subdividing the shooter genre

Taisen · February 27th, 2003, 07:08

What subgenres are there included under the genre shooter?

1.)FPS
2.)3D third person shooter
3.)shmup
4.)shooter platformer(eg Blaster Master, Contra, Megaman, Metroid, Bionic Commando, Metal Slug, etc.)
5.)light gun games
6.)shooting gallery games(Basically they are light gun games without the lightgun.)

Would you consider this a complete list of those subgenres?

imo 3D third and first person shooters are the same so I lump them together. I also lump together light gun games and games which play as if you were at a shooting gallery since they play pretty much the same way.

takwu · February 28th, 2003, 18:45

What about rail-based? You know like Panzer Dragoon Orta.
And what should Asteroids be?
Does "platformer" include top-down view?

Even a common term like FPS is just a specific style, which would be too specific to be a subdivision of a genre. By "first person" do you include ****pit based games? A flight sim, a space sim?

IMHO you need much boarder terms.

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Taisen · February 28th, 2003, 22:40

The Panzer Dragoon series I consider shmups but not everyone agrees.

Asteroids would be a shmup.

In order for a game to be classified as just a platformer, jumping from ledge to ledge(aka platform) would need to be an integral part of the gameplay.
Does "platformer" include top-down view?I don't know what you are referring to so I would need you to give some examples. Remember to keep the above concerning platformers in mind.

Even a common term like FPS is just a specific style, which would be too specific to be a subdivision of a genre. By "first person" do you include ****pit based games? A flight sim, a space sim?By FPS I am referring to those games which follow the Wolfenstein archetype.

I don't know if ****pit games should have their own category or they should be included under shmup.

takwu · March 1st, 2003, 02:37

by rail-based (for Panzer Dragoon) I mean games where you do not control the route or its speed. In a sense, auto-scroll games such as r-type and 194x can be included. Which could make sense if you put them all in the shmup group. *However*, rail-based games also include such games as Virtua Cop, which is also a gun game, and Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, which is joystick based. Neither can be called a shmup. That would raise the question rather to group rail-based games together or not. As I tried to explain, you would need boarder and more exclusive groups to _divide_ a genre.

by top-down view I mean games like Smash TV. But you know some of them have jumping, rolling, and all kinds of stuff in a platformer, except the view. Another type of games that is hard to categorize, at least in this way.

Yes I know what you are referring to by FPS. I'm just saying it is too specific. By using FPS as a division, you leave out a lot of similar games (in this case ****pit games), and they'd either have to be in yet another division, or stuffed in the group of FPS, which would abuse the name. Another example is the rare tank sims; they're usually first person, and involve quite some shooting, but... you get the idea.

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Taisen · March 2nd, 2003, 15:38

All lightgun games could end up being put under rail shooters if such a category exists. What separates lightgun games from other "rail based shooters"? Of course it is the lightgun so these games should be put in their own category in which they all share this common peculiarity. How I see it all "rail based shooters" would end up fitting in other previously made categories or categories which are yet to be made to address their more specific attributes shared by other games. In other words rail based shooter is too broad.

I have never played Star Wars Trilogy Arcade so I don't know where it fits. Was it for the 32x?

I guess flight simulators could be added as their own category or we could start a category called Military Simulation Shooters to include those rare tank games.

takwu · March 2nd, 2003, 17:30

As everyone here would tell you, visit gamefaqs

http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/data/23032.html
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade is mostly a rail based shooter with an analog flight stick. Plays very much like Rebel Assualt, but on some stages your vehicle can dodge slightly (swoop bike).

Not to be confused with Star Wars Arcade, which was a space sim, kinda like Rogue Squadron for the old days. And I do have the cartridge of the 32X port

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zukeft · March 3rd, 2003, 04:07

I don't consider FPSs and 3rd Person to be actual shooters since you can move around a world instead of being limited to go back and forwards.

February 27th, 2003, 07:08	#1
Taisen Banned Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,317	subdividing the shooter genre What subgenres are there included under the genre shooter? 1.)FPS 2.)3D third person shooter 3.)shmup 4.)shooter platformer(eg Blaster Master, Contra, Megaman, Metroid, Bionic Commando, Metal Slug, etc.) 5.)light gun games 6.)shooting gallery games(Basically they are light gun games without the lightgun.) Would you consider this a complete list of those subgenres? imo 3D third and first person shooters are the same so I lump them together. I also lump together light gun games and games which play as if you were at a shooting gallery since they play pretty much the same way.

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February 28th, 2003, 18:45	#2
takwu previous extinction Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 1,857	What about rail-based? You know like Panzer Dragoon Orta. And what should Asteroids be? Does "platformer" include top-down view? Even a common term like FPS is just a specific style, which would be too specific to be a subdivision of a genre. By "first person" do you include ****pit based games? A flight sim, a space sim? IMHO you need much boarder terms. __________________ Latest toy: Sharp LCD TV Monitor LL-M17W1U

February 28th, 2003, 22:40	#3
Taisen Banned Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,317	The Panzer Dragoon series I consider shmups but not everyone agrees. Asteroids would be a shmup. In order for a game to be classified as just a platformer, jumping from ledge to ledge(aka platform) would need to be an integral part of the gameplay. Does "platformer" include top-down view?I don't know what you are referring to so I would need you to give some examples. Remember to keep the above concerning platformers in mind. Even a common term like FPS is just a specific style, which would be too specific to be a subdivision of a genre. By "first person" do you include **pit based games? A flight sim, a space sim?By FPS I am referring to those games which follow the Wolfenstein archetype. I don't know if ****pit games should have their own category or they should be included under shmup.

March 1st, 2003, 02:37	#4
takwu previous extinction Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 1,857	by rail-based (for Panzer Dragoon) I mean games where you do not control the route or its speed. In a sense, auto-scroll games such as r-type and 194x can be included. Which could make sense if you put them all in the shmup group. However, rail-based games also include such games as Virtua Cop, which is also a gun game, and Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, which is joystick based. Neither can be called a shmup. That would raise the question rather to group rail-based games together or not. As I tried to explain, you would need boarder and more exclusive groups to _divide_ a genre. by top-down view I mean games like Smash TV. But you know some of them have jumping, rolling, and all kinds of stuff in a platformer, except the view. Another type of games that is hard to categorize, at least in this way. Yes I know what you are referring to by FPS. I'm just saying it is too specific. By using FPS as a division, you leave out a lot of similar games (in this case ****pit games), and they'd either have to be in yet another division, or stuffed in the group of FPS, which would abuse the name. Another example is the rare tank sims; they're usually first person, and involve quite some shooting, but... you get the idea. __________________ Latest toy: Sharp LCD TV Monitor LL-M17W1U

March 2nd, 2003, 15:38	#5
Taisen Banned Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,317	All lightgun games could end up being put under rail shooters if such a category exists. What separates lightgun games from other "rail based shooters"? Of course it is the lightgun so these games should be put in their own category in which they all share this common peculiarity. How I see it all "rail based shooters" would end up fitting in other previously made categories or categories which are yet to be made to address their more specific attributes shared by other games. In other words rail based shooter is too broad. I have never played Star Wars Trilogy Arcade so I don't know where it fits. Was it for the 32x? I guess flight simulators could be added as their own category or we could start a category called Military Simulation Shooters to include those rare tank games.

March 2nd, 2003, 17:30	#6
takwu previous extinction Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 1,857	As everyone here would tell you, visit gamefaqs http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/data/23032.html Star Wars Trilogy Arcade is mostly a rail based shooter with an analog flight stick. Plays very much like Rebel Assualt, but on some stages your vehicle can dodge slightly (swoop bike). Not to be confused with Star Wars Arcade, which was a space sim, kinda like Rogue Squadron for the old days. And I do have the cartridge of the 32X port __________________ Latest toy: Sharp LCD TV Monitor LL-M17W1U

March 3rd, 2003, 04:07	#7
zukeft Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bogota, Colombia Posts: 1,157	I don't consider FPSs and 3rd Person to be actual shooters since you can move around a world instead of being limited to go back and forwards.