RF Generation Message Board

1989 was an important year for the shoot-em-up genre. Not only did arcade technology continue to advance, but many important games were released that year. From Area 88 to Cotton, to sequels like Gradius III, Darius II, and R-Type II, lots of quality shooters released during that time. 1989 also marked the North American release of both the Sega Genesis, and TurgoGrafx-16 consoles. While the former eventually saw healthy success in the West, the latter, unfortunately, never quite took off. Despite its Japanese counterpart, known as the PC Engine, which experienced major popularity and sales in its home country, the Turbo line of consoles barely made a dent elsewhere.

However, there are a handful of TurboGrafx games that are held in high regard, and remembered fondly by enthusiasts, and by people who discovered the system posthumously through collecting, emulation, or services like the Wii Virtual Console. Among those is Blazing Lazers, known in Japan as GunHed. The original Japanese version was based on the film of the same name, though references to the film were removed for the North American version. Although not part of the TurboGrafx 16's August 1989 launch line-up, Blazing Lazers was out by November, and has since become one of the more recognized shmups in the TurboGrafx library. The game was co-developed by Hudson and Compile, and you can definitely see connections to both Hudson's Star Soldier series of games, as well as similarities with Compile's Zanac and Aleste series. Since its release, it has also seen a digital reissue on both the Wii Virtual Console and PSN systems, though both are now unavailable; however, it's still available on the Wii U Virtual Console.

Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in August 2019, and celebrate this classic shooter, 30 years after the launch of the TurboGrafx, and nearly 30 years after its North American release, as we play Blazing Lazers, and its Japanese counterpart, GunHed!

Participants:
MetalFRO
Addicted
Crabmaster2000
Duke.Togo
zoydo
coin_tengoku
Douglie007
dtungsten

High Scores:
1. MetalFRO: 13,11,180
2. zoydo: 4,477,950
3. Duke.Togo: 3,031,470

Yes please

[img width=200 height=150]https://media.giphy.com/media/13DrdRI2JqdoLC/giphy.gif[/img]

Wish I had a way to participate, but I'll have to wait till March (TG16 mini) to dive into this one.

If you have a Wii U, it's on the e-shop. If not, maybe you can enjoy a few streams :D

I'm in. :)

I got to Stage 9 and died in the Boss Rush. It was pretty hard trying to get through that part for me, and I blew through a lot of lives. If I had some bombs left after State 8, it would have helped. I'll try to conserve them more next time.

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/ZdfqKwA.jpg[/img]

I tend to stick with weapon 3 and the shield, and occasionally switching to the Firepower with weapon 3 for the homing shot.

Lost my weapon during the boss rush in Stage 9 and couldn't recover.
I'm still experimenting on my weapon strategy. Weapon III with missiles or pods works good, but my weapon of choice so far is I with missiles.

[img width=500 height=375]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48435927087_572d6e6af1.jpg[/img]

Same story. Good run until the boss rush (St. 9) and died shortly after the stage 1 - boss. It's nearly impossible to recover from this checkpoint.

Also struggled a bit in Stage 5. Maybe i need to change weapons for that, to take out the pyramids more quickly.

[img width=500 height=458]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459504821_8a0fde0b6b.jpg[/img]

The pyramids and Moai heads in 5 will definitely give you trouble, if you're not powered up enough, or prepared for them. That's where my runs have ended thus far, but I've only had time to do a small handful of plays. Hoping to jump back in this evening, and stream some more.

 ;D I'm playing

Haha, welcome coin_tengoku!

I managed to get past Stage 5, and made it to 7, before getting eradicated.

I just got a led screen on my Express.  I might join in and see what I can do with this fine game.

I just did another run and it ended at the exact same spot in Stage 9 as the last two runs. No new score though.

Read some of the manual today. Tidbit of info ... did you know the GunHed weighs in at 80 tons!  Man it moves quick!


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Awesome! Curious to hear your thoughts on the game, once you've dug in a bit.

@coin_tengoku - that's pretty heavy, so yes, the ship is pretty nimble, given the weight :P

Just started it, got to level 2. I am trying to figure out what powers up my gun and what switches it. [img width=700 height=340]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190809/f47927f1aa8f2f6784fb6ba8b65f435f.jpg[/img]

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The numbered power-ups (I-IV) are the different shot types. Pick up more of the same to further power-up that type. Picking up enough purple power chips will also power-up your main shot.

The letter power-ups are modifiers. S is shield, F is Firepower (weapon modifier), M is multi (like Gradius options), H is homing missiles. Some of them have multiple power levels upgraded by picking up more of the same. You also get 1 bomb per modifier pickup.

Power-ups that alternate will turn into screen clearing bombs if shot enough or allowed to move to the bottom of the screen.

Ok, I've think I got it, the only thing I dont know is why I loose my multi sometimes when i get the shield and other times i keep them.

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[img width=480 height=640]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190809/a2ed76369cbb5c102b5931dae5bd3fc8.jpg[/img]

Okay here we go....Area 3 got hard!


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You get a small shield as you power up your weapon, and your weapon will power down with hits. The Shield modifier seems to be time based, with time decreasing faster with hits taken. Not 100% positive on that yet though.

score update: Stage 9 and again my favourite respawn spot...

[img width=500 height=375]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48516756351_ec6165f8f3.jpg[/img]

Awesome job Zoydo!  Area 7 is my wall right now. I thought there were only 8 levels....I have to do more!!!?? Man....I know I may receive criticism since this game is considered a classic but it’s just a little too long for me. Not really enough changing for me to love it. I think I would love it if the levels capped at 7. Maybe if I clear it I’ll change my mind. [img width=480 height=640]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190813/875d141f4c81621e9de798d22e3b6931.jpg[/img]


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Pretty good scores so far, everyone! I had forgotten how hard Area 7 is, and how brutal the bubble stage can get in spots, as well as the boss rush. I remember clearing this fairly easily about a decade ago, or thereabouts. It's certainly giving me more trouble than I anticipated. However, I'm making progress! I got to Area 9 this evening, and my highest score so far.

@coin_tengoku: thanks.^^  You're doing good progress too! Stage 7 can be tough if you loose a life or your weapon. The spot right after the midboss is tricky because of the many turrets. I try bombing them and get the shield powerup somehow, that helps to recover a bit. The stage 7 boss is also a little annoying, when you just got the standart weapon, missiles or the shield thunder make thins easier here.

I got my clear! I managed to pull it out after losing a bunch of lives, but the last boss is, surprisingly, not that difficult. I managed to do so on stream:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJbaYZzWpIc

Skip ahead to here (http://youtu.be/ZJbaYZzWpIc?t=3475) if you want to see the last boss fight. My expression when I beat the boss is kinda priceless  ;D

@MetalFRO: congrats again! :) :beer:

Still stuck in the same spot. It's like a curse...

But at least i raised my score a bit:

[img width=500 height=375]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48568550091_83518c132c.jpg[/img]

Had a good laugh at that reaction!  Thanks for sharing and congrats. That’s a big deal dude. I can’t get past seven still. Oh well maybe it’ll happen by shear luck.


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I've been experimenting with the game, since I got the clear. I did a couple runs where I took every weapon power-up as it came, as indiscriminately as possible. I managed to get reasonably far that way, and I think I might try that again. I did several runs using only the #1 weapon, and a sub-weapon of choice, and got to the end of the boss rush, but didn't quite manage to beat it. I'm trying the same thing with weapon #4, as well. These challenge run ideas are definitely interesting, and I'm hoping I can get a clear on at least one of these ideas.

I keep getting back to that same spot on the last level where all the enemies converge. So close, yet so far.

That's an incredibly difficult spot to navigate! I think my trips through there so far have ended in a few deaths, and only by having enough resources to soldier on, have I been able to get past it, to the last boss. It's a fairly brutal moment, in an otherwise manageable game.

With so many enemies coming up behind you at that point, bombs are pretty useless and if you're stuck with the default weapon or the #4 they give you, it feels brutal. I'll just have to get a better run so I can go into that with decent power.

I've been trying some challenge runs, and it's quite difficult to stick to one weapon, as it is to do an "all weapons" run, where I've been grabbing weapons indiscriminately, as they come along. In Area 5, where there's that gauntlet of Moai heads and other ground installations toward the end of the level, if you die there, good luck with recovery, unless you keep the shield. Without that to ward off all the projectile vomit that comes at you, it becomes a war of attrition just to get through, and I usually end up at the boss with only the default pea shooter and a couple bombs. Even if I stick with a weapon, that spot is very hard to get through, because the hitbox on your ship is not very forgiving, and having either the shield, or a larger shield due to a higher power-up level, just makes it worse.

Just listened to the Strikers 1945 2 Podcast. I keep forgetting to tell you guys how cool it is that you share forum posts during the podcast. You guys are one of a kind and I can’t say I’ve ever listened to another podcast that does that. Thanks so much guys for doing this. You rock!


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Thank you kindly, coin_tengoku! We definitely want to encourage community engagement, so that's a lot of why we include comments from the forum. That said, we didn't come up with the idea, and completely ripped it off from our friends, and fellow podcasters, thesinglebanana and GrayGhost81 here on RFG, from their RF Generation Playcast. As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery :D

I forgot to post it here a couple days ago, but I got another clear of Blazing Lazers, using the #3 weapon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnTzX0lYBpg

And a new high score, to boot! One thing that I've noticed with the game is that is has a rank system, similar to Zanac, which isn't surprising, considering that Compile had a hand in making this game. For example, if you get to the boss in Area 5 with a shield, the purple orbs he throws at you will come at you pretty fast. Similarly, as you power up your main weapon, some areas will be harder, or there will be more thrown at you. Area 8, all the "space bubbles" will be harder to shoot down, if your weapon is powered up, because they'll take more hits to destroy. And all the "bubble fountain" things that look like time/space continuum rips will spit out way more bubbles for you to contend with if you have a shield, or a more high powered weapon. So there's definitely a risk/reward factor in powering up your weapon all the way.

I know it's late but... 998360, made it to level 5

@MetalFRO: That's awesome, congrats! :)

Here's  my final thoughts:

When i played Gunhed for the first time after a few months at the end of july, i got an instant 1cc with the first try. Unluckily i couldn't repeat that for the August Shmup Club. To be honest i haven't played a single run in the last two weeks because i felt a little frustrated, but not because i couldn't clear the game. I always failed at the exact same respawn spot and it always took me an hour or even more to get there. One time i did some experimenting with the weapons in stage 8, to be better prepared at the beginning of stage 9 and that took me more than one and a half hour, just to lose all my extends at my "favourite" spot... I got a nice score with that, but not comparable with the scores you get when you beat the final boss. That made me feel like all the time and effort i spent during the last hours just were totally useless anf wasted. I really enjoyed the game and still do, even would say it's one of the essential shooters if you own a PCE/Turbografx, but playing for score can be very frustrating.

@MetalFRO: when i tweeted my 1cc you replied that GunHed would be an easy clear. I wouldn't agree with you on that. It can be an easy clear if you got a nice weapon-flow (i experienced that myself), but this game can also give you hell. It's very forgiving until the boss rush and it spams you with extra lives, but if you make one mistake during the last stage, those a worth nothing.

Anyways, Gunhed is a great game and i hope to get the CD-version someday, to play the caravan modes. I will definetly come back to the game now and then to play a run or two just for fun, but i don't see me playing it for score or clear anytime soon.

Shoutouts to everyone who cleared the game, posted scores or improved his PB.

I never managed to best my first score of the month, hence no other screenshots even though I played quite a bit.

This game definitely feels like a collaboration between Hudson and Compile, and the results are mostly for the best. Unfortunately, some of the weapons don't seem to be worth the time. From the Start Soldier side, weapon 1 just suffers way too much in most areas due to the lack of penetrating past one hit. It'd situatiotional, but overall a pass. Weapon 2 is really great at coverage, and it's versatility makes it a regular choice for me. More on the Compile side, weapon 3 is my regular go-to. The ability to penetrate and cover the whole screen, as well as moving the shots along with the ship make it very strong. Lastly, #4 seems very situational, and overall the orbs are too ineffective as a shield and too tricky to use offensively.

The secondary power-ups really add a lot to the variety, but I tended to only stick with the shield, as I didn't really have much issue in taking out the enemies on screen with a powered-up weapon, and shield let me keep that. If I still did everything I could to dodge with the shield, I found that I could almost always keep it going until the next one dropped.

I never could crack that really annoying part in stage 9, and the difficulty spike at that point seems almost ridiculous compared to the rest of the stage. I get the onslaught, but from watching the end boss, it seems the toughest part is just getting past that last gauntlet to fight it.

Overall, great game. The stages are a bit too long for my liking, but it stands up.

Thanks for the great final thoughts, guys! And it's never too late, dtungsten! Anyone's welcome to jump in whenever they have a chance to play.