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[VGEsoterica]

I may not be a huge anime fan but I've always loved the Lupin III tv series and films. Having played some of the other games featuring Lupin it was pretty safe to say...the series did not translate very well to video games and most of the entries were a bit garbage. Only semi-decent one IMO was Pyramid no Kenja on the Saturn...and that's being GENEROUS lol

A few years back I finally got a chance to play Lupin III: The Shooting on the Sega NAOMI...and I finally found my "good" Lupin game. Granted I am very biased as playing and collecting arcade light gun games is my passion. Always loved the genre and played them constantly in arcades in the 90's/early 2000's...but even with that bias this game is still a legit fun time and def worth checking out.

It plays like a hybrid between a traditional light gun shooter (shoot the bad guys) and something like Point Blank. (challenge stages that need to be passed) It's a unique take on the genre and feels very refreshing due to that fact. In one stage you are shooting waves of bad guys and in the next stage you are steering your car through traffic during a chase and using your gunfire to steer the car to avoid pedestrian vehicles. Each stage is so varied and unique it never feels repetitive or "stale"; you don't spend 30 minutes straight just shooting more and more enemies until the game ends. Throw in the fact that all the stages are directly inspired by Lupin anime specials or films and it's got that perfect combo of light gun awesomeness with unique game play and awesome world building.

I miss these awesome arcade light gun games. I 100% understand why it wasn't ported to the Dreamcast, but I wish it had been for ease of play.

If you are a Lupin fan, or a light gun game fan, you definitely should check this one out. Finding an actual dedicated cabinet is probably next to impossible outside of Japan, but it can def be rigged up into a generic cabinet or enjoyed in OTHER ways as well lol.

Anyone else ever play this? It feels obscure even by my standards of obscurity haha

 

[VGEsoterica]

I especially love the fact so much of the Lupin soundtrack, sound effects, and even scenes from each film/series that inspired the level you are about to play. Game has some really awesome stylistic flourishes

 

[Kuranghi]

I was about to post "I just saw a video about this! You must subscribe to VG Esoterica too!"

Anyway, I just bought Gunblade N.Y + L.A Machineguns combo pack for Wii I've got my zappers ready.

We need a resurgence in light gun games, someone should release an open source wii sensor bar-like device that works with wii motes and a newly-designed lightgun for today.

 

[Kuranghi]

I also want Ghost Squad but its hard to find. I have Umbrella Chronicles, but not Darkside Chronicles.

 

[VGEsoterica]

I also want Ghost Squad but its hard to find. I have Umbrella Chronicles, but not Darkside Chronicles.

on the Wii Ghost Squad is pretty easy to find. At least in the US

 

[Kuranghi]

Its hard to find in the UK for some reason, I'll keep looking though.

 

[Dazrael]

I played Lupin in the arcade, many years ago in Japan. Never saw it over here in the UK but I remember seeing Maze of the Kings in a local pub. That’s gotta be close enough

 

[Zephir]

It looks cool indeed, but I believe they made a good job with the second PS2 Lupin game as well (Lupin la Morte, Zenigata l'amore) I believe not a lot of people played it because, outside of Japan, it was localized only here in Italy, with its full original italian dub.

Here's the japanese intro



It's also a precious thing for us as well, since it was the last product that our Lupin voice actor did before dying

Treasure of the Sorcerer King, the other PS2 Lupin game was nice as well but....heh

 

[VGEsoterica]

It looks cool indeed, but I believe they made a good job with the second PS2 Lupin game as well (Lupin la Morte, Zenigata l'amore) I believe not a lot of people played it because, outside of Japan, it was localized only here in Italy, with its full original italian dub.

Here's the japanese intro



It's also a precious thing for us as well, since it was the last product that our Lupin voice actor did before dying

Treasure of the Sorcerer King, the other PS2 Lupin game was nice as well but....heh

Its on my list of Lupin games to check out!

 

[kunonabi]

I always thought the DS game looked cool.

 

[butane bob]

The Lupin game on ps2 is pretty neat. The third person one with pseudo-stealthy bits. I remember the first level being set on a train or something.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

You have a really nice voice and not really being an anime fan but liking Lupin you couldn't have picked a better series to at least casually have interest in. I remember someone saying a Lupin GameCube game was good but I've not played any of them tbh.

 

[VGEsoterica]

You have a really nice voice and not really being an anime fan but liking Lupin you couldn't have picked a better series to at least casually have interest in. I remember someone saying a Lupin GameCube game was good but I've not played any of them tbh.

thanks! And yes as someone who isn’t huge into anime (well the new Castlevania is pretty legit) I’ve still always enjoyed Lupin. Mostly because its just a really great “heist” story...like a James Bond cartoon haha

 

[VGEsoterica]

I always thought the DS game looked cool.

I wish more of the Lupin games were in English. So many interesting looking games but I know language barrier will be a killer.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

What a weird game. The variety of stages / challenges definitely looks like a step up compared to most other lightgun games.

I also want Ghost Squad but its hard to find. I have Umbrella Chronicles, but not Darkside Chronicles.

It's worth tracking down. One of the most replayable lightgun games ever made. I also recommend Sin & Punishment on Wii if you don't have it already.

 

[Kuranghi]

What a weird game. The variety of stages / challenges definitely looks like a step up compared to most other lightgun games.


It's worth tracking down. One of the most replayable lightgun games ever made. I also recommend Sin & Punishment on Wii if you don't have it already.

Definitely, I'm building up a collection just now, I've found Ghost Squad for under £10 in great condition and looking for sin and punishment as well, should probably slow down a bit but I'm so restless and bored just now, fucking no jobs that I can do, so shit.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Definitely, I'm building up a collection just now, I've found Ghost Squad for under £10 in great condition and looking for sin and punishment as well, should probably slow down a bit but I'm so restless and bored just now, fucking no jobs that I can do, so shit.

Sweet, glad you found a copy of Ghost Squad! I hope you can snag a copy of S&P Star Successor, too. Not that the opinion of an internet stranger means much, but I'd put both of those in the "lifetime game" category, assuming you like the genre of course. I'm regularly popping both in and peeling back new layers, new tricks, new secrets, etc. They are the pinnacle IMO.

 

[Kuranghi]

Sweet, glad you found a copy of Ghost Squad! I hope you can snag a copy of S&P Star Successor, too. Not that the opinion of an internet stranger means much, but I'd put both of those in the "lifetime game" category, assuming you like the genre of course. I'm regularly popping both in and peeling back new layers, new tricks, new secrets, etc. They are the pinnacle IMO.

I get ya mate, I'm not someone who plays shoot em ups all the time but I really enjoy dipping back in Ikaruga every now and then, Treasure makes great games that can be played forever, as you say. Its kind of a shame people don't recognise great gameplay and art these days if its not of a certain genre or a giant cinematic game which cost a bajillion pounds, some of my best experiences in the last 10 years are games with "less grand scope".

 

[Carna]

Has the op even played enough lupin games to justify the clickbaity "only good" title, lolsrsy?

 

[PresetError]

Lupin III was super impressive as an anime show. It shows it was one of the early works of Hayao Myazaki

 

[VGEsoterica]

Has the op even played enough lupin games to justify the clickbaity "only good" title, lolsrsy?

lol I’ve got eight in my collection currently so...I’ve played 8?

this one I’m my opinion is the best and most entertaining. The ones I have range from “ok” to “meh”

next best would be Treasure of the Sorcerer King. Game is ok but it feels very Lupin like in tone.

have I played all 20+ games? No def not. I don’t even attempt the ones where language barrier makes it impossible though

 

[kunonabi]

It looks cool indeed, but I believe they made a good job with the second PS2 Lupin game as well (Lupin la Morte, Zenigata l'amore) I believe not a lot of people played it because, outside of Japan, it was localized only here in Italy, with its full original italian dub.

Here's the japanese intro



It's also a precious thing for us as well, since it was the last product that our Lupin voice actor did before dying

Treasure of the Sorcerer King, the other PS2 Lupin game was nice as well but....heh

Man, this intro would be completely baller if it wasn't CG.