Hotdog Storm

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Andy 5
Posts: 56
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:15 am
Location: Oakland, CA
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Hotdog Storm

Post by Andy 5 »

Despite the (bizarre) name, very little of it has to do with hotdogs. However, I think it is one of the most well-rounded shmups I've played in a long time. Starting off, you can see a small, blue ship flying next to two large green mecha. They then proceed to gun down a fleet of attacking ships bofore the title screen appears, depicting a large hotdog with all the condiments on it. Playing this game makes me hungry!

The first thing I noticed about this game was that they chose to give it old video game-sounding music, even though the game itself is fairly recent (1996.) The music sounds like it came straight off of a Sega Gamegear. This is sort of a nice change from the ordinary. The sound in the game is pretty much what you'd expect in a top-scrolling shooter, with explosions, shooting sounds, and the noises the powerups make, although I find the explosion sound effect to be a bit annoying.

The thing I like most about the game is its graphics. In other words, this isn't a game like, for example, Blue Hawk, where it's fun but the graphics are somewhat dull. Neither is it like DoDonPachi, where it has super-colorful, super-detailed graphics with harsh edges and angles. DoDonPachi-quality graphics work well for certain games, but not for a good average top-scrolling shooter like this one. This is one top-scroller with, in my opinion, the best graphics in its class. I really like the mecha designs for your ship, the enemies and bosses, and the larger ships and fortresses you visit. Some ships totally make sense why they're in the air, since they are shown with a large fan on them. There are some other enemies that look like green mobile suits. The bosses are rock-solid as well. That said, I was disappointed by the final boss. I'm one gamer who likes his bosses big, and his final bosses GARGANTUAN, the kind of bosses who usually take up half the screen, are stationary, and have multiple stages of battle...and when you defeat them, the whole level blows up and you jet the *&%$ outta there! But alas, this boss does none of that. He is challenging, I will give him that.

The colors couldn't be better, either. You also get to see the nameless pilots who fly the ships after you beat each level. There's a boy with a blue headband and suit, and a girl with a red suit. What is it with 80s and 90s heroes and headbands? So many stars of shooters wear headbands: Bill Rizer from Contra, Blue from Gunstar Heroes, Marco from Metal Slug, Jackal from Shock Troopers, and this guy too. Are they trying to copy Rambo or something?

Gameplay is pretty average, but fun. Button A fires your weapon, button B fires a bomb, and if you hold down button A while you have certain powerups, you can fire a special attack. You unfortunately, like most shooters, die in one hit, but as long as you keep putting in new credits, you've got nothing to worry about, since there's unlimited continues, unlike many games from the 80s. This game seems to combine elements from regular and manic shooters. Bosses spew huge patterns of bullets at you, but standard enemies fire more reasonable volleys. Like many manic shooters, you can collect gold tokens, in the form of lightning bolts.

Other powerups include red, green, and orange capsules that, when collected, give you two options that float on either side of your ship and provide supporting fire. The red capsule gives you two red spheres that shoot red lasers at the enemy. Charge it up and they scatter red energy balls all over the screen. The green capsule gives you two green mechanical-looking things (presumably the green robots found in the intro scene) that launch green balls at the enemy. Charge it up and they rapidly fire green balls that home in on the enemy. Finally, the orange capsule gives you two dagger-shaped pods that shoot explosive shells at the enemy. Charge it up and they fire a huge cone of orange shots that looks really impressive. By collecting multiple capsules of the same color you can raise your power up to 3 times. Other powerups are bombs and weapon upgrades. One thing I don't like, though, is how after a while, a capsule will break apart if you don't collect it. That always made me feel sorry for the capsules (yes I know, I'm quirky.)

Like many games of its kind, Hotdog storm doesn't have a plot. I, however, like to make up my own. The evil armada has built a giant robot (the final boss) that plans to squander your peoples' supply of hotdogs. It's up to you, the ace pilot Akira (my name for the headband guy) to team up with your girlfriend Lily (the girl,) to take back your beloved frankfurters. When you've beaten the game you're rewarded with a screen showing your two pilots, as well as a later screen showing hotdogs, ketchup and mustard flying around the screen, like some really bizarre screensaver.

All in all, I like this game a lot, and I really think that obscure arcade shooters deserve more respect than they are getting. I'd gladly take Hotdog Storm or Bells and Whistles over True Crime: Streets of LA or 50 Cent: Bulletproof or any of the 21st century's ghetto-street-banging games any day. After all, hotdogs are just too tasty to pass up.
And no pickles! Oh god help you if I find pickles!
-Stewie Griffin
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