Everybody loves a good rail-shooter. The unique and fixed mechanics make this genre exhilarating for many gamers. Rail-shooters bring a lot to the table. You can enjoy themin nostalgic arcadesor on various consoles. Each game stands out, combining a personal touch with exciting elements and stories.
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Rail-shooters are incredible for those who want an immersive experience. Giving you just a gun (or a similar weapon) and putting you on a fixed path, the game’s limitations don’t change how entertaining they are to play. Besides being intense, being successful in these games require you to pay close attention. With the large category of rail-shooters, there is an engaging story for just about anyone.
10Time Crisis II
Time CrisisII - the second installment in the Time Crisis series fantastically built off of its predecessor. Time Crisis IIintroduced co-op mechanicsfor the franchise and used connecting cabinets so that two players could play at the same time.
The game featured the classic pedal from the first Time Crisis. This pedal served as a way to move and go about shooting enemies. During its release, Time Crisis II was one of Japan’s highest-grossing arcade games. However, the PS2 port had less than favorable reviews. Regardless, Time Crisis II brought in a larger audience and hugely influenced the rest of the series.
9Sin And Punishment
Originally only released in Japan, Sin and Punishment didn’t rightfully receive a wide audience when it first came out. It was released near the end of the Nintendo 64’s life cycle, and many players were already moving to the next console.
Development took longer than usual for its time. Starting with only four people on the team, their hard work eventually paid off in the end. Sin and Punishment can be described as a rail-shooter and a shooting gallery. Despite being so low-brow, it has a legacy of being an intense and unique game that deserved way more.
8Silent Hill: The Arcade
TheSilent Hillrail-shooter sadly never made it onto consoles. This made it a niche piece of the Silent Hill series and an obscure video game overall. However, it’s still a quirky game for fans of the franchise to dive into.
Silent Hill: The Arcade featured two new main characters. However, they play little part in the series itself. The gameplay involves shooting enemies that appeared in previous Silent Hill games. With its reminiscent elements, this game was admittedly a dramatic shift from the original role-play style that fans were used to.
7Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
It’s no surprise that a rail-shooter for theStar Warstrilogy exists. Star Wars Trilogy Arcade is a virtual experience that any Star Wars fan would love. Sadly, though, it never made it past the arcade cabinets.
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Based on the original Star Wars trilogy, the game focused on intense and immersive gameplay as if you were in the films yourself. It had Star Wars-centric themes, on top of including three missions. You could unlock a secret mission alongside fighting incredible bosses such as Boba Fett and Darth Vader. The game is commended for its astonishing ratio between gameplay and story.
Rezis a Japanese rail-shooter that stands out in the sea of all other games in the genre. Developers had decided to take classic rail-shooter mechanics and combine them with elements from rhythm games. Together, this mix created a phenomenal video game.
Each of the four main areas in the game featured musical themes to go along with them. A later limited edition of Rez came with a USB Trance Vibrator peripheral that would shake to the in-game tunes and sound effects. Despite not having the best sales at the time, Rez is an unforgettable rail-shooter.
5Panzer Dragoon
Sadly, the first installment of thePanzer Dragoonseries didn’t do commercially well. Considered to be a rare game in the Sega community, its release on the Sega Saturn was a leading cause behind its failure. Many players missed out on it as the console was unpopular at the time.
But this poor reception shouldn’t stop you, as Panzer Dragoon was an incredible addition to the rail-shooter world. The unique aspect of riding on a dragon, and your weapon being the dragon’s laser, changed how audiences thought about rail-shooters. It showed that these games could be more than gun-driven stories.
Even thoughDead Spacewas such a popular franchise at the time, not a lot of fans got to experience this magnificent addition to the series. After its release on the Wii,Dead Space: Extractionwas later ported to the PS3 alongsideDead Space 2.
The atmosphere of Extraction felt reminiscent of the first Dead Space. Tense gameplay and a thrilling story scratch the surface of what made this game stand out. It had a unique mechanic that involved dismembering Necromorphs to stop them from regenerating. Classic Dead Space weapons, like the Plasma Cutter, were also featured in the game.
3Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
While fans loved theResident Evilrail-shooter, The Umbrella Chronicles, the later installment would capture their hearts even more. Acting as the prequel toResident Evil 4, this game would fill plot holes for the main Resident Evil story.
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Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles was commended for its impressive graphics for the Wii. The great reviews made The Darkside Chronicles go into the public eye and reach a new audience. However, it can be confusing for those who haven’t played the series. This game is perfect in nearly every way, with its familiar story and distinctive mechanics.
2Star Fox 64
While the other games in the series had mixed reception, Nintendo outdid themselves withStar Fox 64. The game is known for being the best-selling one in the entire series. Overall, it’s wonderfully stuck in the many minds of avidNintendo video game players.
The 3D rail-shooter has been remastered and re-imagined a variety of times. Besides its thrilling and intensive gameplay, the levels are magical to explore. Star Fox 64 was behind one of the most memorable experiences in a rail-shooter. Ultimately, Star Fox 64 is simply a masterpiece.
The House of the Dead 2 is arguably the best in the franchise. The story connected wonderfully with the first House of the Dead, as it was a direct sequel. From the gameplay and B-movie environment alone, it’s clear that there was a lot of love put into it.
The House of the Dead 2 released to mixed reviews, but its fantastic legacy lies in its memorable voice acting and campy story. Critics praised the game for its soundtrack and the variety of paths available. On top of this, it’s a perfect game for those who love cheesy horror games.
