Software:Rapid Reload

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 video game


Rapid Reload
European cover art
Developer(s)Media.Vision[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Producer(s)Shigeo Maruyama
Teruhisa Tokunaka
Takashi Fukushima
Designer(s)Toshiyuki Miyata
Akira Sato
Yukio Nagasaki
Artist(s)Yukihiko Itō
Keizō Shimizu
Composer(s)Kazuhiko Toyama
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: April 28, 1995[1]
  • EU: September 29, 1995
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player

Rapid Reload, known in Japan as Gunners Heaven (ガンナーズヘヴン), is a 1995 run and gun video game developed by Media.Vision and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in both Japan and Europe in 1995. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Network in Japan in 2007 and in Asia in 2010.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

The gameplay of Rapid Reload is often compared to the Treasure game Gunstar Heroes.[2][3][4][5] The players choose to play as either male character Axel or female character Ruka through the game's six levels.

The player can switch between four different weapons with a normal machine pistol, flamethrower, homing laser, and multi-directional cannons. The characters each have their own set of four weapons, totaling the weapons in the game to eight. Also available is a grappling hook that will latch onto any wall or ceiling. The player cannot be harmed while the player uses the hook. The player can also aim their weapons in any direction by holding R2 on the controller. The player can also throw their enemies in any direction, similar to how players Red and Blue can in Gunstar Heroes.

The unique feature in Rapid Reload/Gunners Heaven is the point system. Points are dropped after the player destroys enemies. When the player collects these items, the counter on the top screen rises and eventually will count down. As the player collects more points, their shots from the weapons will become more powerful than the ordinary shots. Occasionally, the player can find a booster item that temporarily increases the player's weapon strength to unbelievable heights, making the player annihilate any enemy easily. Unfortunately, the timer is unforgiving, and the player has a very short time using the booster item.

The game has six stages and during the stages, there is one or two sub-bosses and the one true boss.

Plot

Upon hearing the legend of the treasure known as the Valkiry, treasure hunters Axel Sonics (voiced by Kazuki Yao) and Ruka Hetfield (voiced by Noriko Hidaka) embark on an adventurous quest to find the legendary stone. However, unknown to Axel and Ruka at the start, there is also a terrorist organization known as the Pumpkin Heads searching for the Valkiry, determined to use the stone for world domination.

In a race to reach the stone first, Axel and Ruka fight their way through the Pumpkin Heads' army of elite soldiers along several locations, destroying each of the three top captains and eventually reaching their hideout, where they confront the Master, who already has the Valkiry in her possession. Using the Valkiry to power herself, the Master engages Axel and Ruka in a decisive, final battle, but is eventually destroyed and the Valkiry is freed.

The ending differs for each character: if Axel defeats the Master, he is joined by Ruka, who in her excitement takes the Valkiry and runs off, with the weary Axel only barely managing to keep up with her; if Ruka defeats the Master, she accidentally drops the Valkiry and it shatters, and in her frustration, she vows never to hunt for treasure again, although a caption mentions that she eventually stayed in the business with Axel.

Release

Rapid Reload was released in Europe and Japan but not in North America, reportedly due to Sony Computer Entertainment America's policy against releasing 2D games for the PlayStation.[6]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG89/100[7]
Edge6/10[8]
Famitsu26/40[9]
GamesMaster78%[10]
Hyper56/100[11]
Next Generation4/5[12]
OPM (UK)5/10[13]
Play71%[14]
Coming Soon Magazine4/5[15]
Games World
Maximum2/5[2]
PlayStation Plus80/100[16]
SonyPro7/10[17]
Ultimate Future Games71%[18]
VideoGame AdvisorC[19]

According to Famitsu, Rapid Reload sold 83,942 copies during its lifetime in Japan.[20] The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game fifth in popularity in its July 1995 issue.[21] It received an average reception from critics.[22][23][24]

Eddy Lawrence and Gary Lord of Computer and Video Games regarded it one of the best "platform blasters", praising its lush backgrounds, soundscapes, and excellent game design, but said it was not as good as Gunstar Heroes.[7] Next Generation felt the game lived up to its title's promise, highlighting the large number of sprites on screen and the lack of flickering and tearing.[12] Maximum described Rapid Reload as a poor Gunstar Heroes clone, pointing out the game's lack of a simultaneous two-player mode and criticized the sloppy PAL conversion.[2]

1Up.com called the game a blatant rip-off of Gunstar Heroes, but nevertheless felt it was overlooked due to the 3D games of the time.[3] IGN considered it a remarkable work that went unnoticed due to "everyone's obsession with polygons" at the time.[4] Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 commended the game's levels and music, but noted its lacking graphical presentation, poorly thought-out weapon system, and lack of a two-player mode.[25] In 2018, Den of Geek identified it as one of the most underrated titles for the PlayStation.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sony Computer Entertainment Japan assisted on development.

References

  1. ↑ Media.Vision staff. "ガンナーズヘヴン GUNNERS HEAVEN" (in ja). Media.Vision. http://www.media-vision.co.jp/soft/gh.php. Retrieved April 10, 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Essential Buyers Guide Reviews: Rapid Reload". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (EMAP) (1): 151. October 1995. https://archive.org/details/maximum-the-video-game-magazine-issue-1-october-1995-uk/page/151/mode/1up. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Parish, Jeremy; Kennedy, Sam (June 27, 2007). "Retronauts Presents: Contra Retro Roundup". 1Up.com. IGN Entertainment. pp. 1–2. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3160593. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Hidden Japanese Gems". IGN. IGN Entertainment. April 29, 2009. pp. 1–2. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/977/977987p2.html. 
  5. ↑ Campbell, Stuart. "Hidden Treasures: The mysterious story of Gunner's Heaven". World of Stuart. http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/gh.htm. Retrieved April 10, 2012. 
  6. ↑ "Every PlayStation Game Played, Reviewed, and Rated". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (25): 58. January 1997. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lawrence, Edward; Lord, Gary (July 1995). "CVG Review: Gunner's Heaven". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (164): 18–20. https://archive.org/details/computer-and-video-games-magazine/Computer%20and%20Video%20Games%20164/page/n17/mode/1up. 
  8. ↑ "Testscreen: Gunner's Heaven". Edge (Future plc) (22): 64. July 1995. 
  9. ↑ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ガンナーズヘヴン" (in ja). Famitsu (ASCII Corporation) (333): 32. May 5, 1995.  (Transcription by Famitsu.com. ).
  10. ↑ Groves, Will (July 1995). "Reviews: Gunner's Heaven". GamesMaster (Future Publishing) (31): 42–43. https://archive.org/details/images-to-pdfmaker-10-12-2020-162029/page/n40/mode/1up. 
  11. ↑ Seroa, Jason; Bures, Julian (December 1995). "Review: Rapid Reload". Hyper (nextmedia) (25): 64–65. https://archive.org/details/hyper-025/page/64/mode/2up. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Finals: Gunner's Heaven". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (8): 68. August 1995. https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-008/page/n69/mode/1up. 
  13. ↑ "PlayTest: Rapid Reload". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (1): 74. November 1995. https://archive.org/details/Official_UK_PlayStation_Magazine_Issue_001_1995_11_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n73/mode/1up. 
  14. ↑ "Reviews: Rapid Reload". Play (Paragon Publishing) (1): 63. November 1995. https://archive.org/details/Play_Issue_001_1995_11_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/63/mode/1up. 
  15. ↑ "Rapid Reload - Sony Playstation Review". Coming Soon Magazine (Coming Soon Magazine, Inc.) (12). March 1996. https://www.csoon.com/issue12/rapidrl.htm. Retrieved 2025-06-01. 
  16. ↑ Broughton, Matt (October 1995). "Import Round-Up: Gunner's Heaven". PlayStation Plus (EMAP) 1 (1): 100. https://archive.org/details/playstation-plus-vol-1-issue-1/page/100/mode/1up. 
  17. ↑ Sharp, Andy (November-December 1995). "Review: Rapid Reload". SonyPro (IDG Media) (1): 54–55. https://archive.org/details/psx-pro-01/page/n53/mode/2up. 
  18. ↑ "Ultimate Review Sector: Gunner's Heaven". Ultimate Future Games (Future Publishing) (8): 72–74. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/ultimate-future-games-08/page/n71/mode/1up. 
  19. ↑ Zachlod, Aaron (June 1995). "The Buyers Guide - Reviews: Gunner's Heaven". VideoGame Advisor (Cyberactive Publications) 1 (2): 16. https://archive.org/details/videogame-advisor-june-1995/page/n17/mode/1up. 
  20. ↑ "Game Search". https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search. 
  21. ↑ Kuramoto, Kazuhiro (July 1995). "プレイステーション" (in ja). Micom BASIC Magazine (ja). Super Soft Hot Information (The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation (ja)) (157): 20–22. https://archive.org/details/micom-basic-july-1995-07-600-dpi-ozidual/Micom%20Basic%201995%2007%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/20/mode/1up. 
  22. ↑ Lee, Onn (June 1995). "Software Reviews: Gunner's Heaven". Games Amusement Pleasure (Onn Lee) (5): 44–45. https://archive.org/details/1995-06-games-amusement-pleasure-05/page/n43/mode/2up. 
  23. ↑ "X Gen Review: Gunners Heaven". X Gen (Paragon Publishing) (1): 32–33. July-August 1995. 
  24. ↑ "Price Power: Rapid Reload". PlayStation Power (Future Publishing) (1): 57. June 1996. 
  25. ↑ Kalata, Kurt (November 14, 2016). "Rapid Reload". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/rapid-reload/. 
  26. ↑ Birch, Aaron; Lambie, Ryan (September 20, 2018). "60 Underrated Playstation One Games". Den of Geek. DoG Tech LLC. https://www.denofgeek.com/games/60-underrated-playstation-one-games/. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Template:Media.Vision



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Rapid_Reload&oldid=3950256"