Shooting
Latest
School shooting "hero" confesses to Xbox theft
Stories about thieves stealing games and systems are a dime a dozen, but those thefts usually don't involve a culprit that was praised as a hero by President Bush. They do occasionally, though, as is proven by a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School student Lewis Bennett III.Bennett earned fame and a meeting with the president for thwarting a planned Columbine-style attack by classmate Dillon Cossey back in October. But even heroes have their flaws, and last week, Bennett confessed to authorities that he and two friends had repeatedly broken in to Cossey's house last month to steal a variety of items, including an Xbox 360 that Bennett later sold to a classmate for $20.Bennett's attorney said the media attention may have driven his client to the criminal act."How does a child, a young adult, deal with that situation, where all these cameras are put in his face and he's required to respond and he meets the president?" The answer to that rhetorical question, apparently, is 'by stealing an Xbox 360.'
Family of slain suspected PS3 thief to receive $2.45 million settlement
It's been more than a year since the accidental shooting of 18-year-old Peyton Strickland by Cpl. Christopher Long, a deputy of New Hanover County, N.C., during a raid of Strickland's rented home in early December, 2006. The sheriff's Emergency Response Team was serving a warrant for Strickland's arrest in connection with his suspected involvement in two PS3's being stolen from a University of North Carolina Wilmington student. Long mistook the sounds of his own team using a battering ram for gunshots, and opened fire on the unarmed teenager.Long was not charged with a crime, but the Strickland family recently received a small amount of closure on the matter -- a $2.45 million settlement from New Hanover County, and a public apology from Sheriff Sid Causey, who admitted that Long "made a mistake as to the existence of a deadly threat".The Strickland family will put the $2.45 million into a charitable foundation to provide need-based scholarships and other grants. "The Stricklands were not interested in money," said Strickland family representative Joyce Fitzpatrick. "That cannot bring their son back."
The House Containing Some Dead 2 & 3
I didn't see The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return at GDC -- and I looked -- but Gamespot got a hands-on preview of the new release of Sega's light gun classics. Had I been there, I would have asked about the captioning. "Suffer the same way G did?" The audio's the same (from what can be heard on the video) so why the change in captioning? And why just that line?In addition to rewriting Zeal's big line, Sega has added six different crosshair options and online rankings. What hasn't been added, unfortunately, is The Typing of the Dead. How could anyone do this?%Gallery-10506%[Via NeoGAF]
2008's Biggest Blips: Bangai-O Spirits
Developer: Treasure/ESPPublisher: D3Release: Q2 Hello!! It is me, the super sexy M. In the year 2001 we had a Bangai-O shooting game on the Sega Dreamcast. Children Riki and Mami had a very big robot to go fight SF Kozmo Gang! I was in Infostation and sold them many infos to survive. They needed secret help information so they know how to use robot shooting power! We had many great talks together, and our game has a very deep storyline because of it! You should play our game and send money if you like it afterward!Now the Treasure company is making a new Bangai-O shooting excitement game for the Nintendo DS! Can all of the 2D big explosions fit on such a small thing? Only time can tell!! Also it is yet to know if the delightful Mrs. M herself will be returning. If Infostation does not have me, how will players learn the shooting? Failure is very possible. But without knowing if I have a job, I will be nice and offer my very special information for free! You can thank me later!! It is because of the greatness of Bangai-O that I continue.In my Bangai-O big robot had the ability to make extreme explosions based on number of the bullets on screen! It was out of control for sure! New Bangai-O Spirits has gone back to the way of N64, so the player (who is you) now has to charge up! What an exciting change of pace!Back in 2001, Riki and Mami only had two weapons on the Bangai-O robot -- homing shot and bound shot (which bounced). Now so many new weapons are available! You can choose from start and have multiple weapons, including a bat that repels enemies and a sword that absorbs bullets! Then add on EX abilities that you unleash by charging up power and you are an explosion firing machine! Make 50000 credits please! I know I said it was free but this information is too good! I wish I knew about when this game was coming out! It would be super premium information! I have been told that it is Q2, but not exactly known! I will just have to start planning my own levels for when it is out -- oh yes, did I not tell you? Bangai-O Spirits lets the beautiful Mrs. M and even normal kids like you make a level! Do you think you can make a level good enough for our 2D shooting action? [Read the full Dreamcast Bangai-O script here] The Suda pair Back Born free
Simple but effective substitute for Metal Slug 7
Here's the deal: we're still waiting for SNK to pull its finger out and give us a release date for Metal Slug 7. Yes, the game might look the part in motion, but with a release date for Japan not yet announced, it feels some way off.In other words, we could do with a replacement, something to tide us over until SNK's run-'n-gun arrives. We've discussed Simple DS Vol. 31 THE Super Bullet!! Custom Tank previously, and also touched on the similarities it shares with Metal Slug 7 -- the lovably chunky sprites, the relentless blasting, screens packed with explosions.Plus, as much as it might feel a bit "supermarket own-brand" compared to the more renowned SNK game, it holds one vital advantage over its illustrious rival: it's out in Japan in just over a week, on January 31st. It also looks pretty approachable, as Japanese customizable tank games go.If you're still teetering over a purchase -- something that your local friendly importer can help you out with -- roll past the break for another set of new screens.
Grab a single kernel of popcorn: time for a short zombie movie
We can't be too sure of the quality of D3's Simple DS Vol. 32 THE Zombie Crisis. Neither the Simple series nor the stylus-based first-person zombie-shooting genre are hallmarks of high quality. In fact, we'll take that back. We're pretty sure that THE Zombie Crisis isn't very good. Despite the low budget, the limitations of the genre (on DS) and the fact that the zombie crisis happens to coincide with a thick fog that is so pervasive as to have gotten indoors, we actually like what we see here. It's fast-paced and there are a lot of weapons. Not to mention the excellent title screen, which is almost worth the price of purchase by itself. Who cares if the zombies aren't that great graphically? They're not going to be on screen long, if you're playing the game right.
The Trailer of the Dead
We should have better sense than to get all worked up over more ports, but we are so excited about The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. The games look exactly like the arcade versions, with the obvious addition of the targeting reticule; you can choose to take that as arcade accuracy or laziness. Since we're in a good mood and really love the games, we're going to call it the former. Ghost Squad proved that a ported Sega light gun game could be better than most original Wii games, and we are therefore pretty eager for more of that.In addition to a load of unaltered Houses of the Dead, the trailer reveals a set of -- what else? -- training-based minigames; before you set your Wiis on fire in anger, you should know that these are basically smaller challenges based on parts of the games' levels. You're still shooting zombies.[Via GoNintendo]
Light gun game coming to the VC minus light gun
An update to the ESRB's search page has revealed two new upcoming games. Sega's Columns III is hardly a surprise, since it came out in Japan recently on the Virtual Console, and a U.S. version of the game exists. The other choice is somewhat of an oddball: Taito's Operation Wolf. Operation Wolf is a military-themed arcade light gun game that came out on both the NES and the Japanese PC Engine. We're likely to get the NES version, as Hudson's VC releases page does not mention the game. In either case, it won't have actual light gun functionality. This is hardly new for Operation Wolf. The NES version originally included the option for either Zapper or D-pad control, but the PC Engine version did not. The arcade game was also ported to the Taito Legends collection with no gun support. We won't go so far as to say it doesn't matter, but the game is still intense and fun when played by sweeping a crosshair around the screen. It's an unusual choice, but we like unusual choices![Via Siliconera]
Wai Wai Combat: why, why does it look so great
D3 Publisher's official page for Simple Wii Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat has a bunch of new screenshots (and a few old ones) of the party/online shooting game. It kills us that this game looks so incredibly awesome, represents a completely unique implementation of the pick-up-and-play party game idea, has six-player online, and is budget-priced. It kills us because the Simple series is Japan-only, and it is currently extremely difficult to play imports.Whine Whine Complaining aside, the information page also reveals a bit more about D3's "Apian" avatar system, which is really cute and also expandable. Turns out that each Simple game includes certain parts and accessories that you can use to customize your character -- we think across games. Well, that just destroys Miis.
Simple Wii: THE awesome cel-shaded multiplayer shooter
When D3 announced that their popular Simple series would come to the Wii, we expected stuff like mahjongg games and low-budget Wii Sports ripoffs. Instead of (well, in addition to) the normal cheapo kart racers and casino games, D3 seems to actually be putting some thought into the Wii concept. They seem to be focusing the Simple Wii series on multiplayer party games that fall into a variety of categories -- not just "minigames" and "sports-related minigames." The two most interesting Simple Wii games to us are Vol. 4 THE Shooting Action, a multiplayer space shooter, and Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat.Simple Wii Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat is a cute-looking third-person shooter (in the style of Resident Evil 4) with Wiimote aiming and an emphasis on multiplayer. The game can be played by up to four people on one system, or up to six people online. The game looks pretty simplistic, both in terms of its cel-shaded style and its objective (shoot each other). It does feature various multiplayer modes like capture the flag.Simplicity would be very welcome in this genre, to be honest. We dropped out of multiplayer 3D shooting games when we couldn't find anyone to play Doom with over our 14.4k BPS modem.
Church shooter kept away from video games
As has become standard practice now when a kid goes on a killing rampage, it's time to examine the life of Matthew Murray and see if video games had anything to do with the weekend's shootings in Colorado. Murray, who killed four people over the weekend in a couple of church shootings, was apparently not permitted to play video games growing up.The Denver Post reports Murray was rebelling against an upbringing that didn't allow for "rock music, video games and popular DVDs." In online postings Murray said that his mother would give him a "pat down" to check for music, DVDs and video games when he came out of electronic stores. As GamePolitics puts it, "In the final analysis, Murray seems like a very depressed, very angry, very disturbed young man who had access to weapons."
Custom Tank looks incredibly non-budget
Much like D3's other recent Simple series announcement, THE Zombie Panic, we question whether THE Custom Tank actually began its life as a Simple game. It looks like a lavishly-drawn, fully 2D action game -- which, these days, is actually more expensive than 3D. The thing's even got wireless (but not online) multiplayer! That doesn't sound like a super-low-budget game to us.Custom Tank features (duh) customizable tanks, to which you can add parts found in battle. There are 20 varieties of main weapon, 40 subweapons, and 16 different kinds of armor. With that Metal Slug-esque cutesy/gritty visual style, and the customizable weapons, we hope to see more of this game soon. We can start with the gallery of screenshots available at GAME Watch.
Five gifts that are Contra 4
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. All year, we held out vain hope that the American-developed DS Contra sequel wouldn't be terrible. We tried to put our memories of Appaloosa Interactive's two PlayStation failures out of our minds and have faith in WayForward. We did our best to believe that a new 2D Contra had the potential not to be a crushing disappointment. We were rewarded with one of the best games on the DS, and possibly the best game in the Contra series. It's hard to think of a better DS game than Konami's mind-blowingly manly Contra 4. So we didn't try. We've put together this guide to five of the best gifts you can give this holiday season, all of which are Contra 4. While it would most certainly be enough to list Contra 4 five times, we thought we would break it up by listing five different ways to package the gift of Contra.
Bangai-O charges up, launches massive screenshot attack
Bangai-O's seeming rebirth as a puzzle-shooter is fascinating to us. There was always an element of knowing what to shoot first and which weapon to use when, but Treasure and ESP seem to be putting more emphasis on smaller scenarios that require thought, rather than just spamming the 'shoot' button. We never thought that we'd want the most frenetic, insane shooter ever to be a puzzle game, but we trust Treasure and we appreciate the fact that Bangai-O Spirits is not a simple remake. And anyway, look at those screenshots (some new, some old, all wow). It's still insane. And if you don't like the new level designs, the game's got an editor, so you can just make your own game.
Perfect Shot is perfect fodder for hysterical headlines
If, like the Washington Post, you expect hysteria to reign over the Zapper, just wait until the mainstream press catches a glimpse of Nyko's contribution to the ever-growing pile of third-party alternatives.The "Perfect Shot" is the most gun-like shell we've seen to date, a world away from the Zapper's unoffending curves and thoroughly un-gun-like appearance. And we'd bet our very last cent on it provoking outraged bleating from the press (and perhaps even a certain lawyer), who will no doubt make gossamer-thin links between a plastic toy and real-life violence in the process.So, in a Wii Fanboy world exclusive, we're going to beat them to the punch: if you want to train your child to be a cold-blooded, callous killer, you can pick up the Nyko Perfect Shot for just $13 on Amazon from December 24, and raise a murderer.
Dealey Plaza, JFK assassination site, recreated in Second Life
A press release on PRWeb informs us that Dealey Plaza, the scene of the crime for President John F. Kennedy's shooting, has been reconstructed as a virtual environment in Second Life. It was created by Jason Baird of Avatar Promotions in the hopes that people would visit and pose theories to each other as to the reasons for the former president's untimely death, and so that those who aren't able to go to the actual site in person will be able to experience it in some form.But it isn't just the environment itself that has been recreated -- on the anniversary of the shooting, there will be a re-enactment of the assassination. This sounds a bit like one of those interactive history-museum displays. Due to the population limits within the simulation, this event will be invite-only for around 40 people. If anything, it's a novel idea and worth checking out if you already play SL. You can get there by searching for Dealey Plaza Dallas within SL, or from a link on Avatar Promotions' JFK page.
Konami hopping on the ported shooter bandwagon?
It looks like we aren't the only people who have been paying attention to Ghost Squad. Konami has decided to dust off an old arcade light-gun game for the Wii, as well. But rather than pulling one of their own games like Lethal Enforcers out of their back catalogue, they appear to have opted for Raw Thrills's 2004 arcade shooter Target: Terror. That's according to a new Gamefly listing-- which, of course, could be mistaken, or could refer to a completely new shooting game called Target Terror. Target: Terror is a full-motion video shooting game in which, like in Ghost Squad, the player shoots a bunch of terrorists. Unlike Ghost Squad, the game features real-world locations and ... let's say emotionally charged situations, including a scenario in which the player must stop a hijacked plane from crashing into the White House.We hope this turns out to be a different game.[Via Siliconera]
Dolphintastic video of Ghost Squad
We continue to love the unlockable bonus modes in Ghost Squad. The extra dose of craziness elevates the game above "somewhat notable port" status into "Zapper killer app" and "Thing we want to buy" categories. A shooting game in which you squirt water at bikini-clad "terrorists" with a dolphin-shaped water gun, then disarm them of their banana knives, may be all we need in life. You can see all the hilarity in action in this video, including the swan jet skis. But what you may not yet know about Ghost Squad is that it looks really fun for reasons not entirely related to silly swapped items and characters. It features unique gameplay twists, such as segments in which you use the Zapper to simulate knife fighting and hand-to-hand combat. And, of course, the game carries the Sega name, which we think still means something, at least in relation to light gun games. Check after the break for another video without the bonus stuff, to prove that the game looks like loads of fun. This is one port we can definitely live with.[Via Game|Life]
Armed stand-off ends with robot shot, man in hospital
The opening shot of the robot rebellion this isn't, but it's still a reminder of how robots are slowly creeping into situations where humans and their fleshy bodies can't go. A five hour stand-off that began with a man pointing his gun at a neighbor in a mobile home park in North Fort Myers, Florida was ended when the suspect shot a bomb disposal robot sent in by police to video the man. After the encounter -- the man shot out the video camera's lens -- police moved in to "subdue" the man, although it's not clear whether they shot back. The suspect is now in hospital and is being evaluated for mental health problems: apparently he hadn't been taking his medication, and residents say his wife had just left him. The state of the robot is probably something along the lines of "broken."[Via The Raw Feed]
Alberta: Stop playing games, go out and hunt
While you sit around the couch plowing through Halo 3 today, the Canadian province of Alberta would like to remind you that there are other, more worthwhile pursuits than shooting virtual creatures. Like shooting real creatures, for instance!Alberta declared Sept. 22 "Hunting Day" to promote the province's hunting heritage and reverse declining interest in hunting among the populace. That's all well and good, but what got us was Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Ted Morton's assertion, reprinted in a Reuters story, that "hunting is more fun (than video games) and a lot healthier."More fun? While crouching in the bushes covered in mud for hours waiting for that perfect shot to come along might be some people's idea of fun, we haven't seen many people lining up at midnight launch events for new hunting gear. As for health, while hunting might be very beneficial for the hunter, it's decidedly less healthy for the prey being shot.[Via Button Mashing]
