CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! Buried as a footnote in English speaking games history, Xevious’ influence nonetheless reverberates across history. In Japan, Xevious was a cultural milestone the size of Space Invaders, establishing the format for arcade shoot-em-ups. Cooked up as a response to the…
Positioned as Inti Creates’ 30th anniversary project, Majogami builds upon decades of 2D action game concepts developed at the company. Following Shiroha, a girl gtrapped in a papercraft world, Majogami mixes several styles of craft, framed as a children’s book, mixing detailed illustrations with stages made of cardboard, and bookend its stages with intros and epilogues presented in the style of…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! This entry is part of a retrospective on the Azure Striker Gunvolt series . Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is the current final entry in the series, and the one that finally delivers on the ideas and promises left cooking throughout the series. Gunvolt 3 once again changes…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! This entry is part of a retrospective on the Azure Striker Gunvolt series . Built in a short timeframe as yet another stopgap before the release of the continually delayed Gunvolt 3, Luminous Avenger iX 2 makes radical changes in order to differentiate it from the…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! This entry is part of a retrospective on the Azure Striker Gunvolt series . Developed as a stopgap entry during the tumultuous development of Gunvolt 3, iX is the first game in the series for HD consoles, focusing exclusively on Copen and taking place in an alternate…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! This entry is part of a retrospective on the Azure Striker Gunvolt series . Gunvolt 2’s story doesn’t give it much gravity, but it’s bizarre to play as a character basically attempting to personally enact a genocide. His dialogue mirrors language used by real world…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! This entry is part of a retrospective on the Azure Striker Gunvolt series . Started by ex-Capcom staff, Inti Creates began their career with some original Playstation entries, before returning to collaborate with Capcom on the Mega Man series, creating the Zero and…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the generous contributions of readers like you. Support more writing like this on Patreon. Thank you! Released in 1993 for the Super Famicom, Sanrio World Smash Ball mixed elements of tennis, soccer, and breakout, with some absolutely devious level design to create a surprisingly competitive title. Despite its Japan only release, it has since gained a cult following…
With an advanced machine gun controller and story following an elite anti-terrorist squad, Ghost Squad takes the aesthetics of tactical military shooters like Rainbow Six and brings it to the arcades. Alongside a simulated recoil, and a firing mode selector Ghost Squad’s controller sports an additional “action” button that performs various contextual actions such as rescuing hostages, destroying…
Originally released in arcades, Silent Scope differentiated itself from other gun games by focusing exclusively on sniping. Using a unique dual screen setup and taking place within Chicago and its surrounding areas, it’s a unique entry in the rail shooter genre, one that required some atypical solutions during its translation to home consoles. Unlike the familiar lightgun setup, which detects…
An uncanny mix of aesthetics and design sensibilities, The Citadel is bathed in an oppressive atmosphere. Cold, monolithic structures loom over the horizons, patrolled by cultists, drone and stormtroopers, rendered with hand drawn billboard sprites that starkly contrast with the harsh 3D of the environments. Combat mixes the movement and level design of early FPS games, with a modern gun…
With so many games now touting photo modes, videogame photography has now become part of the culture. It’s a good way to slow down, engage with the game in another mode, and appreciate the tremendous amount of labor and artistry put into the worlds of modern videogames. Lushfoil Photography Sim turns this into the entire focus of the game, focusing on exploring and photographing meticulously…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. LIPService is a series that puts a spotlight on notable ROM hacks and fan works. A total conversion hack built upon Super Metroid, Super Junkoid takes the mechanics of its base game and creates a new game out of it by radically altering the context and…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. LIPService is a series that puts a spotlight on notable ROM hacks and fan works. A ROM hack for Rockman 7, Rockman 7 EP presents a complete overhaul of the Super Famicom game, remixing stage layouts and bosses, adding new weapons, gadgets and mechanics, and…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. Telling the story of a woman trapped by the mysteries of her childhood home, Go Home Annie builds an adventure wrapped in the narrative world of the SCP Foundation. Bits are chosen from the community created horror project, for flavor, puzzle inspiration, and…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. This piece contains minor mechanical and plot spoilers. The latest from Guard Crush Games, one of the main developers on Streets of Rage 4, Absolum takes plenty from their work on SEGA’s brawler. The skeleton of the game can be seen in their experiments with…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. After giving Phantom Breaker a second chance at localization with Phantom Breaker Omnia, Battlegrounds, the beat-em-up spin off that found unexpected success over a decade before, has received its own refresh, bringing the brawler to yet another generation of…
CANON FIRE is made possible by the contributions of generous readers like you. Thank you! You can support more writing like this on Patreon. An obscurity in the English language fighting game scene, Asuka 120% is one of those games whose influence continues to reverberate through many beloved fighting games and beat-em-ups. It was always quietly revered by those in the know, and recently started…
Abandoned by his deadbeat aunt and uncle, Hikaru Nishime finds himself stranded on the remote Okinawan island of Toyotoki, unwelcome, broke, and homeless. Taking shelter in a field, he meets Lilun, a strange foreign girl claiming to be a witch. Combining real Okinawan culture with a fictional magic history, Tales of Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch is a story of a group of people caught under the…
Addendums, Archives and Appendecies is extra, off topic writing in addition to the regular CANON FIRE entries. You can support more writing like this on Patreon. Developed by legendary fighting game studio 8ing, Nen Impact carries both the worst and best of 8ing’s catalog. Formed from the remnants of the legendary shooter developer, Raizing, 8ing’s portfolio boasts both legendary fighters and no…