crucial to getting S-ranks.

    Which brings me to my next point - the majority of the levels in REUC are destructible. This adds to the 'cool factor' of the game, but it also serves 3 purposes; One, destroying stuff often reveals more ammo or more weapons to use. Secondly, destroying objects will reveal items that unlock bonus content. Lastly, destroying as many items as you can will increase your Rank at the end of the level, thereby opening more levels. So it adds to the depth in that you can spend your shots or grenades blowing up items in levels, but you risk being jumped on by surprise from enemies. Or maybe you prioritize enemies at the expense of wrecking the environment. So there's some depth there.

    The next thing that makes this game different from typical light shooters is that it has a lot more content than typical shooters. While most arcade shooters last 45 minutes in a single playthrough, Umbrella Chronicles will take several hours to get through the first time. This is not only because there are a ton of levels, but also because you'll be faced with bosses and scenarios that you have to figure out how to handle. The first boss of REUC took me like ~20 minutes to kill, but once I got good at the game, I can take it out in 5 mins or less.

    Which reminds me -- every time you Rank in a level, you're awarded Star Points. These are used to upgrade the weapons you've unlocked in the game. You can upgrade any of the weapons (besides pistol) up to 4 levels. This will add damage to the weapons, or capacity, or firing rate depending on the weapon. So it adds depth to the weapon system there as well. These increased weapons make later or tougher levels easier to complete and S-Rank. But you have to choose your spending/upgrading wisely; not every weapon is available in every level.

    Now, as far as levels, there are bunches of them, and they're all unique. Plus, Ranking well on levels unlocks even more. So for each set of 4 levels, there are usually 4 more unlockable levels. Often these will present you with a different character's perspective on the events of the Resi game you're playing. So you might play as Chris in Resi1's levels, then unlock Wesker's version of those events, which are totally different. So there's a lot of replay value there - getting S-ranks, upgrading weapons, finding more stuff to unlock, unlocking more levels. There are also branching paths in most of the levels, too, so you don't see everything the first time you play.


    The unlockable content in the game is all Resident Evil fan service. Besides the unlockable levels, that is. I'm not a huge Resi fan, but I've played Resi 1 and 4. I found lots to appreciate here. Especially the story sequences in the main game - which are appreciably and purposefully cheesey in classic RE /zombie style. The unlockable bonus stuff is mostly for RE fans, though, besides more levels/weapons. It's a lot of info and images regarding the previous games and give you more indepth information on the series. But it's fun to glance over. Also, getting these 'files' within the levels is part of the S-Rank criteria so you might as well look at it anyway






    Ghost Squad -
    Spoiler:
    show spoiler


    Ghost Squad is a great game if you know what you're getting - you're getting an arcade lightgun shooter. These things are typically not much longer than 30 or 45 minutes.

    But the reason these games are popular is not because you can beat them once and be done with them. No, not unlike arcadey shmups or maybe even racing games and fighting games, beating it once is only the first step. The replay value comes from getting good at these games, and for some people, increasing your high score or achieving Ranks or medals.

    As far as Ghost Squad goes from an arcade shooter perspective, it's really quite good.


    For the Wii, it transitions quite well. The entire game is intact, plus a few more missions and a lot of unlockable type things.

    Every time you play the game, the game will gauge your performance. With improved performance, you increase your 'level' for each Mission.


    As you level up in missions, it opens up new branching paths to play through, adding variety and replay value to the game. I've played it tons and have still not managed to unlock every path.


    Some branched paths are samey to other routes, but some of them completely change the level or objective. Meaning, some of these branched path really do make it worth unlocking to play through.

    But not only that, increasing your level in these Missions also increases the difficulty of the paths - in that, it increases the type of variables y ou have to worry about it.

    In some missions you have to clear a room of terrorists. But in the same area on a higher level, you''ll have to clear the area but avoid hitting hostage. Then in the same area on an even higher level, you might have to detain hostages while clearing the room of terrorists.

    in some missions you have to defend in hand to hand combat against enemies. In the low levels, you have a lot of time, and have to defend maybe 1 critical point. In later levels, you're give less time, and often have to defend 2 critical points from each enemy in hand to hand.


    Sometimes increasing level will increase the number of hostages to detain, the number of terrorists to defend against, the number of mines to disable, etc.

    So not only does replaying the game well add more paths to complete, but it increases the variety and difficulty of the paths you've already opened.

    On top of that, and the other unlockable stuff, you can also unlock new costumes and new weapons - of which there are TONs - to play the levels with.


    The scoring system is actually quite cool as well. You're scored based on a lot more than just the # of enemies killed. First, you're gauged by time to complete; you often don't move on in a level until you kill the enmies or complete the objectives. Do it quickly to decrease time. Secondly, you're gauged on how effectively you complete each Objective, be it clearing out enemies, saving hostages, detaining hostages, backing up your team, being stealthy, sniping, etc etc. Do these well to increase your score, and in less time; fail them and you'll be hit hard in scoring.

    But more than that, you're also scored on your accuracy. Yes, that means hits/shots ratio. But you're also scored on how efficient you were. Chest shots are worth more than limb shots, and head shots are worth the most points. Ever notice how you can plug a terrorist a few times before he disappears? That's because scoring your shot efficiency depends on how you shoot the terrorists. 1 headshot may be worth more than 3 leg shots; or 3 chest shots may be more points than 1 head shot. The ideal scenario is to plug the enemies with 2 chest shots and 1 head shot to finish them off. So there's tactical scoring based on shot as well. Oh, and hitting armor and objects counts as a 'miss' - so shooting the final boss's shield with bullets detracts from your overall score.


    So yeah, as an arcade rail shooter, GS is actually quite good. To top it all off, it has a calibration allowing you to set up your wii remote for accurate 1:1 aiming. I always take advantage of this, personally, and it works very very well (long as you don't move from your place of calibration). Also, the original arcade game had you shooting with a sub machine gun of sorts - so using the Wii Zapper actually helps bring the game closer to its original format.

    Plus the zapper is just comfy for these types of games, and makes calibration easier too.




    Ghost Squad (and HOTD23) let you calibrate the wii remote (or Zapper) so you can use perfect 1:1 aiming. RE:UC does not have this option. However, I've never found that to be an issue in RE:UC, since it's not the 'arcadey' style of game; shots have to be taken carefully and steadily anyway, so maneuvering the pointer doesn't have to be as reflexive.

    All three games support the Zapper, although RE:UC's implementation requires you to remove the nunchuck from the holster in the zapper, which is kind of weird, but it works fine.

    I've only played these games with a Zapper, too, and I find it completely comfortable to use. So I don't know how it would play out with just a wiimote+nunchuck.


    I plan on getting a Nyko Perfect Shot in the near future, though, which is a lightgun shell with a classic pistol design and a passthrough for the nunchuck to be held separately. This would be the ideal shell for RE:UC, but the zapper one works fine for the game.



    Link's CBT comes with the zapper, too. it's a fun game, but there's not as much replay value as REUC, GS, or HOTD23. It has a great Combo system for scoring points, and the levels are fun to play. But gaining the highest Rank on each level is not very difficult to do. And there are no online leaderboards or anything (like in Ghost Squad). Plus not 1:1 calibration, but the game still controls well. So Link's CBT is an option if you ever decide to pick up a Zapper.




    edit: Adding in HOTD23 info

    I've played more HOTD23 since writing all that.

    Basically, HOTD23 is pretty good bang for your buck with 2 lightgun shooters for $20. They're arcade style and tough as nails. One of them, HOTD2, is considered a classic, while the other HOTD3 is a pretty good game. The former is really old, and so graphically, it's pretty jarring to look at, but you can get over it as the game itself is quite fun. HOTD3 still looks good and has an exaggerated art style, and while it's still very fun, it's a little different than HOTD2. First, HOTD2 is really tough, and you use a pistol with a small hit diameter, so your shots have to be pretty accurate. For HOTD3, you use a shotgun, so the hit diameter is much wider and doesn't necessitate as much accuracy. HOTD3 is a generally easier game than 2 as well. But you're still using a shotgun to blast zombies in the face, so it's still awesome. Also, HOTD2 has much more cool boss battles than 3, but 3's are still fun. Anyway, both games have branching paths, HOTD2 depending on whether you save people (or shoot certain things) and HOTD3 you get to choose where to go. But I never really felt like the branching paths really changed a whooole lot in each level, but it's still nice to 'explore' these new areas. Replay value? It all comes down to how much you enjoy trying to beat these games with a set number of lives; like I said, HOTD2 is tough, but progressively getting better until you beat it is quite satisfying. HOTD3 is not as tough, but you can adjust the number of lives (also you can in HOTD2), but HOTD3 will also grade your performance on a level with Rankings; so there's some replay value in not only beating it in fewer lives but also in A or S-ranking the levels. The HOTD23 package is pretty straight forward with the two shooters, and one unlockable training mission thing which is pretty short. So basically try to think of the HOTD23 pack as two light shooters for $20, one a very old classic, and another a pretty fun but more modern game. Oh - and they both have atrocious voice acting, but anyone could have probably guessed that.







    edit: As a side note, both Ghost Squad and HOTD23 have calibration that lets you calibrate the wiimote for 1:1 lightgun accuracy. I've tried it in both games and it works perfectly in both games. I've even played through HOTD2 with the aiming reticle turned off, and I've played the target shooting training missions in GS with the reticle turned off, and it works great.

    slash000 on
  • WoodroezWoodroez Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Myself980 wrote: »
    Ghost Squad is excellent. There are only 3 levels, but they have branching paths, as well as the ability to gain experience, so that you earn new weapons and costumes, and the levels gain new enemies and challenges. The multiplayer is also excellent with up to 4 players.

    RE is good and huge but difficult, and Target: Terror is pretty bad with loose aiming and absolutely crap graphics. Why they still digitize actors in this day and age is beyond me. Limited continues also blows.

    oh man

    If Target: Terror is what I think it is, I need to play it.

    Certainly won't buy it, mind you.

    Does it still have the mode where one player uses two guns? Uh, Freedom Mode I think it's called?

    Woodroez on
    858213-butcher-2.jpg
  • SaraLunaSaraLuna Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Ghost Squad is full of win. I can't recommend it enough.

    Umbrella Chronicles is ok. Not worth buying unless you're a pretty big RE fan I'd say.

    Target Terror is fun for about 5 minutes for the ridiculous enemies and their animations, but the gameplay itself sucks balls.

    SaraLuna on
Sign In or Register to comment.