Ghost Pilots

Ghost Pilots[lower-alpha 1] is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1991 by SNK.[1] The gameplay is straightforward with elements similar to that of Capcom's 194X games, but it is difficult even on the easiest difficulty level. Unlike most scrolling shooters, the vehicle is a seaplane instead of a spaceship or airplane.

Ghost Pilots
European Arcade flyer with art by Shinkiro
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)SNK
HAMSTER Corporation (PS4/Switch/Xbox One)
Director(s)Takashi Nishiyama
Producer(s)Eikichi Kawasaki
Designer(s)M. Mioshi
N. Mori
R. Miyazaki
Composer(s)Masahiko Hataya
Platform(s)Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release
Genre(s)Vertically scrolling shooter
Mode(s)
CabinetUpright
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Plot

In World War II, an ambitious Nazi general sends his forces against the Allies. Two freelance ace pilots Tom Phillips and Charlie Stingley nicknamed "Ghost Pilots", set off in their seaplanes to combat the Axis forces head on.

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot.

Before starting a stage, the player must choose one of two bomb types. In one of the two stages after the first, the player also has the option to choose a third unique bomb type (napalm bomb in the land strike stage and air mines in the air strike stage). At the start of the game a player starts with three bombs and can collect up to a maximum of nine bombs. In a two-player game, both players cannot choose the same bomb type.

During a stage, the player can maneuver the seaplane around the area, fire bullets and launch the chosen bombs in limited quantity. Enemies consist of tanks, gunboats, jets and a number of other units. Shooting a row of red planes grants collectible power-ups for stronger and widespread firepower, additional bombs and extra lives. Certain medium-sized enemies destroyed grant collectible bonus stars for additional score. The player loses a life if the seaplane is hit by a bullet or crashes into an enemy.

The first stage is in two parts which means there is no checkpoint in between. When the player reaches a checkpoint, the overall score is boosted. After the first stage the player can choose to do either the land strike stage or the air strike stage next. The land strike stage consists of mostly sea and land units while the air strike stage consists of a majority of air units. If the player makes it past both stages, the last stage is in two parts. Throughout stages, the player must destroy bosses by shooting their weak points multiple times.[2]

Reception
Contemporary reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG(Neo Geo) 68 / 100[3]
AllGame(Arcade) [4]
(Neo Geo) [5]
Consoles +(Neo Geo) 88%[6]
Famitsu(Neo Geo) 24 / 40[7]
GamePro(Neo Geo) 25 / 25[8]
Génération 4(Neo Geo) 84%[9]
Hobby Consolas(Neo Geo) 89 / 100[10]
Joystick(Neo Geo) 72%[11]
Mega Fun(Neo Geo) 72%[12]
Micom BASIC Magazine(Neo Geo) [13]
Player One(Neo Geo) 93%[14]
Superjuegos(Neo Geo) 80,8 / 100[15]
Última Generación(Neo Geo CD) 72 / 100[16]
Ultimate Future Games(Neo Geo CD) 59%[17]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Ghost Pilots on their April 15, 1991 issue as being the seventeenth most-successful table arcade unit of the year, outperforming titles such as Strato Fighter.[18] On release,[19][20][21] Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo version of the game a 24 out of 40.[7]

Retrospective reviews
Retrospective assessments
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(Switch) 60%[22]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Nintendo Life(Switch) 6 / 10[23]
Video Chums(Switch) [24]

Ghost Pilots has been met with mixed reception from retrospective reviewers in recent years.

Notes
  1. Japanese: ゴースト・パイロット Hepburn: Gōsuto Pairotto
gollark: > Two generations ago, scientists took a biopsy of a tumor from a cancer patient named Elizabeth Gratwick, who died soon after. Without her knowledge or consent, these cells were preserved in the laboratory and proved to be exceptionally stable in replication. As stable cancer cell lines are highly useful for medical research, “ElGr cells” have been sent to and used by scientists all over the world. However, objections are now being raised by Elizabeth’s descendants.
gollark: Now I need to answer a question!
gollark: And top 1% for crime.
gollark: * 0.8%
gollark: It's actually top 0.8 in the world for rudeness!

References
  1. "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - Ghost Pilots". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 105.
  2. Ghost Pilots user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  3. O'Connor, Frank (October 1991). "Reviews - Neo Geo -- Ghost Pilots". Computer and Video Games. No. 119. Future Publishing. p. 62.
  4. Biondich, Paul (1998). "Ghost Pilots (Arcade) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  5. Knight, Kyle (1998). "Ghost Pilots (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  6. Hermelin, François; Kun, Kaneda (September 1991). "Neo Geo Review - Ghost Pilots". Consoles + (in French). No. 1. M.E.R.7. pp. 98–99.
  7. "NEO GEO GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ゴーストパイロット". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 332. ASCII. 28 April 1995. p. 25.
  8. Mortis, Rigor (January 1992). "Neo Geo For Real! - Ghost Pilots". GamePro. No. 30. IDG. pp. 100–101.
  9. Ladoire, Frank (November 1991). "Console Test – Ghost Pilot – Neo-Geo". Génération 4 (in French). No. 38. Computec Media France. p. 214.
  10. del Campo, Manuel (November 1993). "Neo Geo - Ghost Pilots - Héroes De Altos... Duelos". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 26. Axel Springer SE. pp. 162–164.
  11. Demoly, Jean-Marc (April 1991). "Tests - Neo Geo - Ghost Pilots". Joystick (in French). No. 15. Anuman Interactive. p. 116.
  12. Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - Ghost Pilots". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  13. Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい！: ゴーストパイロット". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 208.
  14. Drevet, Cyril (November 1991). "Dossier: La NÉO GÉO brille de tous ses feux - Ghost Pilots". Player One (in French). No. 14. Média Système Édition. p. 94.
  15. Pascual, Alberto (May 1992). "Consola - En pantalla: Ghost Pilots - Infierno aéreo (Neo-Geo: arcade)". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 1. Grupo Zeta. pp. 56–57.
  16. S. Fernández, Javier (August 1995). "Versión Final - Neo-Geo CD - Ghost Pilots". Última Generación (in Spanish). No. 5. MV Editores. pp. 84–85.
  17. "Ultimate review sector: Petit Test - Ghost Pilots (Neo Geo CD • SNK)". Ultimate Future Games. No. 9. Future Publishing. August 1995. p. 81.
  18. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 401. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 April 1991. p. 25.
  19. Gaksch, Martin (June 1991). "Power Test / Automatenspiele - Satt-Action". Power Play (in German). No. 38. Future Verlag. p. 140.
  20. Knauf, Andreas (January 1992). "News - Neo Geo". Video Games (in German). No. 5. Future-Verlag. pp. 10–12.
  21. R.I.P. (February 1996). "The Final Word game review - Ghost Pilots -- SNK Corp". Game Zero Magazine. Game Zero. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  22. "ACA NeoGeo: Ghost Pilots for Nintendo Switch". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  23. Lopes, Gonçalo (April 30, 2018). "Ghost Pilots Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  24. Maciejewski, A.J. (August 12, 2019). "ACA NeoGeo Shoot 'em Ups - Ghost Pilots Review". videochums.com. Video Chums. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
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