Gunbird
Encyclopedia
Gunbird retitled Mobile Light Force for the European
and U.S.
PlayStation
releases, is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up
released in 1994
by Japanese
company Psikyo
. It was followed by a sequel, Gunbird 2
, in 1998
.
-styled character as the player's chosen craft. A story plays out in between levels and before boss
fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of a magic mirror to make a wish.
Marion and Valnus also appear as selectable characters in the sequel, though Valnus is renamed Valpiro.
flies around the screen and disappears as soon as it reaches the edge. If a player is at the lowest level of shot, the player loses a bomb instead.
There are seven stages in each of the game's two loops. The first four stages are randomly chosen from possible five. In the second loop enemies fire denser bullet patterns moving at faster speeds. Stage 2-1 takes place at the only stage not available in first loop, instead of the 1-1 counterpart. The remaining three stages are chosen in random, but does not include the replaced stage. After completing first loop with only one player, player can choose one of two choices for a wish with magic potion, with unique ending for each choice. If first loop is completed with two players, a combination-specific ending is played.
The cutscenes between the battles with two players fighting cooperatively are frequently packed with hilarious dialogue and situations. This is often a recurring theme with Psikyo games, the Gunbird games being no exception. There are no cutscenes when playing second loop stages. The Korea
n arcade version contains English dialog but some sound samples are missing during play.
employees. The game featured a Charlie's Angels
-style cover picture, completely unrelated to the original characters or the game's theme. The fan art gallery was also removed from the game, although the directories are still intact on the disc if inserted into a PC
.
version of the game was based on arcade version, and included the sequel, Gunbird 2
.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
releases, is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up
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...
released in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
company Psikyo
Psikyo
is a Japanese video game company started in 1992. Psikyo is an off-shoot formed from the staff that created the Aero Fighters series for Video System. Psikyo focused on arcade games, mostly vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups and pornographic mahjong games...
. It was followed by a sequel, Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2 is a 2D scrolling shooter, sequel to the original Gunbird game.-Story: Through gameplay cutscenes it appears that the zany, uproarious humor is considerably increased since the original Gunbird...
, in 1998
1998 in video gaming
-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
.
Story
Gunbird uses animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-styled character as the player's chosen craft. A story plays out in between levels and before boss
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...
fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of a magic mirror to make a wish.
Characters
- Ash (アッシュ): A 28-year old GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
man with a jet packJet packJet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
on his back, who in some of the scenes between battles is discovered to be a pedophile, and when two players choose Marion and Ash as cooperative partners, he takes an unhealthy interest in her. - Marion (マリオン): A cute 13-year old witch from EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who flies on a broomstick. She is accompanied by her talking pet rabbit, Pom-Pom, and frequently abuses the poor creature verbally and physically. Marion is fun-loving and thrill-seeking but also selfish, and has a mean streak (which Pom-Pom is often witness to). - Valnus (バルナス): A big robot created in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
six months ago that has some of the best firepower in the game. Secretly wishes to be human. - Yuan Nang (ヤンニャン): A strong-willed and courageous woman whose character design is highly influenced by that of Sun WukongSun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
from the ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
classical story Journey to the WestJourney to the WestJourney to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
, including a cloud-somersault parody, Ruyi Jingu Bang, and the size-changing headband that was used by the monk XuánzàngXuanzang (fictional character)The fictional character Xuanzang is a central character of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.For most of the novel he is known as Táng-sānzàng, the title Sānzàng referring to his mission to seek the Sānzàngjīng, the "Three Collections of Scriptures"...
. - Tetsu (鉄): A strong, white-haired old man of 60 years. He is homosexual in a rather uncloseted manner and even calls himself a "faggotFaggotFaggot, fagot, faggots, or faggoting may refer to:* faggot or fagot, branch or twig, or bundle of these** Fasces** Faggot , archaic unit of measurement for bundles of sticks...
".
Marion and Valnus also appear as selectable characters in the sequel, though Valnus is renamed Valpiro.
Gameplay
When a player collides with the body of an enemy unit, the player loses a shot power level, and a power upPower up
Power up may refer to:* Power-up, a video gaming term* Power Up, an American non-profit organization* Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, a 2005 book by Chris Kohler...
flies around the screen and disappears as soon as it reaches the edge. If a player is at the lowest level of shot, the player loses a bomb instead.
There are seven stages in each of the game's two loops. The first four stages are randomly chosen from possible five. In the second loop enemies fire denser bullet patterns moving at faster speeds. Stage 2-1 takes place at the only stage not available in first loop, instead of the 1-1 counterpart. The remaining three stages are chosen in random, but does not include the replaced stage. After completing first loop with only one player, player can choose one of two choices for a wish with magic potion, with unique ending for each choice. If first loop is completed with two players, a combination-specific ending is played.
The cutscenes between the battles with two players fighting cooperatively are frequently packed with hilarious dialogue and situations. This is often a recurring theme with Psikyo games, the Gunbird games being no exception. There are no cutscenes when playing second loop stages. The Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n arcade version contains English dialog but some sound samples are missing during play.
Differences in Mobile Light Force
All in-game plot, including the game's ending, was removed and character names were changed to those of XS GamesXS Games
XS Games, LLC is a New York-based publisher of budget-priced video games, operating in North America and Europe. They are exclusively distributed by Take 2 Interactive and Jack of All Games in the U.S.-Sony Playstation games:*Jigsaw Madness...
employees. The game featured a Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
-style cover picture, completely unrelated to the original characters or the game's theme. The fan art gallery was also removed from the game, although the directories are still intact on the disc if inserted into a PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
PlayStation 2 version
The PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of the game was based on arcade version, and included the sequel, Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2 is a 2D scrolling shooter, sequel to the original Gunbird game.-Story: Through gameplay cutscenes it appears that the zany, uproarious humor is considerably increased since the original Gunbird...
.