GunForce II

GunForce II[lower-alpha 1] is a run and gun arcade video game developed and originally published by Irem on September 1994.[5][6] It is the sequel to the original GunForce and one of the last arcade games, if not the last to be released by the company before ceasing development of video games in the same year,[7] after which a group of employees from the gaming division of Irem would go on to form Nazca Corporation due to being tired of the company's inactivity.[8][9]

GunForce II
Japanese Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Irem
Publisher(s)Irem
DotEmu (Irem Arcade Hits)
Designer(s)Meeher[1]
Artist(s)Akio Oyabu[2]
Takeshi Okui
Composer(s)Takushi Hiyamuta
SeriesGunForce
Platform(s)Arcade, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseArcade
Irem Arcade Hits
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)
Arcade systemIrem M-92[4]

In GunForce II, players take control of Max and Lei through multiple stages battling against enemy soldiers and aliens, while rescuing POWs and collecting medals. It is considered a spiritual predecessor to the Metal Slug franchise by SNK, as the first title in the series bears many similarities with this game and it is also sometimes referred to as "Metal Slug Zero".[10][11]

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot.

GunForce II is a run and gun game where players take control of the soldiers Max (P1) and Lei (P2) across five stages that take place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic setting, battling against an army of enemy soldiers, mutants, aliens, among other types of enemies to fight, while rescuing female POWs and collecting medals along the way to increase their score at the end of each level. One of the unique features of the game is that the player's character are dual wielding two weapons at the same time that can be aimed in any given direction and at a slightly different angle each one, while different weapons scattered on the level are available to be collected, but only one can be upgraded as the other one keeps the default weapon.

As with the original GunForce, players may find a vehicle scattered in the current level they are in and there are eleven in total to be found through the course of the game, which the players can ride and use against the enemy forces and they tend to vary from level to level, but some of them do not provide any kind of protection for the player against enemy attacks. If the players lose all of their lives, the game is over unless more credits are inserted into the arcade machine to continue playing. Once all the stages are cleared, players are sent back to the beginning of the first level, as the game loops infinitely.[8][12]

Development and release

GunForce II shares many similarities with other previously released titles by Irem during the 1990s such as Air Duel, Armed Police Unit Gallop, Undercover Cops, In the Hunt and Superior Soldiers, due to being developed by most of the same personnel that would go on to form Nazca Corporation.[7][8][9][10][11][13] The game was first showcased to the public at the 1994 AOU Show.[14][15]

In October 2014, PlatinumGames producer Atsushi Kurooka revealed to a Twitter user that he worked on both GunForce II and Metal Slug (credited as A. Kurooka in the first title of the series), though Kurooka did not specify which role he was involved during the game's development.[16]

Notes
  1. Also known as Geo Storm (Japanese: ジオ ストーム, Hepburn: Jio Sutōmu) in Japan.

References
  1. Yamamura, Tomomi (3 August 2020). ""大切なことはアイレムと『R-TYPE』に教わった"『メタルスラッグ』プログラマー濱田慎一氏が語るアイレムのあのころ、ナスカのあのころ【ゲームの思い出談話室・第3夜】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20230506182811/https://twitter.com/akio_1963/status/1654800299121590272
  3. "Geo Storm". arcade-history.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  4. "Irem M92 Hardware (Irem)". system16.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  5. "Totale Arcade - Geo Storm". CD Consoles (in French). No. 2. Pressimage. December 1994. p. 44.
  6. Szczepaniak, John (July 2013). "The Unconverted: Gunforce 2". Retro Gamer. No. 118. Imagine Publishing. p. 70.
  7. Gazza, Brian (May 26, 2006). "Irem Post-Apocalyptic Arcade Games - Gunforce 2 / Geo Storm". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  8. Szczepaniak, John (January 2012). "The Making Of: Metal Slug". Retro Gamer. No. 98. Imagine Publishing. pp. 24–31.
  9. Gazza, Brian (December 20, 2007). "IREM's Post-apocalyptic shoot'em-ups". blamethecontrolpad.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  10. Ciolek, Todd (November 17, 2007). "Column: 'Might Have Been' - Gun Force 2". GameSetWatch. UBM plc. Archived from the original on 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  11. Arino, Kachou (August 24, 2008). "Gunforce 2". Retro Gamer. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  12. "Ending for Gun Force II (Arcade)". vgmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  13. BackintoysTV (April 10, 2014). Metal Slug History PART 1 - In the Hunt & GunForce 2 - Retro Game Test. YouTube.
  14. "Be Mega AM Network". Beep! Mega Drive (in Japanese). No. 55. SoftBank Creative. April 1994. pp. 30–31.
  15. "AOU TV - ジオストーム (アイレム)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 469. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 April 1994. pp. 10–11.
  16. Kurooka, Atsushi (October 18, 2014). "Latest The Wonderful 101. Oldest GunForce2, MetalSlug1 RT @HokutoAndy: @PG_kurooka Other than Korra, what video games have you worked on?". Twitter. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
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