Zero Gunner 2: in the 4am zone!

[Eps]

Now, I love shooting games. However, I'm very good at self-control; I always stop playing when I 'should'. So, it's been a long time since any game put me in...

THE 4AM ZONE!

You know the one:

11pm: "I'll just have a quick blast on Zero Gunner 2 before I go to bed."
12pm: "Gnnn!! Must stop running into bullets stupidly!"
1am: "I wonder how easy Child mode is?"
1:05am: "Right, okay, fuck that: how about Very Hard?"
1:15am: "Er.. maybe I'm best off sticking with Arcade."
3am: "Right, I'm DEFINITELY going to bed now."
4am: " "

ZG2 is one of the most addictive games I've ever played, and its effect on my bedtimes has the potential to be catastrophic. Surely I can't be the only one similarly afflicted. So, dear readers, I should like to ask this: irrespective of how great or 'worthy' you think other games might be -- what shooting games put you in The 4am Zone?

[SuperGrafx]

Now, I love shooting games. However, I'm very good at self-control; I always stop playing when I 'should'. So, it's been a long time since any game put me in...

THE 4AM ZONE!

You know the one:

11pm: "I'll just have a quick blast on Zero Gunner 2 before I go to bed."
12pm: "Gnnn!! Must stop running into bullets stupidly!"
1am: "I wonder how easy Child mode is?"
1:05am: "Right, okay, fuck that: how about Very Hard?"
1:15am: "Er.. maybe I'm best off sticking with Arcade."
3am: "Right, I'm DEFINITELY going to bed now."
4am: " "

ZG2 is one of the most addictive games I've ever played, and its effect on my bedtimes has the potential to be catastrophic. Surely I can't be the only one similarly afflicted. So, dear readers, I should like to ask this: irrespective of how great or 'worthy' you think other games might be -- what shooting games put you in The 4am Zone?

Blazing Lazers & Final Soldier (TG16/PCE)

And more recently, Under Defeat (DC)...such a great game.

[D]

What about Zero Gunner3? a.k.a. Under Defeat
It's not really Zero Gunner 3, more like Zero Gunner 4. It feels like it came from the future.
Remember that Cher video - "If I could turn back time"?
Now you get to blow up those ships she was singin on.
If you want you can imagine she's in the game

[howmuchkeefe]

I haven't been that way about any game since I was 18. I'll spend all day playing a game, mind you, but it's been a long time since I've sacrificed more than two hours of sleep for one.

It's weird... my father used to stay up all night playing the original Civilization, and he was in his 40s at the time. So, I can't really blame it on age, like I was going to until I remembered this.

I guess I find sleep more addictive than video games.

[Ganelon]

I wish I was more like you; sleeping more would do me a lot of good. MMOs are the prime culprits for this sort of thing, which is why I've long prevented myself from playing them.

[LSU]

Coincidentally I've also been staying up far too late the last few weeks, completely and utterly addicted to one game - the other heli one - Under Defeat. This is the first time in several years that I've been completely compulsive about playing something. The time just flies by, can't put it down. Completely amazing game. Can't wait to see what G.Rev does next.

[raiden]

I haven't been that way about any game since I was 18. I'll spend all day playing a game, mind you, but it's been a long time since I've sacrificed more than two hours of sleep for one.
I guess I find sleep more addictive than video games.

same here. On very rare occasions I play into the night on weekends. But when I have to work the next day and it´s approaching 12 o´clock, I always imagine how it will be when I don´t get at least 5 hours, and go to bed immediately. I´m always tired enough as well, there´s been many a party where I´ve taken a nap between 12pm and 3am or something like that.

[Bingo]

The only games that will do this are MMORPGS. That's why I quit playing them. Granted, they're the 24/7 zone, not the 04AM zone. As for regular gaming, sleep is more addictive, especially since I can't shrug off sleep deprivation like I used to. With regular trips to the gym 4-hour-nights are kicking my ass so hard I'm back home praying to the pillow gods for forgiveness faster than you can say "french shower before class". Those were the days!

Shmups I can't even play at night, has me exploring hitherto unknown dimensions of suck. Last time I tried was Under Defeat at around 1AM. It ended with me...well it ended soon. When Raiden came out on the PSX some 11 years ago a friend and me used to play that thing all night, completely baked. To this day I can't equal what we pulled off then in any state of consciousness, at any time of day or night.

[Soldato J]

still laughing at the first post....I was in the 4am zone on Monday night with my new copy of Dragon Blaze/Sol Divide

Also, lately now that I think about it I have been staying up until 3 or 4 when I have to wake the next day for work at 630 more often than I should. The culprits:

aforementioned Dragon Blaze
Under Defeat
Raiden III
Varth on PSP (dammit this game frustrates me)
Steel Empire on GBA
and mushi had been getting lots of my time, but lately none of it

[LoneSage]

X-Multiply a few weeks ago in the 4AM zone; by the end I didn't feel like I was in my body.

Tentacles were getting to me.

[Limbrooke]

I can only recall one shooter that has ever taken me into the 4am zone. Make that the 7am zone infact. I brought Ikaruga(DC) over to my friends house not long after I got it and we played from 11pm onward. To this day I don't know how I did it I without having my fill, but I suppose it was that engrossing.
I now have about 22 hours played in Ikaruga and my friend has over 250 IIRC.

[Twiddle]

battle garegga

[CIT]

I think Batsugun was the last shooter with that effect on me.

Every once in a while I like to pull an all nighter with a Horror or Adventure game, like Project Zero or Snatcher. It just really goes with the atmosphere.

Actually Rayfore, Metal Black and Einhänder are really good shooters in this respect.

[Specineff]

X-Multiply a few weeks ago in the 4AM zone; by the end I didn't feel like I was in my body.

Tentacles were getting to me.

Good to know they weren't getting into you.

[EOJ]

Not a shmup but I've been playing Grev's Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker (JP DC) into the wee hours a few nights this past week. I told myself "okay, I'll just play for a half hour", then 2-3 hours fly by. Such an addictive game. Grev rules.

[landshark]

The 4am zone keeps happening to me with Oblivion.

However, my best shmup games happen when I come home late at night and play a single game at like 2am. I've gotten 2 of my best Strikers 1999 scores this way.