Armed Police Unit Gallop / Irem

[jase25]

Hi. At the mo im going through a bit of an Irem phase, im loving In the Hunt, R-Type Leo and X-Multiply, and Geostorm and Fire Barrel are on my 'most wanted' list. I just purchased Armed Police Unit Gallop on Yahoo Japan:

http://shoppingmalljapan.com/cgi-bin/de ... apan_osaka

It was a bit of an impulse buy as I only spotted the auction an hour before it ended. I haven't had much experience with the game, I've tried it briefly on Mame and really like the typical Irem graphical style but it seems hard as nails. Reviews on the web seem mixed, some being quite negative. Im really looking forward to spending some time with this and would really like to hear other peoples opinions on the game.

Thanks,
Jase

[Klatrymadon]

I've always had a lot of fun with Gallop, and the art direction and music are fantastic. Everything's much bulkier than in R-Type or X-Multiply, so there's usually only one type of threat on the screen at any given time, and there isn't too much in the way of actual dodging to do, all of which makes the game feel like a "Memoriser Lite" in some ways. That's not to say it's particularly easy, though - a single-credit run will still require a good amount of practice. One thing that might take some getting used to is that about a quarter of the screen on the right is inaccessible to your ship (possibly to stop you from sitting over the bosses and spamming them with missiles, or just to make sure you don't continually crash into oncoming enemies), which, given the amount of on-screen real estate you already occupy, can make things feel a bit claustrophobic, but the game's designed in such a way that it never really feels like a hindrance.

I think you've made an ace purchase, mate; have fun with it!

[jase25]

Thanks for your reply Klatrymadon. Its great to hear some positive comments about the game and im glad I took a chance on it. It seems strange the game never got a home port, especially considering its close links to the R-Type series. Im loving classic 80's/90's Irem arcade games and I can't wait to play it!

[lgb]

it's not very much like R-Type, it was done by the Nazca team (there are multiple "irem graphical styles") and is only somewhat related to the R-Type storyline

[MathU]

The key to really enjoying Cosmic Cop/Gallop is getting a feel for how to manipulate your ship's speed (or enemies', whichever way you want to look at it) by moving your ship horizontally on the screen. I think the review on this site for it is terrible, and it's not nearly as hard as some make it out to be. Scoring well requires delicate memorization, but I really don't think a lot more than any other shooter. The laser can bail you out of trouble often. When you good at it the game is a thrill ride every time you play it. Heck, it's even fun just to watch someone play it well!

Also, the hitbox for your ship is not nearly as big as you may think. You can see for yourself in this shameless plug for a couple videos of mine:
Part 1
Part 2

[Ed Oscuro]

Irem has a fine history of games that reward (and punish) you for going further to the right (and faster): Moon Patrol, Horizon, and this one. But it's tough only having two dimensions to play in when you want to go for the best score. You feel like you're some meathead jumpin' up an' down like Kim Jong Il trying to see over Bill Clinton's head; he's just a crazy man wants to destroy the world. That's just turrible. Having only two dimensions is crazy bad. The game is fun though but the weapon system ought to be more in-depth considering this (if there ever was a game that might profit from aimable options...well, that might make it worse, but I tried).

[jase25]

Some very impressive vids MathU, thanks very much for sharing them!

[Ghegs]

Also, the hitbox for your ship is not nearly as big as you may think. You can see for yourself in this shameless plug for a couple videos of mine:
Part 1
Part 2

Oh heh, I actually watched these videos few weeks back when I was curious about the game. Didn't realize they were from a forum member. Good job.

[Klatrymadon]

Excellent play, MathU! I'm tempted to watch these videos a few more times and start playing it again myself, after I've squeezed a few more points out of my Metal Black 1CC.

(You've put 1996 as the release date in your description, by the way.)

[Aguraki]

I played this game a few times and am very attracted by the atmosphear/general design (I love In the Hunt too) but really know nothing about it.
Gonna watch your replays on youtube and try to give him more than a chance.

I've looked for a strategy thread and a hi-score thread and both are missing(or please link if somehow I missed them).
Not many people playing it?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Last Resort's graphics look a lot like those of Armed Police Unit Gallop.

[Drum]

Been dabbling in this lately and am liking it a lot. Homing laser is fun, way less reliant on memorisation than R-Type and the game feels fast-paced even when you're going slow. One of Irem's very best horis, up there with X-Multiply and Dragon Breed.

[esreveR]

Last Resort's graphics look a lot like those of Armed Police Unit Gallop.

That's because the same developers made both.

Nazca's pretty much made every game with decent graphics.