Gameplay screenshot showing Steve on the game's third level
The game, which is set in a fanciful version of the American Old West, revolves around four bounty hunters named Steve, Billy Cool, Bob, and Cormano Wild, who are out to claim rewards offered for eliminating the most wanted outlaws in the West. At the beginning of each stage, the players are shown a wanted poster for the outlaw they will face at its end.
Sunset Riders has gameplay that is similar to both Contra and Vendetta. This cooperative shooter can also be played up to two or four players simultaneously, depending on the version of the game. In the two-player version each player can choose which of the four bounty hunters to play as at the start of the game, while in the four-player version each character is assigned to a different control panel. Steve and Billy wield revolvers, Bob carries a rifle, and Cormano uses a double barrel shotgun. The controls consist of an eight-way joystick for moving and aiming, and two buttons for shooting and jumping. The player(s) can jump between higher/lower floors and slide to avoid enemy attacks.[1]
The objective of the game is to defeat a gang of outlaws in eight stages, with a fight against a strong boss character at the end of each. When two or more people are playing, the one who deals the most damage to a stage boss receives the entire bonus for defeating him. Five of the stages are played on foot, two on horseback, and one on a moving train. A bonus minigame is played after the second and fifth stages, in which the player(s) can earn additional points by shooting outlaws as they pop up. After all eight stages are cleared, the game restarts with increased difficulty.
Power-ups and bonus items can be obtained by entering doorways, defeating certain sack-carrying bandits, or opening sacks placed on the ground. Two power-ups are available, a gold sheriff's badge that grants fully automatic fire and a silver one that gives the player a second gun. Both power-ups can be equipped at once. Other weapons that can be used by the player include dynamite carried by female bandits (which must be thrown back before it explodes), hanging rocks/barrels/torches that can be dropped on enemies, and mounted Gatling guns available only in the last stage. An easter egg involves the defeat of the boss in the fifth stage; if Cormano is active at this point, he will catch the boss's sombrero and wear it for the remainder of the game.
One life is lost whenever the player is hit by any enemy attack, trampled by bulls, caught in a fire or explosion, or struck by a rock or obstacle. Any power-ups that a player has gained are also lost. After all lives are lost, the player may continue the game by inserting more credits, but has a limited amount of time to do so before the game defaults to a game over screen.
Characters
There are four playable bounty hunters in the game who are out to claim rewards offered for eliminating the most wanted outlaws in the West:
Steve is a bounty hunter who also wields revolvers similar to Billy's, though his bullets appear to be more powerful than Billy's own bullets.
Billy is a bounty hunter who wields a revolver and speaks in a western country accent.
Bob is a bounty hunter who wields a rifle who speaks in a southern American accent.
Cormano is a bounty hunter who wears a Mexican poncho and a sombrero and wields a shotgun that fires a wide spread of bullets. He later wears a red sombrero worn by El Greco after he neutralizes him.
Wanted Outlaws
The outlaws are the recurring bosses of the game as Richard Rose is the final boss at the end of the game.
Simon Greedwell is a rich and greedy outlaw who is the boss of the first stage. He wields a shotgun while ordering his men to deal with the bounty hunters. His last words on death are "Bury me with my money."
Hawkeye Hank Hatfield is a rich outlaw who is known to shoot a gun in one hand and the boss of the second stage. Despite his efforts to kill the bounty hunters, he was neutralized.
Dark Horse is a muscular outlaw who rides an armored horse. He is the boss of the third stage. Once he is neutralized by the bounty hunters, the armored horse runs away along with his corpse.
The Smith Brothers are siblings and outlaws who cause trouble inside a saloon owned by a beautiful woman. They are the bosses of the fourth stage, fought immediately after Dark Horse. After the bounty hunters neutralize the brothers, they watch the can-can performance of three beautiful women on stage, who then inform the bounty hunters about Richard Rose and his three henchmen.
El Greco is one of Richard Rose's henchmen and a Mexican outlaw serving as the boss of the fifth stage. He carries a shield to deflect shots and a whip. Once he is neutralized by the bounty hunters, El Greco tosses away his red Mexican sombrero. If Cormano is being played, he will catch the hat and wear it in place of his own for the rest of the game.
Chief Scalpem, also known as Wigwam in the SNES version due to censorship issues, is a chief from the native American tribe, an expert in knife throwing and one of Richard Rose's henchmen, serving as the boss of the sixth stage. Despite his efforts to defeat the bounty hunters, he was neutralized but was soon spared by the bounty hunters due to his younger sister's plea knowing he was following Richard's orders. In the Sega Genesis version, Scalpem serves as the boss of the third stage.
Paco Loco is a hulking outlaw who wields a gatling gun, and is one of Richard Rose's henchmen, serving as the boss in the seventh stage. Once he is neutralized by the bounty hunters, his last words are Hasta la Bye Bye! referencing the T-800's main catchphrase in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In the Sega Genesis version, Paco Loco serves as the boss of the second stage.
Sir Richard Rose is a rich and elegant outlaw, and the main villain of the series, serving as the final boss of the game. He is an expert gunslinger, using his revolver in one hand, and demonstrating his agility at a fast pace. Upon his first "death" he reveals he is using a metal plate to cover his chest and avoid injury. After the second phase, he is finally neutralized by the bounty hunters, symbolized by a graphic showing a single rose being destroyed (not shown in the SNES version). In the Sega Genesis version, he serves as the boss in the fourth and final stage.
Release
Sunset Riders arcade PCB
In Japan, the arcade game was first published on July 9, 1991.[2]Sunset Riders made its North American debut at the September 1991 Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in Las Vegas.[3]Sunset Riders was then released for arcades internationally in October 1991.[4] Two years later, the arcade version was reprogrammed to two home consoles. The home versions were only released in North America and Europe.
Sega Genesis
The Mega Drive/Genesis version of Sunset Riders features the most changes made to the game between the two home versions of the game. Out of the four main characters from the arcade game, only Billy and Cormano are featured. The two characters in the Genesis version were given surnames that they originally did not have in the arcade version (Billy Cool and Cormano Wild).[5][6] The controls are identical to the arcade version aside from the addition of two shooting buttons instead of just one: one button allows the player to walk and shoot at the same time, while the other shoot button keeps the character still when pressed down, allowing the player to change their aim only.[7]
Only four of the eight bosses from the arcade version are featured (Simon Greedwell, Paco Loco, Chief Scaplem, and Sir Richard Rose), and each of the four chapters are divided into two stages. Each boss dialogue is worded in a text bubble instead of voiced. The power-up icons have also been replaced as well. Unlike the other versions, the player can cause a dynamite stick to explode by shooting it. To access the bonus stages, the player must collect a Star-shaped item located in either stage of each chapter. The bonus stages also differ from the ones in the arcade version: the player chases after a moving wagon on horseback, while the woman in the wagon tosses bonus coins and extra lives at the player's path.[8][9][10]
In addition to the standard game mode, the Mega Drive/Genesis version features a two-player versus mode. The players must shoot each other until one of the players runs out of health.[11]
Super NES
In contrast to the Genesis version, the SNES version of Sunset Riders features relatively few changes. Subtitles have been added to the voice acted cutscenes, and the barfly that kisses the player character in Stage 1 as well as the saloon dancers from Stage 4 are dressed more conservatively compared to the arcade version. In addition, there is only 1 woman you can rescue in Stage 4, and you do not get a bonus upon rescuing her. Hunter dogs, which were present in the first segment of the final chapter in the Genesis version, were removed. The Native American enemy characters from Stage 6 were removed and replaced with regular outlaws, leaving only Chief Wigwam as the stage boss. The dynamite-tossing female bandits were replaced with male bandits as well.
In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their December 15, 1991 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[22]
Sunset Riders was well received by the video game press upon release. Sinclair User gave the arcade game an 82% score, opining it "plays very well and should prove an interesting challenge for your finely honed arcade skills."[17] In a more reserved review, Zero rated the arcade original a 3 out of 5, calling it a "fairly fast shoot'em up with a sense of humour."[19]
The "rather splendid" SNES version was given an overall score of 87% by Dan Jevons from Super Play, who described it as "another winner from Konami's stable".[18] It also received an 89% score in SNES Force, with an 88% and an 89% from two reviewers.[21]Hobby Consolas gave the scores of 86% to the SNES version and 78% for the Sega Mega Drive version,[15][14] while Mean Machines Sega rated the latter as 84%, noting it as "surprisingly good".[16]
Retrospectively, Jamie O'Neill from Nintendo Life awarded the SNES version eight stars out of ten, writing it "is bright, colourful, fantastically well animated, with superb music and sound. It understands its place as a Western game and within the run-and-gun genre, by combining imaginative characterisation and humour, with well-paced action set-pieces, plus variety in its gameplay."[25]Retro Game Age gave it the same score as well, opining "Sunset Riders remains a fun romp that still presents some challenge to get through and is just as fun to play now as it was almost 20 years ago."[27] Nick Gibson from Sega-16 rated the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis port a 7 out of 10,[28] while it was rated 80% by Arcade Attack.[26]
IGN ranked it as the 88th best game for the SNES.[29] In 2018, Complex listed the game 36th in their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time."[30]
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a run and gun video game developed by LucasArts and published by Konami for the Super NES and Sega Genesis consoles in 1993.
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom and originally released as an arcade game in 1993. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting. It refines and balances the existing character roster from the previous versions, and introduces four new characters. It is the first game on Capcom's CP System II hardware, with more sophisticated graphics and audio over the original CP System hardware used in previous versions of Street Fighter II.
Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade video game by Sega, and the first game in the Fantasy Zone series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy invasion in the titular group of planets. The game contains a number of features atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter. The main character, Opa-Opa, is sometimes referred to as Sega's first mascot character.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, released as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time in Europe, is a beat 'em up arcade video game produced by Konami and released in 1991. A sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, it is a scrolling beat 'em up type game based mainly on the 1987 TMNT animated series. Originally an arcade game, Turtles in Time was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 under the title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, continuing the numbering from the earlier Turtles games released on the original NES. That same year, a game that borrowed many elements, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, was released for the Sega Genesis.
Rocket Knight Adventures is a platform game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Genesis. The game involves Sparkster, an opossum knight who wields a rocket pack and sword that can emit energy projectiles as he attempts to stop the Devotindos Empire, an evil empire that attempts to break the seal of a powerful starship.
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game released by Sega for arcades in 1989, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.
Smash TV is a 1990 arcade video game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams Electronics Games. It is a twin-stick shooter in the same vein as 1982's Robotron: 2084, which was also co-created by Jarvis. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear versions are titled Super Smash TV.
Gunstar Heroes is a run and gun video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega. It was Treasure's debut game, originally released for the Sega Genesis in 1993. The game's premise is centered around a pair of characters, the Gunstars, in their efforts to stop an evil empire from recovering four powerful gems. The characters can fire guns and perform a series of acrobatic maneuvers to fight enemies across each stage. There are four weapons in the game which can be combined with one another to create different shot types.
Lethal Enforcers is a 1992 light gun shooter released as an arcade video game by Konami. The graphics consist entirely of digitized photographs and digitized sprites. Home versions were released for the Super NES, Genesis and Sega CD during the following year and include a revolver-shaped light gun known as The Justifier.
The Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day or T2 is a light gun shooter based on the film of the same name, produced by Midway Manufacturing Company as an arcade video game in 1991. Developed in tandem with the movie, several actors from the film reprise their roles for the game and are featured as part of the game's photorealistic digitized graphics. The game's plot largely follows that of the film, casting up to two players as the T-800 "terminator" cyborg from the film, sent back in time to protect John Connor from assassination by the T-1000 terminator. A success in arcades, home conversions of the game were released by Acclaim Entertainment for various platforms under the title of T2: The Arcade Game to avoid confusion with the numerous tie-in games also based on the movie.
Contra: Hard Corps, released as Contra: The Hard Corps in Japan and Probotector in Europe and Australia, is a run and gun video game released by Konami for the Sega Genesis in 1994, making it the first game in the Contra series released for a Sega platform.
Contra is a video game series produced by Konami composed primarily of run and gun-style shooting games. The series debuted in February 1987 with the Japanese coin-operated arcade game of the same name, which has since spawned several sequels produced for various platforms.
Gradius is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper.
Joe & Mac, also known as Caveman Ninja and Caveman Ninja: Joe & Mac, is a 1991 run and gun platform game released for arcades by Data East. It was later adapted for the Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Amiga, Zeebo, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Thunder Force III (サンダーフォースIII) is a 1990 scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft for the Sega Genesis. It is the third chapter in the Thunder Force series. It was then retooled into an arcade game named Thunder Force AC. In 1991, Thunder Force AC was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System under the title Thunder Spirits.
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, also known simply as Shadow Dancer, is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It is the second game in the Shinobi series released for the Mega Drive, following The Revenge of Shinobi. However, it is not a continuation of the previous game, but rather a loose adaptation of the 1989 arcade game Shadow Dancer. Like in the original arcade game, the player controls a ninja followed by a canine companion. The Secret of Shinobi was well received by critics.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis in June 1994. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.
M2 Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, best known for handling emulation of re-released games, such as some Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console titles for Nintendo systems, the 3D Classics series for the Nintendo 3DS and their ShotTriggers range of classic STG games. M2 has also created entirely new titles such as WiiWare games for Konami under the ReBirth moniker and more recently a new GG Aleste game. In addition, M2 currently holds the rights of Aleste series and all NEC Avenue and NEC Interchannel games on TurboGrafx-16 and variants, previously owned by Lightweight.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
