Everyday Shooter

Infobox VG| title = Everyday Shooter


developer = Queasy Games
publisher =
designer = Jonathan Mak
engine = Homebrew in Visual C++
released = PlayStation 3:
vgrelease|NA=October 11, 2007 vgrelease|EU=February 14, 2008 Windows:
May 8, 2008
genre = Shooter
modes = Single-player
ratings =
platforms = PlayStation 3, Windows, PSP
media = Download
input = SIXAXIS, DualShock 3, USB controller, or keyboard

"Everyday Shooter" is a downloadable shoot 'em up video game. It was released on the U.S. PlayStation Store on October 11 2007; the European PlayStation Store on February 14 2008; and for Windows PCs via Steam on May 8 2008.

Development

"Everyday Shooter" was developed in the span of a few months by Jonathan Mak using Visual C++.cite web |url=http://queasygames.5.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=1407&view=findpost&p=15097 |title=Official "Everyday Shooter" Information Thread |accessdate=2007-10-09 |format=Forum Post |work=Queasy Games Forums ] In addition to programming and graphic design, Mak recorded and implemented an all-guitar soundtrack in the game.

Sony Computer Entertainment took notice of the game at the 2007 Independent Gaming Festival [Evan Shamoon, "Garage Game Developer: Our monthly look at the industry's most interesting gigs," "Electronic Gaming Monthly" 225 (February 2008): 33.] and published it for the PlayStation 3 on October 11 as a downloadable game on the PlayStation Network.

Gameplay

"Everyday Shooter" is a dual-stick, multidirectional shooter, sharing a similar control style to "" or "Geometry Wars". In the game's "Normal Play", the player maneuvers a small dot through eight different levels. The gameplay dynamics (enemy types, chaining systems, etc.) change with each level, encouraging the player to observe their surroundings closely to best adapt to new rule sets.

Jonathan Mak describes the game as "...an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry." [cite web |url=http://www.everydayshooter.com/ |title=Official Everyday Shooter Homepage |accessdate=2007-10-09 |work=Queasy Games]

Several characteristics support the metaphor of "Everyday Shooter" as a music album. For instance, each of the eight stages could be considered a song. In addition to unique background music for every stage, the player creates procedurally generated music as they interact with the environment. For example, shooting one type of enemy will trigger a guitar note or riff, while destroying another enemy will result in a different guitar sample.

Initially, the only way to play the game is through "Normal Play" which presents the player with all eight stages in order from first to last. However, points scored in the game can be used to unlock several features such as a "Shuffle Mode". Similar to using a shuffle mode on any music player, turning on shuffle mode in the game will reconfigure the order of the stages. Other unlockable features include various graphic filters and the ability to increase the number of lives the player has at the beginning of a game. The player may also unlock the stages to make them available individually in "Single Play".

Reception

VG Reviews
width = 25em
rev1=1UP.com
rev1Score=Acite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3163619 |title=Everyday Shooter Review |accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher=1UP.com |date=2007-10-11]
rev2=The A.V. Club
rev2Score=A-cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/games/everyday_shooter |title=EveryDay Shooter |accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher=The A.V. Club |date=2007-10-22]
rev3=GameSpot
rev3Score=8.0/10cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/everydayshooter/review.html?sid=6180930 |title=Everyday Shooter for PlayStation 3 Review |accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher=GameSpot |date=2007-10-12]
rev4=IGN
rev4Score=7.9/10cite web|url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/826/826812p1.html |title=Everyday Shooter Review |accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher=IGN |date=2007-10-11]
rev5="PSM3"
rev5Score=79/100
GR=83%cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/942051.asp?q=everyday%20shooter|title=Everyday Shooter Reviews|publisher=Game Rankings|accessdate=2008-07-20]
MC=83/100cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/everydayshooter?q=everyday%20shooter|title=Everyday Shooter (ps3:2007): Reviews|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=2008-07-20]
award1=2007 Independent Games Festival: Design Innovation,cite web |url=http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html |title=Independent Games Festival Finalists |accessdate=2007-10-09] Excellence in Audio, GameTap Indie Awards
award2= Kotaku: 2007 Game of the Year for the PlayStation Networkcite web |url=http://kotaku.com/338479/kotakus-2007-games-of-the-year.html |title=Kotaku's 2007 Games of the Year] Reviews for "Everyday Shooter" are generally positive, praising its creative music, graphic style and gameplay variety. A review from 1UP.com concludes "Everyday Shooter" succeeds wildly as an engaging shooter for the art-house crowd, and a creative change of pace for the hardcore-shooter crowd." Some critics pointed out similarities to the game "Rez", while "The A.V. Club" pointed out homages to classic arcade games such as "Centipede", "Robotron 2084", and "Time Pilot".

Many publications have cited the game's difficulty as a source of frustration, though some have pointed out that the game's unlocking system can ease the process of getting through "Normal Play" (or, bypassing it altogether by unlocking songs in "Single Play"). IGN also criticized the method of point-collecting -- points in "Everyday Shooter" must be physically collected by the player in the brief amount of time after they appear or else they'll quickly fade away. In IGN's review, it was noted that "flying over all the points is far less effective than it should be, since zipping through a huge clump of them will often yield only a few actual pick-ups."

ee also

*List of PlayStation Network games

References

External links

* [http://www.everydayshooter.com/ "Everyday Shooter" official website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_svyxgxh3mg GDC: Nikki Inderlied Gets the Low-Down on "Everyday Shooter"] on YouTube
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11254 "Road to the IGF" feature on "Everyday Shooter"] on Gamasutra