Midnight Resistance
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| Midnight Resistance | |
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| Developer(s) | Data East (arcade) |
| Publisher(s) | Data East (arcade), Sega of America (Genesis), Ocean (conversions) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Genesis, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release date | 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Input methods | 3D Joystick, keyboard (depending on version) |
Midnight Resistance (ミッドナイトレジスタンス Middonaito Rejisutansu?) is a 1989 arcade game produced by Data East. The arcade used a 3D joystick (a normal 8 way joystick that could also be twisted as a dial) to allow the player to aim independently of his direction of movement, which was notable at the time. It was later ported to home computers by Ocean Software.
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[edit] Plot
The player takes control of a commando who is out to rescue his kidnapped family, including his scientist grandfather who is being forced to create a weapon which will give the antagonist of the game, known only as "the Commissar," the power to take over the world.
[edit] Gameplay
Midnight Resistance is a run and gun game. Gameplay is consistent with this genre: multi-directional shooting, fast action oriented gameplay, different weapons upgrades, and big mid- and end-of-level bosses. It is comparable to games such as Contra and Metal Slug.
[edit] Weapons and upgrades
During stages of Midnight Resistance, keys can be picked up from certain enemies when they die, at the end of each stage these keys can be used to purchase weapons and upgrades.
- Rapid fire- allows the fire button to be held down instead of pressed and gives a faster rate of fire
- Flamethrower - gives the player a flamethrower
- Barrier - two objects circle the player and kill anything coming into contact with them
- 3 way - causes the player to fire 3 shots as a bullet spray
- Shower - rains bullets down the screen
- Life - extra life
- Invincibility - the player cannot be harmed for a short period of time
[edit] Ports
Midnight Resistance was ported to many home consoles and computer systems of the era, including the Megadrive/Genesis, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST and Amiga. This was handled by Special FX and Ocean in most cases. The Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum versions are of particular note and are regularly mentioned in lists of greatest games ever made for these systems.
[edit] Sega Megadrive
The Megadrive version was handled by Data East themselves and was most notable for the remixed soundtrack. This was one of the earlier examples of a home console trumping arcade hardware when it came to audio.
[edit] ZX Spectrum
The Spectrum version had a completely redesigned, chunky, cartoony style to it. It had push screen scrolling and very few on-screen colours due to hardware limitations, but it is considered by many to be one of the stand out technical achievements for the hardware and was awarded a score of 90% in Sinclair User and 93% in CRASH Magazine. It was also included in their 100 best Spectrum games ever made, reaching number 10.
[edit] Commodore 64
The Commodore version stayed relatively faithful to the original arcade version. It was critically acclaimed by most publications of the time and gained a score of 90% from Zzap!64 Magazine. It was also featured in their top 100 C64 games ever made.
[edit] Amstrad CPC
The ZX Spectrum game was ported to the Amstrad CPC in a stripped down version as was common for the era, due to the two computers sharing the same processor. It is missing the music and colour of the 128 Spectrum version and has less buyable weapons at the end of each stage. it achieved a review of 86% in Amstrad Action magazine.
[edit] Tips
- When fighting against the armoured tanks (with turrets), the shower power up can be used to destroy the turrets when they are aimed away from the player.
- When buying power ups, it is important to compare all of the prices available, as sometimes they are cheaper nearer to the exit.
[edit] Glitches
- When using the fire weapon, the fire button may be pressed rapidly, without being held down, to produce a small stream of fire without wasting any ammunition.
