Rush'n Attack

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Green Beret (a.k.a. Rush'n Attack)
Rush'n Attack artwork.PNG
North American arcade poster
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Composer(s)Kiyohiro Sada, Shinya Sakamoto, Iku Mizutani, Satoe Terashima, Masanori Adachi (NES)[7]
Platform(s)Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom Disk System, PlayChoice-10, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Plus/4, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, MSX, Thomson, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade), Mobile, Switch
ReleaseArcade
Famicom Disk System
NES
Genre(s)Run-and-gun
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Green Beret[a] is a run and gun game developed and released by Konami in arcades in 1985.[8] It was ported to home systems, becoming a critical and commercial success for arcades and home computers. It was released as Green Beret internationally, and as Rush'n Attack in the West as a play on "Russian attack" due to its Cold War setting.

Gameplay[]

The player(s) take on the roles of the United States special operations Green Berets (named Steve and Ben on the Japanese Famicom ad poster) who are infiltrating an enemy military base to save POWs from execution by firing squad. There are four stages, each ending with a special group of ambushers:

  1. Marshalling Area, ends with a truckload of jump-kicking enemies
  2. Harbor, ends with a pack of German Shepherds
  3. Air Base, ends with three autogyros
  4. Siberian Camp, ends with a flame thrower operator

The Soviet Armed Forces that attack throughout every stage are Soldiers, Gunners, Supply Runners, Combat Specialists, Jetpack Soldiers, German Shepherds, Parachute Gunners, Gyrocopters, and Flame Throwers.

The omnipresent combat knife can be supplemented with captured arms. By eliminating certain Russian militants, the player(s) can obtain a three-shot flamethrower, a four-shot RPG, or a three-pack of hand grenades. When the mission is accomplished, the four rescued POWs salute and the player repeats the game from the first stage on the next difficulty level. While the player can remain still in one area and rack up points, if they take too long to proceed, the game sendings tougher enemies and eventually a stealth-like bomber appears to take out the player. An invisible time limit that kills off the player if it is exceeded.

Extra lives are given at 30,000 and 70,000, and per 70,000 up to 980,000, and survival of the fittest mode thereafter.

Ports[]

ZX Spectrum cover with artwork by Bob Wakelin

Under license from Konami, Imagine Software released home versions of the game under the Green Beret title for home computers in Europe in 1986: ZX Spectrum, Commodore Plus/4, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit family, MSX, and BBC Micro.

The Commodore 64 port was programmed by David Collier, with graphics by Steve Wahid.[9][10] It was released in North America in December 1986.[11] The Commodore 64 version was well known for its loading music by Martin Galway.

In 1987, the game was included on the compilation Konami Coin-op Hits with Hyper Sports, Mikie and Yie Ar Kung-Fu.[12] An unrelated IBM PC port was released by Konami for the North American market under the Rush'n Attack name in 1989.

Famicom Disk System/NES[]

A Family Computer Disk System version of Green Beret was released in Japan on April 10, 1987, along with a corresponding version for the Nintendo Entertainment System (under the Rush'n Attack name) released during the same month in North America, and on June 8, 1989 in Europe.

The player's objective in the NES version was changed from rescuing prisoners to destroying a secret weapon being developed in the enemy's headquarters. Additionally, a two-player co-operative mode was introduced as well, allowing two players to play simultaneously (with Player 1 in blue as Steve and Player 2 in red as Ben). The gameplay mechanics are essentially identical to the arcade version; however, the Flamethrower is removed (only the Rocket Launcher and Grenades remained) and two new power-up items are introduced: a Star mark which grants invincibility and a pistol with unlimited ammo, both which are only usable for a limited period. The NES version also features two additional stages that were not in the arcade game: an airport set between the Missile Base and the Harbor, where the player faces a group of rocket soldiers at the end; and a new final stage set inside the enemy's base in which the player must disarm a nuclear missile at the end that is about to be launched; by using rocket launchers dropped by enemy soldiers. The flamethrower corps at the end of the Warehouse stage was replaced by a paratrooper unit.

The Famicom version features a few differences from its NES counterpart by allowing the player to continue up to three times after a game over and if the player loses a life in the Famicom version, his character will respawn at the very spot where he died instead of being sent to the last checkpoint (in the NES version, instant respawns are only allowed in the two-player mode). Moreover, the player can carry up to nine rounds of any secondary weapon he finds instead of just three. To rebalance the difficulty, the NES version gives the player more extra lives when they begin (four instead of two) and all weapons dropped by enemies will always have three rounds in them instead of having the player accumulate them one by one. The Famicom version also features hidden underground areas which the player could access by destroying certain land mines in Stage 2, 4, and 5.

Game Boy Advance[]

An arranged port of the arcade version of Rush'n Attack is included in the 2002 compilation Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced for the Game Boy Advance. The game features the same four stages as in the arcade version, as well as two extra stages unlocked via the Konami Code. A two-player versus mode has been added, which utilizes the Game Link Cable. The controls have been changed so that the player must press the A button to jump instead of Up on the d-pad.

Nintendo DS[]

A second portable version is included in the 2007 compilation Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits for the Nintendo DS. Unlike the GBA version, the DS version is a direct port of the original arcade game. However, it includes various bonus features such as scans of the instruction cards and leaflet, as well as tips.

Xbox 360[]

Rush'n Attack was released as an Xbox Live Arcade title for the Xbox 360 on May 23, 2007. This version is another direct port of the arcade game, but features an optional game mode with improved graphics and a remixed soundtrack. This version was developed by Digital Eclipse.

Konami Net DX[]

Green Beret was released as an i-appli for Mobile phones in Japan in 2006. The mobile version is a direct port of the Famicom version with a new feature: the health bar. The mobile port was re-released in China for normal Java mobile phones on December 26, 2008.

Reception[]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Green Beret on their November 15, 1985 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[21] In Europe, Green Beret was considered one "of the first military shoot 'em ups" on the market and became a major hit in arcades.[13] The home computer conversions topped the UK Gallup sales charts in June 1986,[22] going on to become one of the top four best-selling games of 1986 in the UK,[23] and one of the year's top three best-selling Commodore 64 games.[24] Its budget re-release later topped the UK budget sales chart in July 1989.[25]

Green Beret was well-received by critics. Mike Roberts and Eric Doyle of Computer Gamer magazine gave the arcade game a positive review, comparing it favorably with the action film Rambo (1985) while calling it an "incredibly violent game" and stating it was "brilliant to play."[1] Commodore User compared the arcade version of Green Beret favorably with the vertical scrolling run-and-gun shooter Commando (1985), stating that "it's a kind of rightwards scrolling Commando" but "much better than Capcom's effort" while praising "brilliant" graphics and sound.[10]

Computer and Video Games reviewed the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum versions, calling the game "Konami's answer" to Capcom's Commando while noting that it changed the formula to a side-scrolling play area and also comparing it favorably with the action film Rambo. They said Green Beret is fast, "furious and terribly addictive."[14]

The MS-DOS version of Rush'n Attack was reviewed in 1989 in Dragon #142 by Patricia Hartley and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 31⁄2 out of 5 stars.[16] ACE reviewed the budget re-release of Green Beret for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC in 1989, calling it an "Intelligently thought out shoot 'em up with excellent graphics".[13] The NES version ranked 99 on IGN's top 100 NES games list.[26]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Japanese: グリーンベレー, Hepburn: Gurīn Berē

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Roberts, Mike; Doyle, Eric (November 1985). "Coin-Op Connection". Computer Gamer. No. 8. pp. 26–7.
  2. ^ "Rush 'n' attack (Registration Number PA0000260301)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. ^ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 122. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  4. ^ "Green Beret Release Information for Famicom Disk System". GameFAQs.
  5. ^ "Rush'n Attack Release Information for NES". GameFAQs.
  6. ^ "Rush 'N Attack Review". Nintendo Times. 8 April 1987.
  7. ^ "Game Credits: R - Video Game Music Preservation Foundation Wiki".
  8. ^ "Rush'n Attack". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 5 Oct 2013.
  9. ^ "Green Beret". Lemon64. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Konami's Barmy Army". Commodore User. No. 30 (March 1986). 26 February 1986. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Availability Update" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. February 1987. p. 14.
  12. ^ "Computer & Video Games".
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Blasts from the Past". ACE. No. 26 (October 1989). November 1989. pp. 113-115 (114). Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Computer & Video Games".
  15. ^ "Complete Games Guide" (PDF). Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles): 46–77. 16 October 1989.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (February 1989). "The Role of Computers" (PDF). Dragon. No. 142. pp. 42–51.
  17. ^ "Crash".
  18. ^ "Sinclair User".
  19. ^ "Console Dawn". The Games Machine. No. 19 (June 1989). 18 May 1989. pp. 16–22.
  20. ^ "Green Beret". ysrnry.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-07-05. Retrieved 3 Sep 2015.
  21. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 272. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 November 1985. p. 21.
  22. ^ "Chart Chat". Commodore User. No. 35 (August 1986). July 1986. p. 53.
  23. ^ "Yie Ar tops charts for 1986". Popular Computing Weekly. 12 February 1987. p. 6.
  24. ^ "Top 50 Games of 1986". Commodore User. No. 43 (April 1987). 26 March 1987. p. 12.
  25. ^ "Top Ten Budget Games". New Computer Express. No. 38 (29 July 1989). 27 July 1989. p. 5.
  26. ^ "99. Rush'n Attack - Top 100 NES Games - IGN". ign.com. Retrieved 3 Sep 2015.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""