Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
| Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman | |
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| Developer(s) | UEP Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Agetec |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | September 30, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman is an action-adventure game developed by UEP Systems and published by Agetec for the PlayStation in 1999. The story (narrated by Terence McGovern) is notable for its mix of both eastern and western idiosyncrasy, most notably in the protagonist Zan (voiced by Greg Weber), who has traits of both a Japanese samurai and a Wild West gunslinger.
The game was also unique in that it had its own opening theme song with complete, sung lyrics, lending the game the vibe of a Western TV show from the 50s and 60s. The coda of the song also played at the end of each level.
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[edit] Gameplay
Protagonist Zan fights using a revolver named "Johnny No More" (also the title of the game's theme song) in his left hand and a katana named "Demon Slayer" in his right.
The player can rescue hostages scattered around the level, perform several combos combining sword and gun attacks and make "All Button Events" in which all buttons in the controller must be pressed quickly to fill a bar in a limited time. Zan also has a bar that raises several levels, which allows him to execute "Hustle Mode" in which his sword grows to a much longer length, his attack power increases, and his speed shoots up considerably, allowing him to run and attack at extremely high speeds.
These actions, when completed successfully, reward extra score to the player, score which is summed at the end of each level and evaluates the player's performance by giving him/her a ranking. This varies form the lowest rank of "Chicken" to the highest rank of "Super Ultra Sexy Hero". If the player completes the game with a high ranking, several extra features can be unlocked.
[edit] Reception
As of September 2010, Rising Zan holds the average score of 68.81% according to GameRankings, with moderate praise for its original premise and quirky humor tempered greatly with rampant criticism of the game's many technical shortcomings and unpolished execution.[1] However, it has a user review rating average of 8.0 and a 7.2 user score average at website GameFAQs, suggesting that it may be a cult favorite among fans despite a mostly poor critical reception.
