Shock Troopers

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Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) Saurus
DotEmu (PC)
Publisher(s)
SNK
Director(s) Yasushi Okahara
Producer(s) Nobuyuki Tanaka
Designer(s) Kenji Ishimoto
Programmer(s) Daiyoshi Sato
Takashi Shishido
Yosuke Takasaki
Artist(s) Hideo Akimoto
Kaori Ito
Masato Miyoshi
Composer(s) Masahiko Hataya
Masaki Kase
SeriesShock Troopers
Platform(s)
Release
  • Arcade
    • WW: 11 November 1997
    PC
    • WW: 8 December 2015
Genre(s) Run and gun
Mode(s)
Arcade system Neo Geo MVS

Shock Troopers [lower-alpha 1] is a run and gun arcade game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1997 for the Neo-Geo arcade and home platform. Gameplay involves taking command of one or three soldiers in an eight-way shooter. A second game in the series, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad , followed up in 1998.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot. NEOGEO Shock Troopers.png
Gameplay screenshot.

At the beginning of each session, players choose whether to go through the game in one of two modes, "Lonely Wolf" or "Team Battle". In "Lonely Wolf", one character is controlled throughout the game, while "Team Battle" allows selecting a band of three soldiers through their missions, switching between them on-the-fly. Choosing to go it alone gives a higher starting life total, while proceeding as a team will give a wider variety of special weapons as well as a higher starting total (ten for each of the three characters instead of twenty for one).

At the beginning of the game, there is also a choice to travel through the Mountain, Jungle, or Valley route. Halfway through the game, a different route can optionally be chosen otherwise stay on the current path. Characters and paths chosen determine how much life bonus is received at the beginning of each level. Each stage is interspersed with boss battles (both in the middle and at the end of each stage). Until the very end, battling the enemy commander atop an aircraft.

Each character has their own virtues over other selections. Some might start with higher life totals, while others could move faster. Regardless of choice, the soldiers each possess a unique special weapon or "bomb", which varies in distance and range. Controls consist of an eight-way joystick and four buttons. Players move in eight directions with the joystick and fire, do evasive maneuvers, use their special weapon, and switch characters with the A, B, C, and D buttons, respectively.

Players must progress through seven levels, each ending in a boss fight. The weapons can be fired in all eight directions, but holding down the fire button allows strafing. Attacking within close range of an enemy will yield items, including point bonuses, weapon power-ups, and life. Enemy fire can be avoided with the dodge button. In "Team Battle" mode, the three selected soldiers can be cycled to utilize the traits and special weapons of each.

Plot

The Bloody Scorpions terrorist group have kidnapped scientist George Diamond and his granddaughter Cecilia Diamond in order to gain the powerful drug, Alpha-301, which converts normal people into superhuman soldiers. A special team composed of eight soldiers from different countries must fight through their ranks in order to get to their leader and save the scientist's granddaughter and the world. (The sequel, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad , has a completely unrelated story and different characters.)

Ports and re-releases

Shock Troopers was included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 , a video game compilation for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.

SNK Playmore released ports for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable developed by M2 on August 25, 2011 on PlayStation Network via NEOGEO Station. [1]

D4 Enterprise developed and published a port for the Virtual Console for Wii, which was released in Japan on May 22, 2012; [2] in North America on October 25, 2012; [3] and in Europe on November 8, 2012. [4]

A port developed by DotEmu for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and asm.js was released by SNK Playmore as part of the Humble NEOGEO 25th Anniversary Bundle on December 8, 2015. [5] It was released on Steam on May 18, 2016 and on GOG.com on May 30, 2017. [6] [7]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Shock Troopers on their December 15, 1998 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful arcade game of the month. [8]

The game was very well received. Classic Game Room described Shock Troopers for the PlayStation 3 as an "amazing" shooter with "fantastic" gameplay, controls, and the best game of 2011, despite being just a re-release. [9] Nintendo Life's Corbie Dillard scored the Virtual Console release a 7/10 and opined it "succeeds in offering up an intense and explosive run-and-gun experience." [10] Digitally Downloaded reviewer awarded it four-and-half stars out of five, stating: "If you’ve never played a run-n’-gun shooter before, Shock Troopers should be one of your top contenders, regardless of your skill level." [11] According to Hardcore Gaming 101, unlike the version included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 , the VC version "runs almost perfectly." The website especially hailed the game's "fantastic presentation that ranks among the best in the genre." [12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ショックトルーパーズ, Hepburn: Shokku Torūpāzu

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References

  1. ↑ Fletcher, JC (10 August 2011). "Don't Be Alarmed: SNK's Shock Troopers is Coming to PS3 and PSP". Engadget . Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  2. ↑ van Duyn, Marcel (2 May 2012). "Japanese Virtual Console List: May 2012". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (25 October 2012). "Nintendo Download: 25th October 2012 (North America)". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  4. ↑ "Nintendo Download: le uscite dell'8 Novembre". Everyeye.it (in Italian). 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Loona (8 December 2015). "Humble NeoGeo 25th Anniversary Bundle". Dream Cancel. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Couture, Joel (19 May 2016). "Shock Troopers, The 1997 Neo Geo Top-Down Shooter, Out On Steam". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Release: 15 SNK NEO・GEO Classics". GOG.com . CD Projekt. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 578. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1998. p. 21.
  9. ↑ "Classic Game Room - SHOCK TROOPERS Playstation 3 review". YouTube. 2011-09-20. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  10. ↑ Dillard, Corbie (2012-11-01). "Shock Troopers Review - Neo Geo". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  11. ↑ "Retro Review: Shock Troopers (PSN/PSP)". Digitally Downloaded. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  12. ↑ "Shock Troopers". Hardcore Gaming 101. 2007-09-18. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
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