Welcome to World Zero - Reviews for the hardcore gamer

Single Credit

With mind numbingly simple gameplay mechanics, adrenaline soaked, bed wetting action, and roots going as far back as the games industry itself, shooters have the potential to excite, inspire, and kick a lot of ass. They also have the potential to suck.

An update to a Sega CD game which I know nothing about, Slipheed stared up at me from the depths of the bargain bin with a twenty dollar price tag, traditional Treasure stamp of approval, and obnoxiously shiny packaging. Forty five minutes and a pile of torn shrink wrap later, Slipheed was nestled softly in my PlayStation2. Forty five minutes after that and it was back in the box. Graphics, sound, or setting are irrelevant when a game, for lack of a better word, bores me. Frivolous extras and unlockables are moot at best when the core game lacks any distinguishing or redeeming qualities. The short length, lack of depth, and hokey setting of Slipheed are flaws inherent to the genre and subsequently something it will not be penalized for. Slipheed’s flaws lie in the fact that for all its strict adherence to the genre’s stereotypical shortcomings it fails to capture any of the things that make the genre great.

At their best, shooters can provide the most immersive gaming experience this side of the RPG. On their most basic level, shooters cater to the primal instinct of survival. Resident Evil, Dino Crisis...Silent Hill? Right. Throw some Halloween skins on a Psikyo shooter. Now that’s survival horror. Nemesis is nothing when compared to the never ending threat of instantaneous annihilation. For those few minutes when your space craft blasts off against a swarming ocean of enemy fighters until you see the level score tally at the end amidst a sea of glorious carnage, you are completely in tune with what’s going on with the game mentally and physically speaking. If you don’t believe me, try holding a phone conversation with a member of the opposite sex while playing Ikaruga. It’s not going to happen.

I’ve heard it said many times that shooters are gaming distilled into its purest form. That’s a very high and mighty thing to say and I’m not in agreement at all. To me, rolling around the hidden passageways of Zebes or blowing holes in Turtle Rock is just as ‘pure’ an experience as one-lifeing the Maoi head level in Gradius III. What I will say is that shooters are among the most simple of all gaming genres. The concept - kill or be killed - is a common thread that runs through many titles convoluted with other objectives such as stealth or puzzle solving. Your standard shmup is the antithesis of the modern adventure game. Often, you’re denied even the freedom to rotate, nevermind the freedom to explore the game world.

It’s in the face of all those limitations where the genre finds its genius. As a musician I find I write my best on a poorly tuned three stringed acoustic guitar. When so severely limited you force yourself to work within certain constraints to get the most out of what you have. As technology increases and space constraints are less and less limited, game developers are increasingly striving for bigger, longer, and more complicated occasionally to the point where the original focus is lost - the gameplay. With a distinct lack of flash, plot and FMV, that’s all that is available to a shooter to hold your interest.

I’m tired of seeing each and every single shooter that comes down the pike get nailed repeatedly in the gaming press for being too short or too easy. The traditional videogame culminates with the final level, the final boss battle. That’s just where the shooter begins. Contra isn’t over with the explosion of a giant alien heart; it’s over when you can explode a giant alien heart on a single credit, on a single life. It’s over when you become the invincible harbinger of destruction you always knew you were.