Zero Gunner

Zero Gunner is a shoot 'em up developed by Psikyo and released in 1997. The arcade game allows for eight-way movement using a joystick and supports up to two players at a time. Its lock on targeting mechanic allows players to rotate around targets. The game was succeeded by a sequel, Zero Gunner 2 for the Sega NAOMI/Dreamcast.

Gameplay

Zero Gunner is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up, with players tasked to evade and destroy enemies as they automatically advance across the environments. Players choose from one of three helicopters: a Cobra helicopter, an Apache helicopter, and a helicopter gunship. Regardless of which craft is chosen, it is equipped with a basic single shot and a more powerful sonic wave which sweeps across the entire screen.
Players can lock-on to opponents, which allows them to freely maneuver around the screen while continuing to shoot the same target.

Plot

In 2016, worldwide martial law is initiated when a widespread terrorist organization overthrows and takes control of the world's military authorities. A group of ace helicopter pilots are secretly amassed in a special forces squadron called ZERO to travel around the world and destroy the occupied terrorist forces.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Zero Gunner on their February 15, 1998 issue as being the sixth most-successful arcade game at the time.