Zero Gunner

Zero Gunner is a helicopter-based shoot 'em up developed by Psikyo and released for arcades in December 1997 . Set in the future year of 2016, the story follows a widespread terrorist organization that has overthrown the world's military authorities and initiated global martial law. A group of ace helicopter pilots are secretly assembled into a special forces squadron called ZERO, tasked with traveling the world to destroy the occupied terrorist forces . Unlike traditional vertical or horizontal shooters, the game features a unique lock-on targeting mechanic that allows players to rotate around locked targets while continuing to fire, enabling eight-way movement with a joystick . Players choose from three helicopters: a Cobra, an Apache, and a gunship, each equipped with a basic single shot and a powerful sonic wave that sweeps across the entire screen .

Arcade

Released in December 1997, Zero Gunner runs on Sega Model 2 hardware, featuring an Intel i960-KB CPU and 68000 sound processor, with horizontal medium-resolution raster display and amplified stereo sound . The cabinet supports two players with an 8-way joystick and two buttons . In Japan, Game Machine listed Zero Gunner as the sixth most-successful arcade game in its February 15, 1998 issue . The game features a substantial number of levels—approximately fifteen—divided into three story-driven campaigns (Asia, USA, and Europe), each with five missions. A fourth Expert mode allows players to chain ten randomly selected missions . Unlike Psikyo's seven-stage standard, this structure offers greater variety, though critics noted that early missions suffer from low difficulty, with action becoming engaging only around levels four or five . The game was succeeded by Zero Gunner 2 for the Sega NAOMI and Dreamcast .