Side Arms Hyper Dyne
Encyclopedia
, also known as Side Arms: Hyper Dyne, is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up originally released by Capcom
as a coin-operated video game
in The game was also released to the TurboGrafx-16
, as well as to various home computer platforms. In Side Arms the player takes control of a flying mecha
suit who must battle an alien army. Side Arms uses a two-directional attacking system similarly to Capcom's previous shoot-'em-up Section Z
.
: one is shaped like the "Yashichi" and allows the player to fire continuously with either firing button held down; while the other, which is shaped like the "Sakichi", allows the player to shoot upwards, downwards and forwards at the same time, but at a slower rate than the regular shot.
In addition to the standard power-ups, there are two special combination power-ups shaped like the Greek
letters α
and β
that will combine the player's Mobilsuit with an ally. This allows the player to do an eight-directional attack at the same time as their regular attack. When two players are playing this power-up will combine both players' suits instead. One player will move the combined suit and perform the regular attack, while the other will provide the eight-directional attack. If the combined suit gets shot by an enemy soldiers, it will revert both ships into their regular separate states.
on July 14, 1989 in Japan by NEC Avenue. This port was published in North America
during the same year by Radiance Software. This version differs from the arcade game in which it allowed player to change weapons through a sub-menu while pausing the game. However, the TG-16 version lacks the 2-player feature from the arcade game. A TurboGrafx-CD version titled Side Arms Special was released on December 15, 1989 exclusively in Japan. This version featured an arranged version of the original soundtrack composed by Alph Lyla
. In addition to the standard game mode from the TurboChip version, the CD version also features a "Before Christ" game mode that changes the game's rules completely. In BC Mode, the player can only change their weapon upon picking a power-up, only Combination Alpha is available, and the Mega Bazooka Launcher can only be used by holding down either fire button to fill the Laser gauge below the screen and launch it.
Home computer versions of Side Arms were also released in Europe
for the ZX Spectrum
, Amstrad CPC
, Amiga
, Commodore 64
, and Atari ST
, which were published by Go! and developed by Probe Software.
The original coin-op version of Side Arms is included in Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed
for PlayStation Portable
and Capcom Classics Collection: Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2
and Xbox
.
" version of the player's Mobilsuit, called "Mobichan", appears in the game as a power-up item that gives the player an extra life. Mobichan has appeared in many console games released by Capcom during the early 1990s as a mode select cursor such as in the Super NES version of the original Street Fighter II
. The arcade game Warriors of Fate
features a hidden ending sequence for completing the game on one credit which shows Mobichan and its Player 2 counterpart fighting against each other dressed Ryu
and Ken
and using their special techniques against each other.
In Namco X Capcom
, the two nameless soldiers from Forgotten Worlds
are accompanied by the Mobilsuits from Side Arms, who are named Side Arm α and Side Arm β in the game.
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
as a coin-operated video 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...
in The game was also released to the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
, as well as to various home computer platforms. In Side Arms the player takes control of a flying mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
suit who must battle an alien army. Side Arms uses a two-directional attacking system similarly to Capcom's previous shoot-'em-up Section Z
Section Z
is a side-view shoot-'em-up by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated video game in . A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in . The original coin-op game is included in Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
.
Plot
An evil alien empire known as the Bozon are launching a full-scale attack on Earth. As either Lt. Henry or Sgt. Sanders, the player must pilot a giant space mecha known as a "Mobilsuit" to defeat the aliens. Up to two players can play simultaneously.Gameplay
The controls of an eight-way joystick for moving the Mobilsuit and three action buttons. Side Arms uses two shooting button, one for shooting to the left and other to the right. The third button is used to change between the weapons acquired by the player. There are five types of power-ups that can be acquired by the player: a speed upgrade, an orbital bit that will provide additional firepower with the standard gun, a shotgun with shoots in a fan-shaped range, a 3-wayshooter, and a mega bazooka launcher that fires a laser beam. The player can choose what power-up their mecha will receive by shooting the power-up icon until getting the item they want. All of the weapons, as well as the mecha's speed, can be upgraded up to two or even three levels depending on the item. There's also a speed downgrade that will reduce the Mobilsuits speed by one level. There also two "Auto" power-ups as well shaped like the enemy characters from VulgusVulgus
is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and published by Capcom in Japan in 1984, and was later released in North America by SNK the same year. The word "Vulgus" comes fom Latin and means "common people", people of lower layers of society. The game has the distinction of being Capcom's debut...
: one is shaped like the "Yashichi" and allows the player to fire continuously with either firing button held down; while the other, which is shaped like the "Sakichi", allows the player to shoot upwards, downwards and forwards at the same time, but at a slower rate than the regular shot.
In addition to the standard power-ups, there are two special combination power-ups shaped like the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
letters α
Alpha (letter)
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
and β
Beta (letter)
Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiodental fricative ....
that will combine the player's Mobilsuit with an ally. This allows the player to do an eight-directional attack at the same time as their regular attack. When two players are playing this power-up will combine both players' suits instead. One player will move the combined suit and perform the regular attack, while the other will provide the eight-directional attack. If the combined suit gets shot by an enemy soldiers, it will revert both ships into their regular separate states.
Home versions
Side Arms was released for the TurboGrafx-16TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
on July 14, 1989 in Japan by NEC Avenue. This port was published in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
during the same year by Radiance Software. This version differs from the arcade game in which it allowed player to change weapons through a sub-menu while pausing the game. However, the TG-16 version lacks the 2-player feature from the arcade game. A TurboGrafx-CD version titled Side Arms Special was released on December 15, 1989 exclusively in Japan. This version featured an arranged version of the original soundtrack composed by Alph Lyla
Alph Lyla
Alph Lyla , also known as Alfh Lyra or Alpha Lyla, is Capcom's "house band" composed of Capcom developers. Their best known work is most likely the soundtrack of the popular fighting-game Street Fighter II....
. In addition to the standard game mode from the TurboChip version, the CD version also features a "Before Christ" game mode that changes the game's rules completely. In BC Mode, the player can only change their weapon upon picking a power-up, only Combination Alpha is available, and the Mega Bazooka Launcher can only be used by holding down either fire button to fill the Laser gauge below the screen and launch it.
Home computer versions of Side Arms were also released in Europe
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...
for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, which were published by Go! and developed by Probe Software.
The original coin-op version of Side Arms is included in Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed
Capcom Classics Collection
Capcom Classics Collection is a compilation of arcade games released by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 27, 2005. It was developed by Digital Eclipse Software . A second volume, Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
for PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Capcom Classics Collection: Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 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...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
.
Appearances in other games
A "chibiChibi
is a Japanese slang word meaning "short person" or "small child". The word has gained currency amongst fans of manga and anime. Its meaning is of someone or some animal that is small. It can be translated as "little", but is not used the same way as chiisana [小さな] but rather cute...
" version of the player's Mobilsuit, called "Mobichan", appears in the game as a power-up item that gives the player an extra life. Mobichan has appeared in many console games released by Capcom during the early 1990s as a mode select cursor such as in the Super NES version of the original Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
. The arcade game Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up produced by Capcom first released as a coin-operated arcade game in...
features a hidden ending sequence for completing the game on one credit which shows Mobichan and its Player 2 counterpart fighting against each other dressed Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
and Ken
Ken Masters
, originally spelled in Japanese as , is a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu...
and using their special techniques against each other.
In Namco X Capcom
Namco x Capcom
is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.- Storyline :...
, the two nameless soldiers from Forgotten Worlds
Forgotten Worlds
Forgotten Worlds, originally titled in Japan, is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up game by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated video game in...
are accompanied by the Mobilsuits from Side Arms, who are named Side Arm α and Side Arm β in the game.
External links
- Side Arms Strategy Guide (TurboGrafx-16) and Advertisement (circa 1990) at TurboPlayTurboPlayTurboPlay Magazine was a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine published by L.F.P. from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. It was available via subscription only . A total of 14 issues were released, on schedule...
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