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{{More citations needed|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox Arcade Game | title = U.N. Squadron
{{Short description|1989 video game}}
|image = ]
{{Infobox video game
|developer = ]
| title = U.N. Squadron
|publisher = ]
| image = UN Squadron game flyer.png
|designer =
| caption = Sales flyer for the arcade version
|release = ]
| developer = ]
|genre = ]
| publisher = Capcom<br>] (computers){{vgrelease|EU|] (SNES)}}
|modes = Up to 2 players, cooperative
| director = ]
|cabinet = Standard upright
|arcade system = ] | composer = ]
| released = August ]<br>'''SNES'''{{vgrelease
|monitor = ] resolution 384&times;224 (Horizontal)
|JP|July 26, 1991<ref name=":0" />
|input = ], 2 buttons
|NA|September 1991<ref name="nadate"/>
|ports = ]
|EU|December 1992<ref name="eujpdate"/>
}} }}
| genre = ]

| modes = ], ]
'''''U.N. Squadron''''' (''Area 88'' in Japan), is a shooting/action arcade game by ]. It is based on the ]/] '']''. Although it doesn't bear any resemblance to the original history, it still uses the many of the characters and place setting.
| platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ], ]

|arcade system = ]
In the context of other ] shooters such as '']'', '']'', and '']'' this is one of the few that is a side scrolling shooter rather than a top down (vertical) shooter.
}}
'''''U.N. Squadron''''' is a 1989 ] released by ] for the ] ] hardware and for the ]. The game was released in Japan as {{Nihongo|'''''Area 88'''''|エリア88|Eria Hachi-Jū-Hachi|lead=yes}},<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8265|title=エリア88 / ファミ通.com|website=www.famitsu.com|access-date=2018-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630112711/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8265|archive-date=2018-06-30|url-status=live}}</ref> and is based on the ] series of the ], featuring the same main characters. Their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. It was followed by a ] '']''.


==Gameplay== ==Gameplay==
]


The game is a typical ] shooter, going against the trend of other ] shooters, such as '']'' and '']'', which are vertically scrolling shooters. Like other ] shooters, the player has an energy bar that is consumed over the course of a single life as the player sustains damage. This trait is highly uncommon among other comparable arcade-style shooters which normally use a system of reserve lives, where one of which is lost upon a single enemy hit. Before entering a level, the player can purchase special weapons or added defenses in the shop. The player earns money to buy weapons by destroying enemy planes and vehicles during levels and, when the level is finished, any unused weapons are converted back into money.
]


In this game, the player can choose between three mercenary pilots: Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon and Greg Gates. Each pilot flies a specific plane and has slightly different capabilities. Their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. The player can choose between three mercenary pilots: Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon, and Greg Gates.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shintani |first=Kaoru |author-link=Kaoru Shintani |url=https://archive.org/details/area-88-manual-scan-jp-sfc-snes/ |title=U.N. Squadron Area 88 (エリア88) - Game Manual scan |publisher=DAIPRO / Shogakukan (小学館) / CAPCOM |year=1991 |pages=12,13,14 |language=Japanese |format=PDF |access-date=2024-03-10 |via=The Internet Archive}}</ref> Each pilot flies a specific plane and has slightly different capabilities.


In the Super NES version, each pilot can use a range of planes. All pilots start out with $3000 and the basic F8 Crusader, and can buy other aircraft and weapons as they progress.
===Pilots===


== Development ==
* ''Shin Kazama'': ''Shin'' flies an ]; the weapons on his plane fire forward only but at a quick pace. ''Shin'' and his plane are the most balanced combination available.
Capcom director ] commented that the game was part of a broader strategy of Capcom at the time to appeal to a wider audience by using established characters from other media, as their original characters could be too niche.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|title=Developer Interview Capcom Developer: Yoshiaki Okamoto, Noritaka Funamizu|journal=]|publisher=] Ltd.|issue=38|pages=10–29}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531193652/http://shmuplations.com/cps1/|date=2017-05-31}}</ref> In addition to ''Area 88'', he cited games based on '']'' and '']'' as part of this strategy.<ref name=":3" />


== Release ==
* ''Mickey Simon'': ''Mickey'' flies an ]; the weapons on his plane also fire forward only, but are also larger (albeit slower), inflicting more damage than ''Shin''s plane.
''Area 88'' was ported to the home console Super NES and released in Japan on July 26, 1991.<ref name=":0" /> In North America and Europe it was re-titled ''U.N. Squadron'' by Capcom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |date=2014-02-05 |title=Daily Classic: U.N. Squadron's SNES Identity Change |url=https://www.vg247.com/daily-classic-un-squadrons-snes-identity-change |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=VG247}}</ref> The illustration for the ''U.N. Squadron'' poster was created by well known illustrator Marc Ericksen, the illustrator of the covers to Capcom's other games '']'' and '']''. A version for the ] was planned and previewed but never released.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/club-capcom-spring-1994_202202#page/n89/mode/2up|title=カプコン アーケードオリジナルボード CPSシリーズ+CPSチェンジャー 限定販売決定!!|magazine=Club Capcom|volume=2|publisher=]|date=Spring 1994|pages=90–91|lang=ja}}</ref>


==Reception==
* ''Greg Gates'': ''Greg'' flies an ]; this plane has smaller forward fire than either ''Shin'' or ''Mickey'''s planes, but it also fires a second stream downward at a 45&deg; angle from the forward firing stream.
{{Video game reviews
| GR = 87% (SNES)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588815-un-squadron/index.html|title=U.N. Squadron SNES Gamerankings review score|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505203358/https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588815-un-squadron/index.html|archive-date=2019-05-05}}</ref>
| MM = 94% (SNES)<ref>{{cite magazine|author1=]|author2=Richard Leadbetter|url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-12/page/18/mode/2up|title=U.N. Squadron|magazine=]|issue=12|date=September 1991|pages=18–21|access-date=December 9, 2024}}</ref>
}}


In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''U.N. Squadron'' on their September 15, 1989 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=364|publisher=Amusement Press|date=15 September 1989|page=21|lang=ja}}</ref> In North America, it was a major hit,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cover Story: "This Is the Good Time" – Capcom's CPS system brings success to the firm... and offers direction for a troubled video market |magazine=RePlay |date=April 1990 |volume=15 |issue=7 |pages=183–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-7-april-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%207%20-%20April%201990/page/183}}</ref> becoming the top-grossing software conversion kit on the ''RePlay'' arcade charts in ].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=February 1990 |volume=15 |issue=5 |page=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-5-february-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%205%20-%20February%201990/page/n3}}</ref>
===Weapons Shop===


Upon its home console release, the Japanese gaming publication '']'' gave the Super Famicom version a score of 28 out of 40.<ref name=":0" />
Before entering a level, the player has the opportunity to purchase special weapons or added defenses in the shop. The player earns money for this shop by destroying enemy planes and vehicles during levels and, when the level is finished, any unused weapons are converted back into money.


'']'' gave the Super NES version of the game an A,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/09/27/latest-video-games/|title=The latest video games|work=EW.com|access-date=2018-11-03|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605192824/http://www.ew.com/article/1991/09/27/latest-video-games|archive-date=2016-06-05|url-status=live}}</ref> and picked the game as the #12 greatest game available in 1991.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/|title=Video Games Guide|work=EW.com|access-date=2018-11-03|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219184932/http://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/|archive-date=2017-02-19|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Weapons====


Super Gamer gave the SNES version an overall score of 93%, commending the graphics, aircraft selection, gameplay, and sound.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 1994|title=U.N. Squadron Review|url=https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-02/page/124/mode/2up|journal=Super Gamer|location=]|publisher=]|issue=2|pages=124|access-date=March 29, 2021}}</ref>
Depending on the level and which pilot they have chosen, players will encounter two of these eight different weapon enhancements in the weapons shop:


===Accolades===
* Bulpup: Launches missiles forward at various angles.
] ranked ''U.N. Squadron'' 37th on its "Top 100 Super NES Games" list,<ref>{{Cite web |title=UN Squadron - #37 Top 100 SNES Games - IGN |url=http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games/37 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901160256/http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games/37 |archive-date=2017-09-01 |access-date=2017-09-01}}</ref> which made it the highest ranking side scroller shooter game on that list. In 2018, ] listed ''U.N. Squadron'' 23rd on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" list and called the game the best side scrolling shooter on the SNES.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Rich |date=April 30, 2018 |title=The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/ |access-date=2022-02-11 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref> In 1995, ] rated the game 63rd on their Top 100 SNES Games list.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1995 |title=Top 100 SNES Games |url=https://archive.org/details/total-43/page/n45/mode/2up |journal=Total! |issue=43 |pages=46 |access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref>
* Bulpup II: A more powerful ''Bulpup''.


==References==
* Phoenix: Homing missiles that go after any enemies on the screen.
{{reflist|30em|
* Falcon: A more powerful ''Phoenix''.
refs=
<ref name="nadate">{{cite web |title=Super NES Games |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf |publisher=] |access-date=2012-07-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195606/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>


<ref name="eujpdate">{{cite web |title=U.N. Squadron Release Data |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588815-un-squadron/data |publisher=] |access-date=2013-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809121658/http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588815-un-squadron/data |archive-date=2013-08-09 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* S. Shell: Shoots a large long shell at enemies that inflicts more damage than regular guns.
}}
* S. Shell II: A more powerful and larger ''S. Shell''.


==External links==
* Bomb II: Allows you to drop powerful bombs from above.
* at ''Arcade-History''
* Napalm: More powerful than ''Bomb II'' in that it ignites the ground when it lands.
* {{KLOV game|6910|name=Area 88}}
* {{KLOV game|10247}}
* {{moby game|id=/un-squadron}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421082033/http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/184/un-squadron.php |date=2014-04-21}} from ]


{{Area 88}}
====Defense====

After selecting (or passing up) additional weapons, players are offered one of three defensive enhancements (these are the same on every level):

* Energy Tank: Adds more life to the lifebar when the level begins.
* Shield: Absorbs damage from enemy fire or collisions.
* Super Shield: Same as ''Shield'', but can absorb more damage.

===Play===

Once a level has been entered, the game is similar to ] and ] in form: the character's plane is viewed side-on, flying right as enemies approach from many directions. Land, sea, and air units are encountered in the various stages.

]

The player's main gun has infinite ammunition and can be upgraded by picking up accumulating ''POW'' points. ''POW''s, which appear when you destroy certain red enemies, can be found as green, blue or yellow glowing orbs inside a small box. Each color ''POW'' is worth a different amount of points:

* Blue POW: 1 point
* Green POW: 2 points
* Yellow POW: 4 points

The player's current number of ''POW''s and the amount needed for the next gun upgrade is displayed in the upper left corner of the display. Each upgrade generally requires more ''POW''s to get than the last upgrade, and so forth.

Special weapons, on the other hand, are limited in ammunition and have no ability to upgrade in level. The character's plane can take a number of enemy hits before being destroyed and has a brief period of invulnerability after each hit. This makes the game a little less frustrating.

]

Like many shooters, the game is very challenging. Levels frequently included large numbers of enemies atacking at once, with subsequent vast amounts of firepower on screen. The player needed quick reflexes to navigate through all this fire while still attacking their enemies. Only a skilled player is capable of finishing the game with few (or any) continues.

==Ports==
{{wikify}}
{{copyedit}}
{{mergesection|Area 88|Video Games}}

''U.N. Squadron'' (as well as ''Area 88'' in Japan) was ported to the ] in ]. Differences between the arcade game and the SNES port include:
* Single player only
* Different planes may be used indepedent of the pilot chosen
* More and different power-ups may be bought in the between-level store
* An overhead map is used between levels
* If you die during a level, you restart that level from the beginning

U.N. Squadron on the Super Nintendo bears much resemblance to the original arcade game. Including the same levels and bossess, the Super Ninentendo version however has the primary addition of more aircraft:

*A-6 Corsair: This is the generic aircraft which players start off with. The cieling for the Corair's gun power is very low, and the aircraft can only carry three types of special weapon.

*F-20 Tigershark: The cheapest of the aircraft that can be purcahsed after completion of the third mission. This aircraft has mediocre weapons capability, however it is well suited to both air and ground attack.

*F-14D Tomcat: The F-14 Tomcat of the game is intended primarily for air to air combat, and carries no real ordiance for attacking ground targets. (This highlights a mistake int he game versus reality. The F-14 was designed to carry the phoenix missile, however the F-14 in the game is incapable)

*A-10 Warthog: Intended for ground attack, the A-10 fires two shots for every gun burts. One travels forward, while the second slightly weaker shot travels at a downard angle.

*YF-24 Black Widow: Able to carry a wide range of armaments, the YF-24 in the game has the primary attribute of being stealth. As such guided weapons such as missiles fired by the enemy will not track the fighter.

*EF-200 Efreet: The best fighter available in the game. The Efreet has the highest weapon power cieling. In addition to this the Efreet can carry all special weapons, and more shots of a special weapon then all other fighters. The Efreet also bears the advantage of being tougher to destroy. As such it is the most expensive fighter available in the game, and it is easy to play the whole game and never have enough money to purchase the fighter. (The EF-200 Efreet is identical in appearance to the MIG-31 Firefox from the movie of the same name)


==External links==
* on the ]
* on the ]
*
*


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Latest revision as of 06:59, 25 December 2024

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "U.N. Squadron" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
1989 video game 1989 video game
U.N. Squadron
Sales flyer for the arcade version
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
U.S. Gold (computers)
Director(s)Yoshiki Okamoto
Composer(s)Manami Matsumae
Platform(s)Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Super NES, ZX Spectrum
ReleaseAugust 1989
SNES
  • JP: July 26, 1991
  • NA: September 1991
  • EU: December 1992
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemCP System

U.N. Squadron is a 1989 side-scrolling shooting game released by Capcom for the CPS arcade hardware and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan as Area 88 (Japanese: エリア88, Hepburn: Eria Hachi-Jū-Hachi), and is based on the manga series of the same name, featuring the same main characters. Their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. It was followed by a spiritual successor Carrier Air Wing.

Gameplay

Pilot selection screen in U.N. Squadron

The game is a typical side scrolling shooter, going against the trend of other Capcom shooters, such as 1942 and 1943: The Battle of Midway, which are vertically scrolling shooters. Like other Capcom shooters, the player has an energy bar that is consumed over the course of a single life as the player sustains damage. This trait is highly uncommon among other comparable arcade-style shooters which normally use a system of reserve lives, where one of which is lost upon a single enemy hit. Before entering a level, the player can purchase special weapons or added defenses in the shop. The player earns money to buy weapons by destroying enemy planes and vehicles during levels and, when the level is finished, any unused weapons are converted back into money.

The player can choose between three mercenary pilots: Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon, and Greg Gates. Each pilot flies a specific plane and has slightly different capabilities.

In the Super NES version, each pilot can use a range of planes. All pilots start out with $3000 and the basic F8 Crusader, and can buy other aircraft and weapons as they progress.

Development

Capcom director Yoshiki Okamoto commented that the game was part of a broader strategy of Capcom at the time to appeal to a wider audience by using established characters from other media, as their original characters could be too niche. In addition to Area 88, he cited games based on Willow and Tenchi wo Kurau as part of this strategy.

Release

Area 88 was ported to the home console Super NES and released in Japan on July 26, 1991. In North America and Europe it was re-titled U.N. Squadron by Capcom. The illustration for the U.N. Squadron poster was created by well known illustrator Marc Ericksen, the illustrator of the covers to Capcom's other games Mega Man 2 and Strider. A version for the Capcom Power System Changer was planned and previewed but never released.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings87% (SNES)
Review score
PublicationScore
Mean Machines94% (SNES)

In Japan, Game Machine listed U.N. Squadron on their September 15, 1989 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. In North America, it was a major hit, becoming the top-grossing software conversion kit on the RePlay arcade charts in February 1990.

Upon its home console release, the Japanese gaming publication Weekly Famitsu gave the Super Famicom version a score of 28 out of 40.

Entertainment Weekly gave the Super NES version of the game an A, and picked the game as the #12 greatest game available in 1991.

Super Gamer gave the SNES version an overall score of 93%, commending the graphics, aircraft selection, gameplay, and sound.

Accolades

IGN ranked U.N. Squadron 37th on its "Top 100 Super NES Games" list, which made it the highest ranking side scroller shooter game on that list. In 2018, Complex listed U.N. Squadron 23rd on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" list and called the game the best side scrolling shooter on the SNES. In 1995, Total! rated the game 63rd on their Top 100 SNES Games list.

References

  1. "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  2. ^ "エリア88 [スーパーファミコン] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  3. "U.N. Squadron Release Data". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2013-08-09. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  4. Shintani, Kaoru (1991). U.N. Squadron Area 88 (エリア88) - Game Manual scan (PDF) (in Japanese). DAIPRO / Shogakukan (小学館) / CAPCOM. pp. 12, 13, 14. Retrieved 2024-03-10 – via The Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Developer Interview Capcom Developer: Yoshiaki Okamoto, Noritaka Funamizu". Gamest (38). Shinseisha Ltd.: 10–29. (Translation) Archived 2017-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Parish, Jeremy (2014-02-05). "Daily Classic: U.N. Squadron's SNES Identity Change". VG247. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  7. "カプコン アーケードオリジナルボード CPSシリーズ+CPSチェンジャー 限定販売決定!!". Club Capcom (in Japanese). Vol. 2. Capcom. Spring 1994. pp. 90–91.
  8. "U.N. Squadron SNES Gamerankings review score". Archived from the original on 2019-05-05.
  9. Julian Rignall; Richard Leadbetter (September 1991). "U.N. Squadron". Mean Machines. No. 12. pp. 18–21. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  10. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 364. Amusement Press. 15 September 1989. p. 21.
  11. "Cover Story: "This Is the Good Time" – Capcom's CPS system brings success to the firm... and offers direction for a troubled video market". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 7. April 1990. pp. 183–5.
  12. "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 5. February 1990. p. 4.
  13. "The latest video games". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  14. "Video Games Guide". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  15. "U.N. Squadron Review". Super Gamer (2). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing: 124. May 1994. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  16. "UN Squadron - #37 Top 100 SNES Games - IGN". Archived from the original on 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  17. Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  18. "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 46. July 1995. Retrieved February 28, 2022.

External links

Area 88 by Kaoru Shintani
Categories: