Zero Wing
| Zero Wing | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Toaplan |
| Publisher | Taito , Naxat Soft |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1989 |
| platform | Arcade game , Sega Mega Drive , PC Engine |
| genre | Shoot 'em up |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Gamepad |
| medium | Cartridge , CD-ROM |
| language | Japanese, English |
Zero Wing ( Japanese: ゼ ロ ウ ィ ン グ , Zero Wingu ) is a shoot 'em up published in 1989 by the game manufacturer Toaplan . After being implemented as an arcade game , Toaplan ported it to the Sega Mega Drive in Japan in 1991 and Sega in Europe in 1992. In 1992, another port for the PC Engine (CD-ROM) by Naxat Soft appeared in Japan . The arcade version was distributed in the United States by Williams Electronics Games .
The European version of the Sega Mega Drive port was especially by the poor translation ( Engrish known) of texts whose most tester set the later Internet phenomenon has become All your base are belong to us was.
Backstory
In 2101, the space pirates succeeded in taking control of the eight defense bases of the Federation of the Milky Way. Only the ZIG-01 spaceship, also known as the Zero Wing , remains undamaged. The crew of the Zero Wing is now supposed to drive the space pirates from the eight defense bases and recapture them for the Federation.
Gameplay
The player controls the combat spaceship through the eight side scrolling levels . He tries to shoot down as many of the enemy objects as possible and at the same time avoid collisions and enemy fire by moving the spaceship within the frame. At the end of each level an oversized boss must be defeated.
There are three different weapon systems available to the player, which he can expand in three stages by collecting powerups . The following weapons are available:
- the main weapon is a scatter cannon (red)
- a laser weapon (blue)
- homing guided missiles (green)
Shields and speed power-ups are available as additional power-ups. Furthermore, the ship has a tractor beam , with which enemy ships can be held and used as a large projectile.
By collecting two power-ups of the same weapon, the next higher level is reached. If another weapon is collected, it starts again with the first expansion stage, unless the third expansion stage has already been reached. By collecting two protective shield powerups, all weapons are upgraded to the otherwise unattainable level 4.
After collecting the first power-up, two small satellites appear above and below the ship, which also fire shots. At the same time, opponents can be rammed and destroyed with it. In the event of enemy contact or contact with obstacles, the satellites move closer to the ship and thus simultaneously serve as a protective shield and as a collision warning.
criticism
While early reviews, especially in Europe, were rather negative, mostly criticizing the poor translation, the game was viewed more positively in retrospect. In a review from 2009, Mean Machines Mag positively highlighted the original graphic design, the brilliant soundtrack and the challenging level of difficulty and the associated high replay value .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zero Wing Review ( Memento from August 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) at pixel-heroes.de, accessed on August 14, 2011
- ↑ Zero Wing review - Sega Megadrive at meanmachinesmag.co.uk, accessed October 24, 2011