Zero Gunner 2 on Steam

[PooshhMao]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1342 ... _GUNNER_2/

Just when I was thinking about setting up a Dreamcast/Naomi emulator just to be able to play this one again, news arrived that it'll land on Steam on 21/12, which made me quite happy.

Although I can't help but feel a little disappointed that, upgraded graphics and 16:9 resolution aside, it appears to be a straight port. The original control scheme was devised so it would work with an arcade stick and three buttons. Modern controllers have a lot of potential to improve on this - say, rotating with the L/R shoulder buttons or why not full blown twin stick controls altogether? - but then again the control scheme is what distinguishes Zero Gunner 2, I suppose. And improved controls would also require rebalancing the difficulty.

[Buffi]

Its not a straight port. Its the awful ZG2- version thats also on switch afaik.
They basically rewrote the game, made it much easier, removed second loop and overall just made it play weird.

[xxx1993]

Hey, at least ZG2- is better than nothing... The "-" is there for a reason, and it's not because it's a bad thing.

[SriK]

Does anyone know how the hardest difficulty on the Steam version ("7 - VERY HARD") compares to the arcade game? I've just read here that they nerfed the difficulty on this port (i.e. that difficulty "5 - ARCADE" is not actually arcade-difficulty), hence the minus sign on the title, but is the hardest mode at least a comparable challenge? Very Hard at least feels significantly harder than the so-called Arcade mode, on this port.

INCREDIBLE game, by the way. There should be a hundred more like it. But it just feels like I'm making progress a bit too quickly. Let me know if this port is a good enough approximation of the original experience, and if it's not I guess I'll have to set up Naomi emulation.

P.S. Twin-stick controls would ruin this game. Maybe you could make a similar game which uses the L/R shoulder buttons to rotate, so you maintain fully digital control, but then you move past what a conventional arcade setup can comfortably accommodate. It might work with a rotary joystick, but I wouldn't know for sure, as I've never had the chance to play a game which uses one.

[SPM]

It's still easier (to the point of being a bit dull) than the arcade game. Better than nothing, maybe, but not good enough to dive deep (I'd say it's fine for 5-10h, but the arcade game has way more potential). Its control scheme still makes it fun to play though (I love that mechanic).

One thing that really bothers me is the lackluster scoring system. In the original there's a risk/reward mechanic that is missing here: you get more medals if you kill the enemies later, having to deal with more bullets (this gives those parts of the game you've already mastered a new layer, much more challenging and engaging, and change the way you approach it). This also makes this game stand out among its Psikyo peers where aggressive speed-killing is key.

[Mortificator]

It would actually be useful if downgraded ports started putting minus signs in their titles, but I somehow doubt other publishers will follow suit.