Software:Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman

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Short description: 1999 video game
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
Developer(s)UEP Systems
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Makoto Sunaga
Producer(s)Kimiaki Kurashima
Designer(s)Tadayuki Konno
Programmer(s)Kiyoshi Tsukada
Artist(s)Masaki Shimizu
Composer(s)Atsunori Namba
Yoshichika Shimamura
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by UEP Systems and published by Agetec for the PlayStation. Notable for being the only game developed by UEP Systems to not be a snowboarding game, Rising Zan follows an idiosyncratic world between a mix of the eastern and western, where a young cowboy named Johnny, after almost losing his life to a mysterious assassin, is trained in the way of the samurai by his late father's friend, and returns home under the new name of Zan to defeat the evil samurais who threaten the wild west.

Rising Zan received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the premise as unique and absurd, as well as finding enjoyment in the game's humor and soundtrack, with criticism primarily being aimed at the gameplay and controls.

Gameplay

Protagonist Zan fights using a revolver named "Johnny No More" (also the title of the game's theme song) in his left hand and a katana named "Demon Slayer" in his right.

The player can rescue hostages scattered around the level, perform several combos combining sword and gun attacks and make "All Button Events" in which all buttons in the controller must be pressed quickly to fill a bar in a limited time. These include one of seven finishing moves for the enemy boss character at the end of each level (there are nine in all); these moves themselves are ranked, from lowest to highest - "Weak", "Yeah", "Neat", "Cool", "Groovy", "Wicked", and "Bitchin'". Zan also has a bar that raises several levels which allows him to execute "Hustle Mode," in which his sword grows to a much longer length, his attack power increases, and his speed shoots up considerably allowing him to run and attack at extremely high speeds.

These actions, when completed successfully, reward extra score to the player, which is summed at the end of each level and evaluates the player's performance by giving them a ranking. This varies in rank from lowest to highest: "Chicken", "Hero", "Sexy Hero", "Ultra Sexy Hero", and "Super Ultra Sexy Hero". If the player completes the game with a high ranking, several extra features can be unlocked. Said features include being able to play the game as Sapphire, Zan's Japanese stepsister.

Plot

During the pioneering days of America's Wild west period, a young man named Johnny recently becomes the newly appointed sheriff of Tsuka Town, where one of his first tasks is to explore an abanonded gold mine where many people have recently been reported kidnapped. While finding no one there, Johnny is suddenly ambushed and attacked by a mysterious samurai with a mask, who cuts an X-shaped scar into his face. However, Johnny is saved at the last minute by Suzuki, a samurai master and a friend to Johnny's late father. Owing him his life, Johnny wishes to seek revenge against the samurai, which Suzuki agrees to, on the condition that he and Johnny travel to his home country of Zipang where Johnny is to train until he was ready to go back.[3]

Now fully trained in the art of the samurai, Johnny now declares himself as the Super Ultra Sexy Hero, Zan, and mixes that with his gunslinging knowledge as he finally returns home. However, he finds that his hometown has now been overrun with ninjas and men made of wood.,[3] revealed to be the work of the Jackal, an organization of samurai and ninja who have begun to loot the wild west of their resources for their own schemes. Realizing the danger his home is in, Johnny takes up both his blade and gun as he begins to uncover the Jackal's main plan, as well as do battle with Loki, the same samurai that almost killed him years ago.

Development

Rising Zan had been in development as early as April 1998 after the European release of Cool Boarders 2.[4] Due to the unique nature of the game, Rising Zan was inspired by several TV shows, one of which being Super Sentai, which was the inspiration for the game's enemies as well as their speaking mannerisms.

The game was also unique in that it had its own opening theme song with complete, sung lyrics, in both the American and Japanese versions of the game, which also plays at the end of every stage. The Japanese opening song, Samurai Gunman Zan the Zan (サムライガンマン 斬ザ・ザーン, Samurai Ganman Zan Za Zaan), was sung by Hironobu Kageyama and composed by Atsunori Namba and arranged by Yohgo Kohno, and is more based on theme songs seen in anime. The song would also go on to release as a single in Japan under the same name, alongside a karaoke version. The American opening song, Johnny No More, instead goes for a vibe of a Western TV show from the 1950s and 1960s. This version was composed and sung by David Nowlin and Greg Weber (Zan's voice actor), and appears on the Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman Original Soundtrack alongside its Japanese version, where it is listed as the Overseas Theme Song.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings69%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[6]
EGM7.375/10[7]
Famitsu29/40[8]
Game Informer8/10[9]
GameFan85%[10]
(G.N.) 84%[11]
GameSpot6.5/10[12]
IGN8.5/10[13]
Next GenerationStarStar[14]
OPM (UK)5/10[3]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStar[15]
PSMStarStarStarHalf star[16]

Rising Zan received "average" reviews according to GameRankings,[5] with moderate praise for its original premise and quirky humor tempered greatly with rampant criticism of the game's many technical shortcomings and unpolished execution. Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said of the game, "You want to like it, but it's just not as fun as it ought to be."[14] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[8]

In 2009, GamesRadar+ included it among the games "with untapped franchise potential", commenting: "Rising Zan may not have been the best PS1 game ever, or even among the best, but it has the words 'Samurai Gunman' in its name, and that’s more than enough to warrant a sequel."[17]

Official UK PlayStation Magazine stated that the game had "an excellent plot and occasional flashes of brilliance" but that it was "nothing special".[3]

See also

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Game Informer News". Game Informer. 1999-10-13. http://gameinformer.com/news/oct99/100699j.html. Retrieved 2023-04-06. 
  2. ↑ "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman". http://www.chipsworld.co.uk/detProd.asp?ProductCode=1739. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lowe, Andy (February 2000). "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (55): 112. https://archive.org/details/Official_UK_Playstation_Magazine_Issue_055_2000-02_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n109. 
  4. ↑ Fielder, Lauren (April 27, 1998). "Masters, Monsters, and Samurai". Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001001174154/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_04/27_ascii/index.html. Retrieved November 10, 2022. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190527034304/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198484-rising-zan-the-samurai-gunman/index.html. Retrieved November 18, 2020. 
  6. ↑ Thorpe, Damien. "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141117114416/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20409&tab=review. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  7. ↑ EGM staff (October 1999). "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (123). 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "ライジング・ザン 〜ザ・サムライガンマン〜 [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8596&redirect=no. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  9. ↑ Fitzloff, Jay (September 1999). "Rising Zan [The Samurai Gunman"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (77). https://www.gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4301. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  10. ↑ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Chau, Anthony "Dangohead"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (July 1999). "Rising Zan [The Samurai Gunman [Import]"]. GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (7): 12. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_07/page/n13/mode/2up. Retrieved November 18, 2020. 
  11. ↑ Ngo, George "Eggo" (July 1999). "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman [Import"]. GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (7): 72–73. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_07/page/n73/mode/2up. Retrieved November 18, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Mielke, James (June 25, 1999). "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman Review [Import; date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rising-zan-the-samurai-gunman-review/1900-2549106/. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  13. ↑ Sanchez, Rick (October 21, 1999). "Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/22/rising-zan-the-samurai-gunman. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lundrigan, Jeff (October 1999). "Rising Zan: [The Samurai Gunman"]. NextGen (Imagine Media) (58): 113. https://archive.org/details/NextGen58Oct1999/page/n113/mode/2up. Retrieved November 18, 2020. 
  15. ↑ Maruyama, Wataru (September 1999). "Rising Zan [The Samurai Gunman"]. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (12): 114. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_12_1999-09_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n115. Retrieved June 11, 2019. 
  16. ↑ "Review: Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman". PSM (Imagine Media). October 1999. 
  17. ↑ GamesRadar US (April 30, 2009). "123 games with untapped franchise potential (Page 5)". Future plc. https://www.gamesradar.com/123-games-with-untapped-franchise-potential/5/. Retrieved June 10, 2019. 
  • 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. 
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