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THE SHOOT (PS3)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Cohort Studios. Released: October 2010. Genre: Gallery Shooter. Posted 18th May 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
The Shoot is proof that you should never judge a book (or in this case, a rather innocuous-looking video game) by its cover. Essentially a guinea-pig for the PlayStation Move’s shooter credentials, it contains, much like the marvellous Sports Champions before it, the kind of clinical presentation that’s as casual as its perceived audience. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, many were quick to dismiss Cohort Studios’ gallery shooter, casting it aside with little more than a cursory acknowledgement.
But if you did buy The Shoot expecting a neat tech demo for your motion controller, you may be surprised to find you have a bonafide game on your hands. The title is a double ententre: shoot a movie, shoot a gun. There are five ‘movies’, each riffing on a different cinematic theme, including science-fiction, a gangster flick and the obligatory B-Movie horror, haunted house ‘n’ all.
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It’s hard to pinpoint precisely why I’m so enamoured with The Shoot. Perhaps there’s the lingering buzz of being able to play lightgun-style games without having to dust off an old copy of Time Crisis, or venturing out to your old arcade to see if they’ve still got that partially-functioning version of Lethal Enforcers. With every scene comes a new, miniature burst of pure shoot ‘em up fun and the thrill of pointing the gun at the screen, waiting for the action to begin takes a while to subside.
The manner in which The Shoot challenges the gamer is perhaps the most surprising, and praiseworthy, of its attributes. In many respects, The Shoot reveals itself to more of a purist’s (or certainly, perfectionist’s) blaster than either House of the Dead or Time Crisis. The reason? It specifically rewards not only the player’s survival, but their aptitude and accuracy with a gun. Its great strength in this regard is that it caters for a broad range of gamers, in different ways. For less ardent players, five lives (or ‘takes’) makes for a gentle learning curve, allowing progress through scenes as The Shoot rarely subjects you to a bombardment of bullets. Instead, the real art to scoring comes from stringing kill combos together without missing targets, as a designated score is required in order to progress to the next movie. This prompts multiple runs and the need to learn the levels, with real satisfaction derived from improvements in both performance and score.
The manner in which The Shoot challenges the gamer is perhaps the most surprising, and praiseworthy, of its attributes. In many respects, The Shoot reveals itself to more of a purist’s (or certainly, perfectionist’s) blaster than either House of the Dead or Time Crisis. The reason? It specifically rewards not only the player’s survival, but their aptitude and accuracy with a gun. Its great strength in this regard is that it caters for a broad range of gamers, in different ways. For less ardent players, five lives (or ‘takes’) makes for a gentle learning curve, allowing progress through scenes as The Shoot rarely subjects you to a bombardment of bullets. Instead, the real art to scoring comes from stringing kill combos together without missing targets, as a designated score is required in order to progress to the next movie. This prompts multiple runs and the need to learn the levels, with real satisfaction derived from improvements in both performance and score.
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The aiming is a smidgen slower than the player’s own movements, meaning it’s important to follow the on-screen reticle, something that takes a few goes to adapt to. Elsewhere, it makes mostly very solid use of the Move motion controller. Occasionally, you’ll be prompted to lean one way or the other to dodge projectiles, which works smoothly, whilst there’s also a trio of special moves designed to aid scoring potential. ‘Showtime’ is the most common, a brief period of slow-motion activated by spinning on the spot; ‘Shockwave’ dispatches everything on screen when you shoot at the floor, whilst the awesome ‘Rampage’ turns everything sepia and grants a short period of rapid-fire mayhem, which sees scores going through the roof. All of these are hearty fun, although on occasions, these off-screen gestures cause the motion controller’s calibration to go a bit haywire. Occasionally, if there are lots of targets close together, bullets fired in quick succession during a Showtime won’t always register as hits, ruining kill-chains in a needlessly frustrating manner.
The Shoot is home to an extensive, generous trove of content, far more than you’d expect of an early Move release. Remember the days when arcade shooters would have half a dozen levels and that was your lot? The Shoot goes a lot further, offering a whopping twenty, four for each of its five movies. The themes follow mostly recognisable motifs but offer enough variety and charm to be replayed plentifully. ‘Outlawed’ opens things in the Wild West and is the most accessible, enjoyable setting due to the more sedate enemies and an abundance of explosive barrels to aim for.
There’s little to criticise about the levels, save for a slight imbalance in the difficulty. ‘Robotomus Crime’, the second movie, is tricky because the majority of the enemy robots need to be dispatched with a headshot, making combo-building tricky. It took me two or three runs before I accrued enough points to unlock the next movie.
The Shoot is home to an extensive, generous trove of content, far more than you’d expect of an early Move release. Remember the days when arcade shooters would have half a dozen levels and that was your lot? The Shoot goes a lot further, offering a whopping twenty, four for each of its five movies. The themes follow mostly recognisable motifs but offer enough variety and charm to be replayed plentifully. ‘Outlawed’ opens things in the Wild West and is the most accessible, enjoyable setting due to the more sedate enemies and an abundance of explosive barrels to aim for.
There’s little to criticise about the levels, save for a slight imbalance in the difficulty. ‘Robotomus Crime’, the second movie, is tricky because the majority of the enemy robots need to be dispatched with a headshot, making combo-building tricky. It took me two or three runs before I accrued enough points to unlock the next movie.
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Bright, chunky levels and enemy cut-outs mean it’s presented less like an action movie feel and more like a carnival, though this vibe does work. The Shoot does succumb to frame-rate dips now and again. To some, the idea of shooting gallery targets will seem a touch staid, but Cohort Studios deserve credit for creating a lightgun game that is inclusive to all levels experience, recognising that there are gamers out there who remember the quick bursts of fun nineties arcade games offered, and want something lighter than the full-on bloodbaths that often dominate the genre.
Before long, you’ll be hooked on improving high-scores. This is as much of a pleasure as anything else and captures the spirit of what arcade gaming is about. Score Attack mode allows you to tackle the twenty scenes individually, awarding grades based on player performance, and by posting your top scores online, ensures yet more time-sapping ventures into adding a few more points to your best. The two-player mode doesn’t really fit the nature of the game’s scoring system, as you inevitably end up trying to shoot the same foes at the cost of combo opportunities, so perhaps the scoring should have been adapted for co-op. It’s a minor disappointment that there aren’t any online multiplayer options, though the same troubles would likely have marred it all the same.
Substantial enough in terms of content and high-score opportunities to entice shoot ‘em up fans, whilst accessible enough to encourage less experienced players, The Shoot is a rare example of a game that caters well for players right across the spectrum. It’s not the prettiest, nor is it graced with the high-end budget of the films it knowingly parodies, but whilst it isn’t going to wow people into buying Sony’s motion controller on its own, it’s a must-play for anyone who already has one, with plenty of enjoyment to be found at a very reasonable price.
Before long, you’ll be hooked on improving high-scores. This is as much of a pleasure as anything else and captures the spirit of what arcade gaming is about. Score Attack mode allows you to tackle the twenty scenes individually, awarding grades based on player performance, and by posting your top scores online, ensures yet more time-sapping ventures into adding a few more points to your best. The two-player mode doesn’t really fit the nature of the game’s scoring system, as you inevitably end up trying to shoot the same foes at the cost of combo opportunities, so perhaps the scoring should have been adapted for co-op. It’s a minor disappointment that there aren’t any online multiplayer options, though the same troubles would likely have marred it all the same.
Substantial enough in terms of content and high-score opportunities to entice shoot ‘em up fans, whilst accessible enough to encourage less experienced players, The Shoot is a rare example of a game that caters well for players right across the spectrum. It’s not the prettiest, nor is it graced with the high-end budget of the films it knowingly parodies, but whilst it isn’t going to wow people into buying Sony’s motion controller on its own, it’s a must-play for anyone who already has one, with plenty of enjoyment to be found at a very reasonable price.
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VERDICT
Visual: 5/10
Audio: 4/10 Gameplay: 7/10 Longevity: 8/10 OVERALL: 7/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: THE SHOOT (PS3)
The Shoot stands as one of the stronger games to utilise the PlayStation Move controller. While the premise of a literal shooting gallery may seem bland on surface inspection, Cohort Studios would implement a few neat touches to give it more legs than a lot of rail shooters of the time. You’re tasked with blasting cardboard enemies, leaving innocents unharmed and racking up a combo to impress the director, who will cancel the shoot, should you screw up too much. The reward of power-ups, ranging from slowing down time to pulverising everything on-screen, provide incentive to improving accuracy and dodging, making for a tough yet addictive system to master. Performing these with Move controller motions works mostly quite well, bar the 360-degree spin which is awkward. Thanks to the charming slew of movie parodies, it’s hard not to come away from this one with a smile on your face. While a lack of technical polish and some misguided mini-games are a touch disappointing, most should be able to enjoy this one despite these issues. If you’re looking for a rootin’ tootin’ shooting gallery to keep you busy for a little while, this one is definitely worth fishing out your Move controller for. [7] – Shane Battams © 2020
The Shoot stands as one of the stronger games to utilise the PlayStation Move controller. While the premise of a literal shooting gallery may seem bland on surface inspection, Cohort Studios would implement a few neat touches to give it more legs than a lot of rail shooters of the time. You’re tasked with blasting cardboard enemies, leaving innocents unharmed and racking up a combo to impress the director, who will cancel the shoot, should you screw up too much. The reward of power-ups, ranging from slowing down time to pulverising everything on-screen, provide incentive to improving accuracy and dodging, making for a tough yet addictive system to master. Performing these with Move controller motions works mostly quite well, bar the 360-degree spin which is awkward. Thanks to the charming slew of movie parodies, it’s hard not to come away from this one with a smile on your face. While a lack of technical polish and some misguided mini-games are a touch disappointing, most should be able to enjoy this one despite these issues. If you’re looking for a rootin’ tootin’ shooting gallery to keep you busy for a little while, this one is definitely worth fishing out your Move controller for. [7] – Shane Battams © 2020