Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns
Grab your guns and open fire
Posted August 29, 2010
What's It All About:
Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns aren't titles I'd ever name if asked for a list of favorites, but when I read the names in the announcement for their re-release on the Wii, memories came flooding back of spending plenty of time and money with them at the arcade. Those big light guns, the violent vibrations, the waves of enemies... It wasn't just a fun game, but a fun game experience. Which is what makes a translation to the Wii, which often makes experience the biggest part of a game, a smart adaptation.
Gameplay:
Though they aren't part of the same franchise, Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns both share DNA as near-future on-rails shooters with a twist that sets them apart from the majority of the games in this genre, as you are flying on either a helicopter (Gunblade N.Y.) or a hoverbike (L.A. Machinegun.) The movement of your vehicle swings around, as you would expect from floating in the air, which makes it difficult to lock on to a target and increases the likelihood that you'll get a bit of challenge from playing the game. That the route of the "rail" changes each time you play makes it that much harder, and entertaining to play.
Each game is essentially the same, separated by the number of levels and the vehicle, as you fly through the level blasting the bad guys with your unlimited ammunition. The robots you're fighting are tough buggers, with a few different varieties, giving you a few challenges to face, including big boss battles, which throw massive aircrafts and huge mechs at you. For each life, you've got three health bars, which go away when you're hit by a missile. The thing is, when those three bars go away, all you need to do is hit the A button and you're back at it in the same exact spot (except for during the Score Attack Remix mode. More on that later.)
After the four-stage Gunblade N.Y. (which comes in Easy and Hard modes (with slight variation between them)) the five-stage L.A. Machineguns changed things up a bit, adding the idea of civilian casualties, people running around whom you're supposed to avoid killing, despite the fact that they hang around between giant attacking robots. Now, when the bad guys are attacking the Strip in Las Vegas or Times Square, it makes sense there will be people around, and it adds another challenge, as you can't just go around firing like a maniac without damaging your score. But then, there's the finale, in the bad guys' headquarters. Why the hell are there civilians to be shot? I mean really, aren't we doing good by shooting the bad guys, even if they aren't robots?
Either way, once you finish off the main play, which won't take you too long thanks to the advantages you have, there's the Score Attack Remix mode, only available on Gunblade N.Y.. The unlimited continues are gone, and the time you have is shortened to a minute. Thus, you've got to be on your game, picking off villains and generally blowing stuff up. I found myself playing this mode far more often than the regular modes, mainly because it offers immediate gratification and way more of a challenge. In addition to the regular solo play and the Score Attack Remix, there's also drop-in co-op play (which is unavailable in the Score Attack Remix) but it's pretty much overkill when you've got unlimited ammo and unlimited continues. It's practically unfair to the enemies to have two snipers picking them off when one can do it easily enough.
Online Play
The only online element in the game is the leaderboards, but for some reason, they wouldn't work for me.
Controls
Though you don't have that massive gun from the arcade, the Wii's controls are a fine stand-in, especially when you utilize the Zapper accessory. The nunchuk handles the weapon selection, but that's really an inconsequential element of the game, since you'll beat the entire game before getting more than one of the bonus weapons. All that matters is pointing that Wii-mote at the screen and holding down the trigger. As a result, you might find a standard pistol-grip serves you best, as it gives you far more control. You can configure the positioning of the crosshairs to optimize your aim, which is a nice touch.
Achievements
There's an in-game achievement system known as promotions, but to be honest, it's very vague. I was promoted several times, always after playing the Score Attack Remix mode of Gunblade N.Y., but how I did it is unclear.
Graphics
If you think graphics on the Wii are unimpressive, this game will not change that impression. If anything, it will only get worse. But one has to remember, this is basically two Virtual Console games on a disc, from the early days of Sega's Virtua efforts. Thus, they are very blocky and polygon-heavy, while the textures are rough and lack detail. Things get a bit better with L.A. Machineguns, but there, some of the levels are so dark you can't even see your foes without adjusting the brightness of your screen. On the plus side, despite the rapid movement and large amount of objects on-screen at any moment, there are no issues with the frame rate when things get hectic. Sure, it's because the rendering effort isn't too demanding, but it's still very smooth.
Sound
The audio is very standard for mid-to-late '90s games, delivering the very '80s action-movie soundtrack clearly, while the voices come across a bit cleanly. But once again, the Wii's capabilities enhance the game, as the voices that are on your in-game radio are played through the Wii-mote speaker, giving them lo-fi authenticity.
And in the End...
If you have fond memories of getting your insides shook up from these games' arcade cabinets, you're not going to be able to recreate that feeling with the vibration of the Wii-mote. Plus, the challenge is reduced when you have unlimited continues, instead of limited quarters (which also has the effect of decreasing the length of the gameplay. That aside, thanks to the swooping air-based movement, they are solid on-rails shooters with nostalgia on their side. For the right price, the disc is worth a look, but there are better options out there.
Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns aren't titles I'd ever name if asked for a list of favorites, but when I read the names in the announcement for their re-release on the Wii, memories came flooding back of spending plenty of time and money with them at the arcade. Those big light guns, the violent vibrations, the waves of enemies... It wasn't just a fun game, but a fun game experience. Which is what makes a translation to the Wii, which often makes experience the biggest part of a game, a smart adaptation.
Gameplay:
Though they aren't part of the same franchise, Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns both share DNA as near-future on-rails shooters with a twist that sets them apart from the majority of the games in this genre, as you are flying on either a helicopter (Gunblade N.Y.) or a hoverbike (L.A. Machinegun.) The movement of your vehicle swings around, as you would expect from floating in the air, which makes it difficult to lock on to a target and increases the likelihood that you'll get a bit of challenge from playing the game. That the route of the "rail" changes each time you play makes it that much harder, and entertaining to play.
Each game is essentially the same, separated by the number of levels and the vehicle, as you fly through the level blasting the bad guys with your unlimited ammunition. The robots you're fighting are tough buggers, with a few different varieties, giving you a few challenges to face, including big boss battles, which throw massive aircrafts and huge mechs at you. For each life, you've got three health bars, which go away when you're hit by a missile. The thing is, when those three bars go away, all you need to do is hit the A button and you're back at it in the same exact spot (except for during the Score Attack Remix mode. More on that later.)
After the four-stage Gunblade N.Y. (which comes in Easy and Hard modes (with slight variation between them)) the five-stage L.A. Machineguns changed things up a bit, adding the idea of civilian casualties, people running around whom you're supposed to avoid killing, despite the fact that they hang around between giant attacking robots. Now, when the bad guys are attacking the Strip in Las Vegas or Times Square, it makes sense there will be people around, and it adds another challenge, as you can't just go around firing like a maniac without damaging your score. But then, there's the finale, in the bad guys' headquarters. Why the hell are there civilians to be shot? I mean really, aren't we doing good by shooting the bad guys, even if they aren't robots?
Either way, once you finish off the main play, which won't take you too long thanks to the advantages you have, there's the Score Attack Remix mode, only available on Gunblade N.Y.. The unlimited continues are gone, and the time you have is shortened to a minute. Thus, you've got to be on your game, picking off villains and generally blowing stuff up. I found myself playing this mode far more often than the regular modes, mainly because it offers immediate gratification and way more of a challenge. In addition to the regular solo play and the Score Attack Remix, there's also drop-in co-op play (which is unavailable in the Score Attack Remix) but it's pretty much overkill when you've got unlimited ammo and unlimited continues. It's practically unfair to the enemies to have two snipers picking them off when one can do it easily enough.
Online Play
The only online element in the game is the leaderboards, but for some reason, they wouldn't work for me.
Controls
Though you don't have that massive gun from the arcade, the Wii's controls are a fine stand-in, especially when you utilize the Zapper accessory. The nunchuk handles the weapon selection, but that's really an inconsequential element of the game, since you'll beat the entire game before getting more than one of the bonus weapons. All that matters is pointing that Wii-mote at the screen and holding down the trigger. As a result, you might find a standard pistol-grip serves you best, as it gives you far more control. You can configure the positioning of the crosshairs to optimize your aim, which is a nice touch.
Achievements
There's an in-game achievement system known as promotions, but to be honest, it's very vague. I was promoted several times, always after playing the Score Attack Remix mode of Gunblade N.Y., but how I did it is unclear.
Graphics
If you think graphics on the Wii are unimpressive, this game will not change that impression. If anything, it will only get worse. But one has to remember, this is basically two Virtual Console games on a disc, from the early days of Sega's Virtua efforts. Thus, they are very blocky and polygon-heavy, while the textures are rough and lack detail. Things get a bit better with L.A. Machineguns, but there, some of the levels are so dark you can't even see your foes without adjusting the brightness of your screen. On the plus side, despite the rapid movement and large amount of objects on-screen at any moment, there are no issues with the frame rate when things get hectic. Sure, it's because the rendering effort isn't too demanding, but it's still very smooth.
Sound
The audio is very standard for mid-to-late '90s games, delivering the very '80s action-movie soundtrack clearly, while the voices come across a bit cleanly. But once again, the Wii's capabilities enhance the game, as the voices that are on your in-game radio are played through the Wii-mote speaker, giving them lo-fi authenticity.
And in the End...
If you have fond memories of getting your insides shook up from these games' arcade cabinets, you're not going to be able to recreate that feeling with the vibration of the Wii-mote. Plus, the challenge is reduced when you have unlimited continues, instead of limited quarters (which also has the effect of decreasing the length of the gameplay. That aside, thanks to the swooping air-based movement, they are solid on-rails shooters with nostalgia on their side. For the right price, the disc is worth a look, but there are better options out there.