The Best Unloved Game
Posted by: kmikeym
Most shooters rely on frantic action while the story is just second-hand. It doesn't really matter much who or what the enemy is, just so long as you destroy everything. Shooters are all about the satisfaction of managing to survive through waves of instant death and overcoming impossible odds. ZANAC though has an AI that actually behaves as the story's antagonist, 'the system', would. Enemies appear randomly, rather than set patterns in set places, and the game has several conditions which change the difficulty level as you play. The more you fire your ship's weapons, the more enemies come and the more they fire. Every power up you get raises the strength of 'the system.' Every fortress destroyed lowers the system's power, however, if not destroyed within a time limit, the system gets stronger and you have to fly through the whole level again.
The story involves a computer entity called 'the system' that was created by an 'organic intelligence body' some millennia ago. When an 'icon' was opened properly, the system would bring great wisdom to those that used it. However, when someone opened the 'icon' improperly, the system started to destroy everything. Because the system was equipped for fighting against masses, humankind relied on one fighter, model AFX-6502-ZANAC, to fight against the system alone.
As a kid playing ZANAC, I didn't know about all of that, but I felt it. I could feel the phenomenal force I was up against, and had an idea that, somehow, all of the enemies were connected. The terrain was hostile and frightening, the ship flew at frenetic speeds, and the music and sound effects really brought me into that ship. Each enemy had its specific attack and you learned which ones to fear. 'Icons' on the terrain provided power ups if shot enough times; one was a face whose eyes opened and smiled at you. I thought it had something to do with that face they found on Mars back in the 80's. Only, this face gives you the ultimate power up, which in turn leads to constant shooting and a feeling of invincibility while plowing through levels and bosses until, out of nowhere, one stray bullet destroys ZANAC in an instant. Suddenly, you are plunged into a a hell of your own making. The system is responding to your powered up ship with full force, while you are left with nothing but skill and luck to save you. Even having twenty-plus guys saved up sometimes makes no difference.
ZANAC was developed by Compile and originated on the MSX-1. Another version came later on the NES, and an upgraded ZANAC EX was released on the MSX-2. The direct continuation was the Aleste series, Super Aleste being released on the SNES as Space Megaforce. Other games by Compile include Gunnac, Guardic, and The Guardian Legend (Guardic Gaiden), which used many of the same characters, sound effects, and graphics; as well as the PuyoPuyo series. The head of Compile was Moo Niitani, who I believe now works for Sonic Team, as SEGA recently bought the company and released PuyoPop Fever for GC, PS2 and XBox.
An interesting note: the model number of the ZANAC ship, 6502, was the same number of the microprocessor chip used as the CPU in the NES and other computer systems of the day.
More information on ZANAC availible at Kelesis Home Page.
Must Be 18 To Play
Posted by: kmikeym
What a bunch of bullshit. LA is restricting access to cybercafe's to 18 years or older and imposing all kinds of complicated rules. This is all in response to a few instances of violence at gaming places (well, two murders).
I wonder if the shit-talkin' of 13 year old "l33t" gamers will diminish?
