fbpx
Wikipedia

Point Blank (video game series)

January 06, 2023

Point Blank, known as Gun Bullet (ガンバレット, Gan Baretto), or Gunvari (ガンバリ, Ganbari) in Japan, is a series of light gun shooter games developed by Namco for the arcade, PlayStation and Nintendo DS; the trilogy was first released in arcade in 1994 and was later ported onto the PlayStation. Point Blank DS was released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS featuring 40 challenges from the original series.

Point Blank
Developer(s)Namco
TOSE
Publisher(s)Arcade
Namco
PlayStation
Namco
Nintendo DS
iOS, Android
Namco Bandai Games
Platform(s)Arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android
ReleaseArcade
  • JP: October 1994
  • NA: 1994
PlayStation
  • JP: August 7, 1997
  • NA: April 1998
  • EU: July 1998
Nintendo DS
  • JP: May 18, 2006
  • NA: June 14, 2006
  • EU: December 8, 2006
  • AU: December 15, 2006
iOS, Android
  • AU: June 16, 2014 (Android)
  • WW: May 6, 2015
Genre(s)Light gun shooter
Mode(s)Single player, co-op multiplayer

Gameplay

Players use two attached light guns (in the case of the DS, a pen or in the case of the iOS version, touching the screen) to hit targets onscreen; missions require speed, quick judgment or pinpoint accuracy. The game consists of non-violent shooting contests where players are tasked with challenges such as shooting player-colored bulls-eyes, cardboard criminals, and other inanimate objects, not shooting bombs and cardboard cutouts of civilians (much like in Namco's first light-gun game, Steel Gunners), and protecting characters Dr. Don and Dr. Dan, among other miscellaneous challenges, similar to games like Police Trainer, and Area 51: Site 4 - and players choose the desired difficulty level (Practice, Beginner, Advanced, and Very Hard in the first game, or Training, Beginner, Advanced, and Insane in the second game onwards) which will determine how many stages must be finished to complete the game, as well as their overall difficulty. Players are shown four missions in each grouping, and may attempt them in any order; they usually have only three lives for the entire game, but this may depend on the cabinet settings. Most stages have unlimited bullets, but some have a limited amount of ammo. Players lose lives if they fail to fulfill the stage quota, or shoot Do Not Shoot targets, such as Bombs, Civilians or the opponent's colour targets.

There are six different types of stages in the game: Accuracy, where both players must shoot the designated areas with the highest points, Intelligence, where they must count to sixteen (by shooting the numbers), Memory, where they must match two cards by shooting two matching cards, Simulation, where they are required to shoot the cardboard robbers but not civilians (in the Japanese theme of this type, they must shoot cardboard ninjas, but not geishas), Visual Acuity, where they are required to shoot the target which matches what is displayed, and Speed, where they are required to shoot targets of their designated colors (depending players play from left or right); in the arcade version, both light guns must also be calibrated before the crosshairs on the screen shall move.

Upon completing all stages, players will have their performance ranked. Point Blank 1 & 2's ranking is based on how many points have been accumulated, lives remaining, and how many continues have been used, and will advise the player to advance up to a higher difficulty, try out head to head with a friend, return to a lower difficulty, or to practice more. Point Blank 3 and DS ranks numerous aspects of a player's performance such as concentration, accuracy, judgement etc., and then presents them with an overall letter grade.

Games

  • Point Blank/Gun Bullet (ガンバレット, Gan Baretto) (1994) (Arcade, PlayStation) – The original.
  • Point Blank 2/Gunbarl (ガンバァール, Ganbāru) (1999) (Arcade, PlayStation) – Released half a decade after its precursor.
  • Ghoul Panic/Oh! Bakyūn (オーバキューン, Ōbakyūn) (1999) (Arcade, PlayStation) – A spin-off title that features a haunted house theme (similar to the original Golly! Ghost!) and 3D graphics (as those seen in the Namco System 21, 22 and 11 arcade system boards).
  • Point Blank 3/Gunbalina (ガンバリーナ, Ganbarīna) (2000) (Arcade, PlayStation) – Its Japanese name is a pun on Thumbelina.
  • Gunvari Collection + Time Crisis (2002) (PlayStation 2) – This title is a Japan-only compilation of the first three Point Blank games and the first Time Crisis (1995), which was the seventh title from Namco to use a light gun.
  • Aim For Cash (2004) (Arcade) – A gambling (skill based, not luck) version of Point Blank 3 where the player tries to clear games for the prize money. Should they fail in the Final Game, the player can try again for the same price as to play (i.e., increasing the bet).
  • Point Blank DS/Unō no Tatsujin: Gun Bullet Trainer (右脳の達人: ガンバレットトレーナー, Unō no Tatsujin Ganbaretto Torēnā) (2006) (Nintendo DS) – A port of the original title which uses the console's stylus and touch screen instead of the arcade's light guns.
  • Point Blank Adventures (2015) (iOS, Android) – A new free-to-play title in the series, built from the ground up exclusively for mobile; it features over 200 stages and Facebook integration. Like its immediate precursor, the touch screen is used instead of a light gun.
  • Point Blank X (2016) (Arcade) – The fourth major arcade release in the series after Point Blank 3, a reboot of the series. The game is an arcade-exclusive version that was released worldwide in late 2016. This iteration features a redesigned cabinet that uses a flat-screen monitor, a departure from the older arcade releases; it features current graphics and new stages, including HD-remastered stages from Point Blank 1-3, a GunCon controller similar to the one used in Time Crisis 4 with old colors, and the capability to dispense tickets.[1]

Release

Point Blank was originally developed as an arcade game in 1994, but a console version was made for the PlayStation in 1997; this version included an "arrange" mode which added an alternate version of Arcade mode, as well as adding many new gameplay modes alongside an RPG mode.[2] It also supports the GunCon controller.[3] The game was re-created in 1999 as Point Blank 2, adding more mini-stages and replacing "Very Hard" difficulty with "Insane" - and the game was once again re-worked in 2001 as Point Blank 3, being only released for the arcades in Japan and for the PlayStation worldwide, and featured cameos from other Namco properties, such as Rick Taylor from Splatterhouse, Klonoa, Mappy, and Pooka and Fygar from Dig Dug.

A Nintendo DS port of the game was released in North America on June 13, 2006, two days after the North American release of the Nintendo DS Lite.

Reception

In Japan, it was the seventh highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1995.[9] According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, Point Blank was a "cult favorite" in U.S. arcades.[10]

The PlayStation version was the third best-selling video game in Japan for the week ending August 10, 1997.[11]

Reviews for the PlayStation version were positive, with critics especially praising the great variety of the stages.[4][5][6][12] Dan Hsu and John Ricciardi of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) both wrote that it was the best light gun game they had ever played, and they and their two co-reviewers lauded the game's addictiveness, longevity, and additional PlayStation content, especially the quest mode. Point Blank tied with the PlayStation version of Resident Evil 2 for EGM's "Game of the Month".[4] Next Generation was less impressed with the quest mode, commenting that "It's nice to know that Namco wants to add value to the overall package, but it seems a bit forced, and players will tire of it well before they're finished." They instead considered the competitive two-player mode the highlight, and concluded that "Overall, Point Blank is in no way perfect for a single player, but people looking for a two-player gun game will not be disappointed."[6] GameSpot summed up, "Namco's managed to capture and apply the addictive elements of puzzle and shooting games, creating a title that is so enjoyable and difficult to put down you won't be bothered by the audiovisual shortcomings."[5] GamePro said the endless variety keeps the player from getting bored, resulting in "a lighthearted shooter that will entertain you for a surprisingly long time." They gave it a perfect 5.0 out of 5 for control and 4.0 in each of the remaining categories (graphics, sound, and funfactor).[12]

In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Point Blank as the 7th best arcade game of all time.[13] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine referred to characters Dr. Dan and Dr. Don as "an underrated dynamic duo" in September 2004.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Point Blank X in Development for Arcades". 15 September 2015.
  2. ^ "GunBullet: Going Back to Basics". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 89.
  3. ^ The Man in Black (November 1997). "Point Blank". GamePro. No. 110. IDG. p. 100.
  4. ^ a b c "Review Crew: Point Blank". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. p. 124.
  5. ^ a b c Fielder, Lauren (December 23, 1997). "Point Blank Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Finals". Next Generation. No. 40. Imagine Media. April 1998. p. 98.
  7. ^ "Point Blank". Extreme Playstation. June 1998. p. 83. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Gunbarl". Play. No. 40. November 1998. pp. 58–59.
  9. ^ ""Virtua Fighter 2" and "Virtua Cop" Top Videos" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 511. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1996. p. 22.
  10. ^ "TGS 1997 Spring". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 95. Ziff Davis. June 1997. p. 59.
  11. ^ Ricciardi, John (November 1997). "Top 10 in Japan". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. p. 28.
  12. ^ a b Bad Hare (February 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Point Blank". GamePro. No. 113. IDG. p. 90.
  13. ^ "The 10 Best Arcade Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 130.
  14. ^ OPM staff (September 2004). "Overrated/Underrated" (SWF transcript 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine). Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine

External links

January 06, 2023
point, blank, video, game, series, point, blank, known, bullet, ガンバレット, baretto, gunvari, ガンバリ, ganbari, japan, series, light, shooter, games, developed, namco, arcade, playstation, nintendo, trilogy, first, released, arcade, 1994, later, ported, onto, playsta. Point Blank known as Gun Bullet ガンバレット Gan Baretto or Gunvari ガンバリ Ganbari in Japan is a series of light gun shooter games developed by Namco for the arcade PlayStation and Nintendo DS the trilogy was first released in arcade in 1994 and was later ported onto the PlayStation Point Blank DS was released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS featuring 40 challenges from the original series Point BlankDeveloper s NamcoTOSEPublisher s ArcadeNamcoPlayStationNamcoEU SCEENintendo DSJP Bandai Namco GamesNA Namco Bandai GamesEU AtariiOS AndroidNamco Bandai GamesPlatform s Arcade PlayStation PlayStation 2 Nintendo DS iOS AndroidReleaseArcadeJP October 1994NA 1994PlayStationJP August 7 1997NA April 1998EU July 1998 Nintendo DSJP May 18 2006NA June 14 2006EU December 8 2006AU December 15 2006iOS AndroidAU June 16 2014 Android WW May 6 2015Genre s Light gun shooterMode s Single player co op multiplayer Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Games 3 Release 4 Reception 5 References 6 External linksGameplay EditPlayers use two attached light guns in the case of the DS a pen or in the case of the iOS version touching the screen to hit targets onscreen missions require speed quick judgment or pinpoint accuracy The game consists of non violent shooting contests where players are tasked with challenges such as shooting player colored bulls eyes cardboard criminals and other inanimate objects not shooting bombs and cardboard cutouts of civilians much like in Namco s first light gun game Steel Gunners and protecting characters Dr Don and Dr Dan among other miscellaneous challenges similar to games like Police Trainer and Area 51 Site 4 and players choose the desired difficulty level Practice Beginner Advanced and Very Hard in the first game or Training Beginner Advanced and Insane in the second game onwards which will determine how many stages must be finished to complete the game as well as their overall difficulty Players are shown four missions in each grouping and may attempt them in any order they usually have only three lives for the entire game but this may depend on the cabinet settings Most stages have unlimited bullets but some have a limited amount of ammo Players lose lives if they fail to fulfill the stage quota or shoot Do Not Shoot targets such as Bombs Civilians or the opponent s colour targets There are six different types of stages in the game Accuracy where both players must shoot the designated areas with the highest points Intelligence where they must count to sixteen by shooting the numbers Memory where they must match two cards by shooting two matching cards Simulation where they are required to shoot the cardboard robbers but not civilians in the Japanese theme of this type they must shoot cardboard ninjas but not geishas Visual Acuity where they are required to shoot the target which matches what is displayed and Speed where they are required to shoot targets of their designated colors depending players play from left or right in the arcade version both light guns must also be calibrated before the crosshairs on the screen shall move Upon completing all stages players will have their performance ranked Point Blank 1 amp 2 s ranking is based on how many points have been accumulated lives remaining and how many continues have been used and will advise the player to advance up to a higher difficulty try out head to head with a friend return to a lower difficulty or to practice more Point Blank 3 and DS ranks numerous aspects of a player s performance such as concentration accuracy judgement etc and then presents them with an overall letter grade Games EditPoint Blank Gun Bullet ガンバレット Gan Baretto 1994 Arcade PlayStation The original Point Blank 2 Gunbarl ガンバァール Ganbaru 1999 Arcade PlayStation Released half a decade after its precursor Ghoul Panic Oh Bakyun オーバキューン Ōbakyun 1999 Arcade PlayStation A spin off title that features a haunted house theme similar to the original Golly Ghost and 3D graphics as those seen in the Namco System 21 22 and 11 arcade system boards Point Blank 3 Gunbalina ガンバリーナ Ganbarina 2000 Arcade PlayStation Its Japanese name is a pun on Thumbelina Gunvari Collection Time Crisis 2002 PlayStation 2 This title is a Japan only compilation of the first three Point Blank games and the first Time Crisis 1995 which was the seventh title from Namco to use a light gun Aim For Cash 2004 Arcade A gambling skill based not luck version of Point Blank 3 where the player tries to clear games for the prize money Should they fail in the Final Game the player can try again for the same price as to play i e increasing the bet Point Blank DS Unō no Tatsujin Gun Bullet Trainer 右脳の達人 ガンバレットトレーナー Unō no Tatsujin Ganbaretto Torena 2006 Nintendo DS A port of the original title which uses the console s stylus and touch screen instead of the arcade s light guns Point Blank Adventures 2015 iOS Android A new free to play title in the series built from the ground up exclusively for mobile it features over 200 stages and Facebook integration Like its immediate precursor the touch screen is used instead of a light gun Point Blank X 2016 Arcade The fourth major arcade release in the series after Point Blank 3 a reboot of the series The game is an arcade exclusive version that was released worldwide in late 2016 This iteration features a redesigned cabinet that uses a flat screen monitor a departure from the older arcade releases it features current graphics and new stages including HD remastered stages from Point Blank 1 3 a GunCon controller similar to the one used in Time Crisis 4 with old colors and the capability to dispense tickets 1 Release EditPoint Blank was originally developed as an arcade game in 1994 but a console version was made for the PlayStation in 1997 this version included an arrange mode which added an alternate version of Arcade mode as well as adding many new gameplay modes alongside an RPG mode 2 It also supports the GunCon controller 3 The game was re created in 1999 as Point Blank 2 adding more mini stages and replacing Very Hard difficulty with Insane and the game was once again re worked in 2001 as Point Blank 3 being only released for the arcades in Japan and for the PlayStation worldwide and featured cameos from other Namco properties such as Rick Taylor from Splatterhouse Klonoa Mappy and Pooka and Fygar from Dig Dug A Nintendo DS port of the game was released in North America on June 13 2006 two days after the North American release of the Nintendo DS Lite Reception EditPlayStation reviewsReview scoresPublicationScoreElectronic Gaming Monthly9 375 10 4 GameSpot7 8 10 5 Next Generation 6 Extreme Playstation89 100 7 Play83 8 In Japan it was the seventh highest grossing dedicated arcade game of 1995 9 According to Electronic Gaming Monthly Point Blank was a cult favorite in U S arcades 10 The PlayStation version was the third best selling video game in Japan for the week ending August 10 1997 11 Reviews for the PlayStation version were positive with critics especially praising the great variety of the stages 4 5 6 12 Dan Hsu and John Ricciardi of Electronic Gaming Monthly EGM both wrote that it was the best light gun game they had ever played and they and their two co reviewers lauded the game s addictiveness longevity and additional PlayStation content especially the quest mode Point Blank tied with the PlayStation version of Resident Evil 2 for EGM s Game of the Month 4 Next Generation was less impressed with the quest mode commenting that It s nice to know that Namco wants to add value to the overall package but it seems a bit forced and players will tire of it well before they re finished They instead considered the competitive two player mode the highlight and concluded that Overall Point Blank is in no way perfect for a single player but people looking for a two player gun game will not be disappointed 6 GameSpot summed up Namco s managed to capture and apply the addictive elements of puzzle and shooting games creating a title that is so enjoyable and difficult to put down you won t be bothered by the audiovisual shortcomings 5 GamePro said the endless variety keeps the player from getting bored resulting in a lighthearted shooter that will entertain you for a surprisingly long time They gave it a perfect 5 0 out of 5 for control and 4 0 in each of the remaining categories graphics sound and funfactor 12 In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Point Blank as the 7th best arcade game of all time 13 Official U S PlayStation Magazine referred to characters Dr Dan and Dr Don as an underrated dynamic duo in September 2004 14 References Edit Point Blank X in Development for Arcades 15 September 2015 GunBullet Going Back to Basics Electronic Gaming Monthly No 100 Ziff Davis November 1997 p 89 The Man in Black November 1997 Point Blank GamePro No 110 IDG p 100 a b c Review Crew Point Blank Electronic Gaming Monthly No 104 Ziff Davis March 1998 p 124 a b c Fielder Lauren December 23 1997 Point Blank Review GameSpot Retrieved 18 February 2022 a b c Finals Next Generation No 40 Imagine Media April 1998 p 98 Point Blank Extreme Playstation June 1998 p 83 Retrieved August 26 2021 Gunbarl Play No 40 November 1998 pp 58 59 Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop Top Videos PDF Game Machine in Japanese No 511 Amusement Press Inc 1 February 1996 p 22 TGS 1997 Spring Electronic Gaming Monthly No 95 Ziff Davis June 1997 p 59 Ricciardi John November 1997 Top 10 in Japan Electronic Gaming Monthly No 100 Ziff Davis p 28 a b Bad Hare February 1998 PlayStation ProReview Point Blank GamePro No 113 IDG p 90 The 10 Best Arcade Games of All Time Electronic Gaming Monthly No 100 Ziff Davis November 1997 p 130 OPM staff September 2004 Overrated Underrated SWF transcript Archived 2008 12 19 at the Wayback Machine Official U S PlayStation MagazineExternal links EditOfficial site Japanese GameSpot coverage of Point Blank Point Blank at MobyGames Point Blank at the Killer List of Videogames Point Blank at the Arcade History database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Point Blank video game series amp oldid 1129267023, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.