Critical Force

Gunblazers: Shoot on Sight is a 3D light gun rail shooter developed and published by ACS. Released in 1997 for Arcades (ACS TGX Modeller System) and the PlayStation as an exclusive title.

Gameplay
The main objective of Gunblazers is to shoot as many on-screen enemies as the player can using a gun controller wired into the cabinet. The game uses light-based gun controllers, which uses a built-in optical sensor into the gun, to receive its input from the light emitted by on-screen targets.

From time to time, various enemies appear on-screen which attack the player in various ways, which the players then must shoot in order to move on to the next screen or else they damage. Most enemies are distinguished by their face-covering clothing and accessories such as sunglasses or ski masks, though boss characters usually have their faces bare.

By default, standard enemies will take three seconds after appearing on-screen before firing at the player. The game uses a dynamic difficulty system that makes it so that shooting at standard enemies would shorten the timer for a milisecond, making it harder and harder for the player to avoid taking damage. This timer eventually resets after taking damage or as the level ends.

There are also “elite” enemies that give way less leeway and fire 1.5 seconds upon appearing on-screen. Enemies using melee weapons take 2 seconds before attacking, but are usually easier to spot because of their motions and being close to the screen. Enemies using throwing weapons and/or explosive artillery have visible ammunition that the players must shoot to avert damage. Same goes for most of the bosses in the game.

Sometimes, in the middle of the ongoing shootout, civilians can be seen appearing and leaving the premises, distinguished from the enemies by their bare faces. Shooting at civilians would lead to a score penalty and the player losing a life. Thus, the players must avoid shooting these civilians in order to get a bonus at the end of the level.

Players start off using handguns, each holding a capacity of six bullets. When all six bullets are spent, the words “Reload” will flash on-screen, and the player will be unable to shoot enemies. To reload their gun, players simply have to shoot off-screen to reload.

Gunblazers' main dinstinctive gameplay feature is the "Magnum Shot". By holding down the trigger for an extended period of time, a small meter will appear on the player's side, which quickly fills up as the player holds down the trigger. Upon releasing the trigger while the meter is full, the player will fire out a powerful shot that deals double the damage of a regular bullet. Firing a Magnum Shot would still cost one bullet.

Each player starts off with three lives by default, as denoted by a set of three medikits located on the corner of the screen. Upon taking damage from either being shot by an enemy or shooting a civilian by accident, the player loses a life. The player can replenish their lives by either shooting boxes scattered around the area to reveal medikits, or getting end-of-level bonuses.

The PlayStation home port of the game is compatible with both Namco’s GunCon and Konami’s Justifier/Hyper Blaster light gun peripherals.

Weapons
Along the way, players can pick up special weapons that increase their firepower and firing rate in various ways. These special weapons can be used for five reloads or until the player is shot, after which, the player reverts to the standard handgun. The Magnum Shot cannot be done with these special weapons.

The player can pick up these special weapons by either shooting boxes scattered around the area to reveal the hidden special weapons, or killing “Elite” enemies, who would then drop these special weapons.

Bullets: 6
 * Shotgun

Bullets: 30
 * Machinegun

Bullets: 3
 * Grenade

Story
In Washington D.C., USA. a liberation front known simply as “the Libertad” has completely overrun the White House, kidnapping the President of the United States and planting a bomb deep inside the White House, set to blow up in 24 hours. If the bomb explodes, the White House will be destroyed and the entire country might fall into the hands of the Libertad and its leader, the mysterious General X.

In response, the government-led secret agency Shoot on Sight (S.O.S.) decides to send two of their agents, Gino Alfonso and John Greyson, on a mission to defuse the bomb in the White House, rescue the president, and stop the ongoing terrorist threat before it’s too late.

S.O.S. Agents
Shoot on Sight (often abbreviated to S.O.S.) is a top-secret government agency consisting of some of the world’s greatest special agents, known for their impeccable marksmanship skills. Their goal is to take out large-scale crime organizations and possible world threats.

The player 1 character. An agent of Italian descent serving for the S.O.S., Gino is known for his dashing looks and marksmanship skills.
 * Gino Alfonso

The player 2 character. A brand-new recruit of the S.O.S., John has proven that he is more than capable of taking care of sticky situations.
 * John Greyson

The Libertad
The Libertad is an organization who seeks to overthrow the US government and claim it as their own. The Libertad previously took part in various terrorist attacks and assassinations to achieve their goals.

The boss of Mission 1. A musclebound, shirtless mercenary carrying a rocket launcher and several grenades.
 * Dutch Roller


 * Handsome Jay

The boss of Mission 2. A good-looking but deranged assassin that moves quickly and fights with throwing knives.


 * Arsenal

The boss of Mission 3. A man who operates a large tank armed with all sorts of heavy artilery.


 * General X

The boss of Mission 4. The leader of the Libertad and the man responsible for the crisis in Washington D.C.

Others
The president of the USA, as his name suggests, he has been kidnapped and held captive by the Libertad. His name is never mentioned in-game.
 * The President of the United States of America

Missions

 * Mission 1: The Panic Streets

With chaos spreading throughout the streets of Washington D.C., the S.O.S. agents must take out the terrorist threat that causes it.

Boss: Dutch Roller

The Libertad has completely taken over the nearby Liberty Mall, now it’s up to the S.O.S. agents to take these terrorists out of the equation.
 * Mission 2: The Liberty Mall

Boss: Handsome Jay

The S.O.S. agents must find a way to travel through the White House in the fastest way possible, but the agents aren’t alone in this trip.
 * Mission 3: The Train Station

Boss: Arsenal

Now in the White House, the S.O.S. agents must find ther way to the basement, defuse the bomb and rescue the President.
 * Mission 4: The White House

Boss: General X

Trivia

 * Several references to other ACS games can be seen all over the game. For example, a poster for Legendary Blades can be seen in the Liberty Mall stage.


 * The gun controllers in the arcade version feature a blowback feature that emulates a real-life handgun’s recoil, similar to the ones used in Namco’s Time Crisis series. This feature wasn’t retained in the console versions.


 * The PlayStation version features a second campaign called “Another Mission”, which features a new set of stages and a brand new storyline. The story for the Another Mission campaign isn’t canon.