Assault Heroes
Encyclopedia
Assault Heroes is an arcade-style, top-down shooter
video game
developed by Wanako Studios
. The game has the player driving 4x4 vehicles, piloting speedboats, or proceeding on foot against enemy hordes. Players can play alone or co-operatively, including both online and offline 2-player co-operative modes.
Assault Heroes was originally available as an Xbox Live Arcade
title for 800 Microsoft Points
($10 USD). On March 19, 2008, the price dropped to 400 Microsoft Points when the game joined the Arcade Hits lineup. A Microsoft Windows
retail version was released on October 23, 2007 and the PS3 retail version was added to the PlayStation Network on January 28, 2010 by Konami
.
. Once located (near the end of the game), the goal is to destroy the lab and escape.
), players battle through five progressively more difficult levels. In addition to countless lesser foes, each level generally contains several "bosses
" which must be defeated in order to proceed. Using the left thumbstick to move and the right thumbstick to aim/shoot (when playing on the Xbox 360 & PS3), players dodge enemy fire while inflicting damage upon foes utilizing three primary weapons:
Player vehicles have access to these primary weapons at all times and can switch between them with a button press. Weapons have unlimited ammunition
, although the flamethrower will "cut out" briefly if used without interruption for a period of time. Each weapon can be upgraded (up to three times) by collecting an appropriate power-up
during play, although upgrades are lost if the player is killed.
Vehicle health depletes when damage is taken, but slowly replenishes over time. If a vehicle is destroyed, players are not immediately killed, but are instead thrown from the vehicle and must proceed on foot. While on foot, players are exceptionally frail and have only a small machine gun with which to defend themselves. If a player lacking a vehicle survives for a certain period of time, a new vehicle is automatically delivered and can be immediately boarded. Players can also temporarily leave their vehicle of their own free will, usually to collect power-up
s which are not accessible from within a vehicle.
s and nukes
. Grenades are "thrown" from the current position towards a crosshair, and inflict heavy damage on anything they hit. Nukes (referred to as "smart bombs" in many other titles) explode in an area around the player, causing massive carnage to everything caught within the blast radius.
Additional quantities of both weapon types can be found and collected as power-ups during the game, with grenades being substantially more plentiful than nukes.
At the end of each underground area is an extra life (or "1-up
"), earned for successfully completing the sub-level.
Players can play multiplayer either offline, or online via Xbox Live
or PSN. When playing offline, high scores are not recorded on the leaderboards for either player if one of the players is using a local account.
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
video game
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
developed by Wanako Studios
Wanako Studios
Wanako Studios is a Chilean video game developer wholly owned by Artificial Mind and Movement. It currently develops downloadable games for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation 3's Playstation Network, and the Nintendo Wii...
. The game has the player driving 4x4 vehicles, piloting speedboats, or proceeding on foot against enemy hordes. Players can play alone or co-operatively, including both online and offline 2-player co-operative modes.
Assault Heroes was originally available as an Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
title for 800 Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...
($10 USD). On March 19, 2008, the price dropped to 400 Microsoft Points when the game joined the Arcade Hits lineup. A Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
retail version was released on October 23, 2007 and the PS3 retail version was added to the PlayStation Network on January 28, 2010 by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
.
Story
Originally designed as an Xbox Live Arcade title, Assault Heroes features only minimal story elements. According to the game, the player controls "the last surviving member of an elite forces unit" searching for a secret enemy laboratoryLaboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
. Once located (near the end of the game), the goal is to destroy the lab and escape.
Gameplay
Over the course of the game (which is very similar to the 1987 arcade game "Time Soldiers"Time Soldiers
Time Soldiers, known in Japan as , is a top-viewed run and gun video arcade game developed by Alpha Denshi, and published by SNK, while later distributed outside of Japan by Romstar. A Sega Master System version was also produced.-Gameplay:...
), players battle through five progressively more difficult levels. In addition to countless lesser foes, each level generally contains several "bosses
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
" which must be defeated in order to proceed. Using the left thumbstick to move and the right thumbstick to aim/shoot (when playing on the Xbox 360 & PS3), players dodge enemy fire while inflicting damage upon foes utilizing three primary weapons:
- MinigunMinigunThe Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
- A traditional machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
with a high rate of fire. - Flak cannon - A cannon that, while slow, can produce devastating results.
- FlamethrowerFlamethrowerA flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
- A short-ranged weapon that continuously spews flame.
Player vehicles have access to these primary weapons at all times and can switch between them with a button press. Weapons have unlimited ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, although the flamethrower will "cut out" briefly if used without interruption for a period of time. Each weapon can be upgraded (up to three times) by collecting an appropriate power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
during play, although upgrades are lost if the player is killed.
Vehicle health depletes when damage is taken, but slowly replenishes over time. If a vehicle is destroyed, players are not immediately killed, but are instead thrown from the vehicle and must proceed on foot. While on foot, players are exceptionally frail and have only a small machine gun with which to defend themselves. If a player lacking a vehicle survives for a certain period of time, a new vehicle is automatically delivered and can be immediately boarded. Players can also temporarily leave their vehicle of their own free will, usually to collect power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s which are not accessible from within a vehicle.
Special weapons
In addition to the standard weapons which vehicles are equipped with, players also have access to a limited number of grenadeGrenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s and nukes
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
. Grenades are "thrown" from the current position towards a crosshair, and inflict heavy damage on anything they hit. Nukes (referred to as "smart bombs" in many other titles) explode in an area around the player, causing massive carnage to everything caught within the blast radius.
Additional quantities of both weapon types can be found and collected as power-ups during the game, with grenades being substantially more plentiful than nukes.
Bonus areas
Each level features a single underground bonus area. These are accessed by entering a specially-marked structure, which then transports the player(s) into an underground bunker. While underground, players are always on foot, and hence are easily killed. However, if players do die during these bonus sections, no life is actually lost; instead, players are immediately returned to the main (above ground) level and continue as before.At the end of each underground area is an extra life (or "1-up
1-up
1-up , pronounced "one up", is a term in console video gaming that commonly refers to an item that gives the player an extra life, to complete the game. In certain games, it is possible to receive multiple extra lives at once...
"), earned for successfully completing the sub-level.
Multiplayer play
When playing with two players, both players share the same screen and work co-operatively to destroy enemy forces. Players cannot harm each other directly, although they can scroll (or refuse to scroll) the screen in a manner which can be problematic for the other player. The game does not increase or otherwise change the quantity and difficulty level of enemy forces based on the presence of a second player. As a result, having a second player can make gameplay somewhat easier.Players can play multiplayer either offline, or online via Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
or PSN. When playing offline, high scores are not recorded on the leaderboards for either player if one of the players is using a local account.