116 · JACKAL
Your brothers-in-arms are hostages behind enemy lines, and you're their only hope for freedom. But the firepower you'll face to rescue them is awesome. Cannons, tanks, submarines and snipers will blast you with horrific cross-fire, while jet fighters zero in from above.
SHOW NOTES
Jackal Longplay
TOP GUNNER
Red Fortress (FDS Jackal)
Jackal Rebirth (Cancelled Wii game)
Show notes
- Take no prisoners, except our own!
- Introductions
- Overview
- Overhead run'n gun-style shoot-'em-up video game by Konami released for the arcades in 1986 (as TOP GUNNER). Comes to the NES in 1988
- Konami decided to release the NES version under a different title to avoid confusion with their video game adaptation of Top Gun (which they also released)
- Maneuver an armed jeep in order to rescue prisoners of war (POWs) trapped in enemy territory.
- Why do we keep seeing this theme? Ikari Warriors/Commando/Metal Gear/Rambo/Iron Tank
- Overhead run'n gun-style shoot-'em-up video game by Konami released for the arcades in 1986 (as TOP GUNNER). Comes to the NES in 1988
- Gameplay
- “THIS BATTLE WILL MAKE YOUR BLOOD BOIL. GOOD LUCK!”
- Combat Mechanics
- In the Japanese version, the machine gun turns as you do, but in the American release, the machine gun stays permanently affixed to fire north.
- The scrolling should start with your vehicle more centered
- That said, Open exploration
- Not enough power-ups
- POWs
- Just points, kinda weird that the whole mission is to save them but there’s no point.
- The Journey
- Desert, Military Bases, Naval Base, Swamp
- Bosses
- Mostly odd choices
- statue heads that spit homing missiles
- large battleship armed with six spread-shot cannons
- Mostly odd choices
- Pacing/gameplay loop
- Let’s talk about this against Iron Tank (SNK)
- Five lives and four continues
- 2 Player
- Arcade Differences
- The game is now divided into six stages instead of taking place in one long level. Each stage features a different boss awaiting at the end, which include enemies not seen in the arcade version such as missile-spitting statues, a battleship and a new final boss
- No limit to POWs available. In the arcade you could only have 8 at a time.
- Sequels and Spinoffs
- NONE!
- BUT it was first released on FDS as Red Fortress
- Mostly inferior, but it let P1 drive while P2 was the gun!
- Jackal Rebirth (Konami Rebirth line) was planned on Wii, only screenshots exist.
- EGL