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Guerrilla War (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
is an overhead run and gun game produced by SNK
. Originally released for arcades in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game
, Guerrilla War followed the adventures of two unnamed rebel commandos (Che Guevara
and Fidel Castro
in the Japanese version) as they raid an unnamed Caribbean
Island in order to free it from the rule of an unnamed tyrannical dictator. Along the way the players vanquish hordes of unnamed enemy soldiers while attempting to rescue hostages (with large score deductions for any hostages killed in the crossfire), collecting weapons from troopers and operating tanks.
The arcade version, released by SNK in 1987, followed the highly successful format for overhead arcade shooters that SNK had pioneered with its landmark Ikari Warriors
(1986). Using eight-way rotating joysticks, the game allowed players to move their character in one direction while rotating the joystick in order to shoot in another. The game was moderately successful, and spawned ports
onto home video game systems. In 1988, SNK released home editions on the Commodore 64
and ZX Spectrum
home computers and the NES/Famicom
8-bit
console. Because of the limits of the home platforms, the home versions did not have the rotating joysticks. However, and unlike Ikari Warriors, the NES/Famicom versions proved to be very well adapted to the system and more popular than the arcade version. The NES version's two-player simultaneous play, unlimited continues, and frantic action gave it an edge over its arcade predecessor.
, and the defeat of the Batista
regime in Cuba
in the late 1950s. The original Japan
ese title of Guerrilla War was Guevara. In addition, player 2's character was Fidel Castro
. Castro as he appears in this game is ranked fifth in Electronic Gaming Monthly
’s list of the top ten video game politicians. Nevertheless, fearing extreme anti-Communist sentiments in the West, SNK did a localisation of the game's dialogue and instruction manual for its North American and European releases. The version of Guevara released for the Japanese Famicom is a sought-after item for many video game collectors
.
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
. Originally released for arcades in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, Guerrilla War followed the adventures of two unnamed rebel commandos (Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
in the Japanese version) as they raid an unnamed Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
Island in order to free it from the rule of an unnamed tyrannical dictator. Along the way the players vanquish hordes of unnamed enemy soldiers while attempting to rescue hostages (with large score deductions for any hostages killed in the crossfire), collecting weapons from troopers and operating tanks.
Releases
Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
(1986). Using eight-way rotating joysticks, the game allowed players to move their character in one direction while rotating the joystick in order to shoot in another. The game was moderately successful, and spawned ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
onto home video game systems. In 1988, SNK released home editions on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
home computers and the NES/Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
console. Because of the limits of the home platforms, the home versions did not have the rotating joysticks. However, and unlike Ikari Warriors, the NES/Famicom versions proved to be very well adapted to the system and more popular than the arcade version. The NES version's two-player simultaneous play, unlimited continues, and frantic action gave it an edge over its arcade predecessor.
The Che Guevara Connection
The game is based on the exploits of revolutionary Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, and the defeat of the Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
regime in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in the late 1950s. The original Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese title of Guerrilla War was Guevara. In addition, player 2's character was Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Castro as he appears in this game is ranked fifth in Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
’s list of the top ten video game politicians. Nevertheless, fearing extreme anti-Communist sentiments in the West, SNK did a localisation of the game's dialogue and instruction manual for its North American and European releases. The version of Guevara released for the Japanese Famicom is a sought-after item for many video game collectors
Video game collecting
Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting video games and related memorabilia. Collectors may focus on a particular area of interest, such as retro consoles like the Atari 2600 and NES. There may also be some overlap with animation, anime, manga, comic books, or other media...
.
External links
- Guerrilla War at Neo-Geo.com (review) 1
- C64 Guerrilla War