Ghost Squad
Encyclopedia
Ghost Squad and Ghost Squad: Evolution are light gun
rail shooter arcade game
developed and published by Sega. A home version of the original Ghost Squad was developed for Nintendo
's Wii
game console
.
, a stock, force-feedback recoil, and iron sights
. To ensure that the light gun fires accurately, a 20-second "calibration" mode is provided in which the game adjusts for any jostling or damage to the rifle's light-emitting components.
Ghost Squad features different weapons, each with its firing and reload properties (i.e. long shot splash, long reload time) which affect its difficulty of use. Ghost Squad features three semi non-linear levels with adjustable difficulty and branching choices, ranging from the jungle, a government-restricted villa, and inside an Air Force One
flight. There are many sub-activities in the game, such as defusing bombs and throwing grenades to disable armor, which are accomplished via the secondary "Action" trigger on the gun's foregrip
.
In Ghost Squad: Evolution the player is a member of Alpha Unit, or members of the “Ghost Squad”, an unofficial unit of the anti-terrorist group, Multi-Operation-Program (M.O.P.). Non-playable characters
include fellow M.O.P. members consisting of the Commander, who provides radio backup and pertinent advice to the player. Along with the Bravo and Charlie Unit who assist the player in suppressing the terrorist threat.
The rifle can be set from single shot, to 3 burst shot to automatic fire. As well as a special effects to suit the situation Night Vision, Flash Light for the mounted gun, and scope for sniper rifle. The gun also features an action button which is used to pull off special moves like hand to hand combat. As well as recoil effects on every shot fired.
Each mission contains multiple routes for the player to choose. Special events occur throughout the game depending on the route chosen, such as securing hostages, bomb removal, or providing friendly cover fire. The game is broken into 3 missions with 16 total levels. All 16 can be selected from the beginning. There are 14 costumes available for character customization, however, the costumes have no direct effect on damage, score or any other game content. There are 25 different weapon types, including: machine-gun, shotgun, handgun, rifle classes, and additional weapons.
Ghost Squad takes advantage of the Wii Remote
's pointer functionality, the nunchuk, and the Wii Zapper giving players controller flexibility. In addition, the game features a pointer calibration mode, enabling players to use line-of-sight aiming and fire precisely where the Wii Remote is pointed. The player has the option to turn off the on-screen pointer for more points.
Exclusive to the Wii
conversion of the game are four-player support, and an online high score leaderboard support via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
.
Most Ghost Squad cabinets in the United States do not have card slots. However, players have immediate access to four costumes, four guns, and the first four mission levels.
. IGN gave it a 7.5, remarking that "most of what made Ghost Squad fun in the arcades is still retained though, as there's a huge emphasis on weapon management and mid-level missions".
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
rail shooter arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and published by Sega. A home version of the original Ghost Squad was developed for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
.
Ghost Squad (Arcade)
Sega released Ghost Squad for the arcade in 2004. Ghost Squad features a simulated IR light gun shaped similar to the standard issue weapon the game's protagonists use. This light gun is intended to function realistically: it features a working fire selector switchSelective fire
A selective fire firearm has at least one semi–automatic and one automatic mode, which is activated by means of a selector which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective fire weapons utilize burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum or total number of shots fired automatically in...
, a stock, force-feedback recoil, and iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
. To ensure that the light gun fires accurately, a 20-second "calibration" mode is provided in which the game adjusts for any jostling or damage to the rifle's light-emitting components.
Ghost Squad features different weapons, each with its firing and reload properties (i.e. long shot splash, long reload time) which affect its difficulty of use. Ghost Squad features three semi non-linear levels with adjustable difficulty and branching choices, ranging from the jungle, a government-restricted villa, and inside an Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
flight. There are many sub-activities in the game, such as defusing bombs and throwing grenades to disable armor, which are accomplished via the secondary "Action" trigger on the gun's foregrip
Foregrip
A foregrip is the grip on the front of a firearm that helps to control the gun, and prevent burns from the barrel during firing. A vertical foregrip can also allow for easier horizontal movement of the firearm, as it creates a firmer grasping point than conventional hand guards. Some firearms...
.
Ghost Squad: Evolution (Arcade)
Ghost Squad Evolution is the arcade followup to the original Ghost Squad. It was developed and published by Sega and released in 2007.In Ghost Squad: Evolution the player is a member of Alpha Unit, or members of the “Ghost Squad”, an unofficial unit of the anti-terrorist group, Multi-Operation-Program (M.O.P.). Non-playable characters
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
include fellow M.O.P. members consisting of the Commander, who provides radio backup and pertinent advice to the player. Along with the Bravo and Charlie Unit who assist the player in suppressing the terrorist threat.
The rifle can be set from single shot, to 3 burst shot to automatic fire. As well as a special effects to suit the situation Night Vision, Flash Light for the mounted gun, and scope for sniper rifle. The gun also features an action button which is used to pull off special moves like hand to hand combat. As well as recoil effects on every shot fired.
Each mission contains multiple routes for the player to choose. Special events occur throughout the game depending on the route chosen, such as securing hostages, bomb removal, or providing friendly cover fire. The game is broken into 3 missions with 16 total levels. All 16 can be selected from the beginning. There are 14 costumes available for character customization, however, the costumes have no direct effect on damage, score or any other game content. There are 25 different weapon types, including: machine-gun, shotgun, handgun, rifle classes, and additional weapons.
Ghost Squad (Wii)
Sega published the Polygon Magic developed Wii port of Ghost Squad in Japan on October 25, 2007, and in the U.S. on November 20, 2007. It uses the Wii Zapper as a multi-purpose tool to allow players easy control of targeting enemies, defusing bombs, and detaining hostages.Ghost Squad takes advantage of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
's pointer functionality, the nunchuk, and the Wii Zapper giving players controller flexibility. In addition, the game features a pointer calibration mode, enabling players to use line-of-sight aiming and fire precisely where the Wii Remote is pointed. The player has the option to turn off the on-screen pointer for more points.
Exclusive to the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
conversion of the game are four-player support, and an online high score leaderboard support via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
.
Arcade Version Data Features
The arcade version of Ghost Squad use "IC Cards" to save the players customized character data, score, and provide the player with experience points, new outfits, new weapons, and increased rank. The card is available for players to purchase at some arcades. The card allows the player a maximum of 100 game and sixteen levels of difficulty. After 100 games the card must be recharged by purchasing a new card. The game also utilizes an internet ranking system, that is accessed when using a password provided by the game.Most Ghost Squad cabinets in the United States do not have card slots. However, players have immediate access to four costumes, four guns, and the first four mission levels.
Reception
Ghost Squad for the Wii received a metascore of 69 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. IGN gave it a 7.5, remarking that "most of what made Ghost Squad fun in the arcades is still retained though, as there's a huge emphasis on weapon management and mid-level missions".
In popular culture
The arcade version of the game was shown in an episode of season one of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations where he and No Reservations co-worker Nari travel to Korea where Nari takes him an arcade while exploring Korea's nightlife with Bourdain commenting that it's his favorite game.See also
- The House of the Dead 2 & 3 ReturnThe House of the Dead 2 & 3 ReturnThe House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a compilation and re-release of The House of the Dead 2 and III for Wii. It is compatible with the Wii Zapper peripheral.-Gameplay:...