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[zroid]

Release Dates:

JP (Famicom): Jul 17, 1992
JP: Dec 12, 2012
EU: Aug 15, 2013
NA: Sep 5, 2013​

Genre:

Shooter​

Publisher:

Kaga Electronics / Naxat Soft​

Developer:

KID (Kindle Imagine Develop)​

Price:

$4.99 / €4.99 / £4.49 / ¥500​

Platform:

Nintendo 3DS eShop (Virtual Console -- originally released on Famicom)​

--

Nintendo.com summary:

Prepare for intense action at stunning speeds!

Experience the frenetic pace of this classic top-down shooter. Created for a gaming competition back in 1992, Summer Carnival ’92 RECCA makes its way to North American shores for the first time! Widely considered one of the most challenging shooters ever made, you must fight your through wave after wave of enemy ships, and defeat the boss at the end of each stage. There are five primary weapons, and five secondary weapons, all of which can be powered-up.

Prepare for takeoff to carry out the ultimate mission for the survival of humankind!

Nintendo.co.uk summary:

Developed by Naxat Soft for its Summer Carnival tournament in 1992, RECCA is a fast, furious shooter that pushed the NES to never-before-seen speeds.

Battle through stages swarming with enemies, collecting power-ups for your primary and secondary weapons. Hold fire for a moment and plasma energy will build up, to be used as a shield or launched as a plasma bomb.

Even RECCA's soundtrack is hardcore, with some of the most impressive music on the NES. This tour de force of technical wizardry and intense action is not for the faint-hearted!

--

(the following is copied verbatim from the digital instruction manual)

The year is 2302 AD.

The galaxy had been unified by the humans, and the Galaxy Federation was about to form an alliance with the Republics of Andromeda. Then the Republics were suddenly attacked by tens of thousands of spaceships believed to be from the Toron nebula. After 30 days of constant battle, the Andromeda Allied Fleet was annihilated. The first reinforcements the Galaxy Federation sent were defeated in a mere two days. Now the mysterious spaceships have invaded our galaxy. The Galaxy Federation Army has tried in vain to hold its ground. The enemy ships are getting closer to Earth. The army has lost 1,200 fleets, and casualties have reached 3,200,000. The enemy's firepower has far exceeded that of the humans...until now. Recca, a lone fighter jet with the newest technology, is about to take off to carry out the ultimate mission for the survival of humankind.

--

RECCA is widely considered the best/craziest traditional top-down shooter on the Famicom/NES, and a game which pushed the system to its hard limits. Due to the circumstances of the game's release, being developed solely for the Summer Carnival competition, it was never given a full-fledged wide release in Japan, and was furthermore never previously released outside Japan. The game currently sells (used!) for upwards of $400 on eBay.

--

Trailers:




Screens:

Gameplay:


This game will kick your ass to the moon

--

DigitallyDownloaded.net: 3/5

So my advice would be to approach Recca with caution. It's a worthwhile download just for its history and sheer rarity. After you're done marvelling at how Naxat Soft got this beast to run on the NES however, you'll probably find that the core gameplay isn't all that enjoyable

NintendoLife.com: 8/10

Because it was intended purely for competitions featuring expert players, it's hard to recommend Recca to anybody but the most die-hard fans of the genre. Despite this, however, it is easily one of best and most impressive shoot 'em up games made for the system, and anybody who isn't afraid of a challenge (or using save states a lot) will find this a more than worthy pickup.

HonestGamers.com: 8/10

While Recca is not the best shooter ever made, it is quite enjoyable and almost certainly the best the NES has to offer, albeit from ranks of unworthy alternatives. Being confined to Japan, Recca is a hard find, so this game is not easy to own for Westerners. That aside, a game of Recca should be a requirement for all fans of shooters and the Nintendo Entertainment System.

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Nintendo.com product page: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/LtX8uYNtvrx1wrwCBAM6MnTNK5M56Qgs
Nintendo.co.uk product page: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/NES/Summer-Carnival-92-RECCA-790679.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recca

--

 

[Monado Blade]

Great OP!

Great game too but tough as balls. Truly one of the most pleasant surprises to hit Virtial Console, along with Earthbound.

 

[Amalthea]

A fantastic game. Every SHMUP fan has to get this.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Very neat!

I'll definitely be giving this a shot.

 

[zroid]

Just downloaded! Can't wait to get my face melted off.

Thank god for restore points

 

[Zonic]

Gonna have to recommend this to a friend of mine that likes shmups as much as I do. Tried it twice and really enjoyed it, especially considering the fact it pushed the limits of the NES/Famicom. Should see which speed is the best.

 

[zroid]

When I noticed NoE described the soundtrack as "hardcore", I really had no choice but to include their summary in the OP too

 

[rjc571]

Somebody in the Nintendo Download thread was complaing about the 5 dollar pricetag, lol. I guess a 99% markdown wasn't good enough for them.

 

[Javier]

Downloaded and played it the first time. Game Over after one minute.

This game, guys. This game.

 

[honorless]

It's out for NA now?!?! OMG OMG. Thank you for the OT.

 

[Zonic]

Trying to figure out these codes. Gotta place your 3DS down & put your fingers in certain positions to do it. I got Limit Change, but no idea what that does & I can't access the sound test.

 

[Seik]

Wow, this released in NA?

I still have one of the summer carnival games on PCE, don't know which one tbh though, it's been too long since I played. :\

 

[Fularu]

Somebody in the Nintendo Download thread was complaing about the 5 dollar pricetag, lol. I guess a 99% markdown wasn't good enough for them.

People always complain about VC prices

AppStore generation and all

 

[andymcc]

holy shit! yes!

Shinobu Yagawa! *bows*

i'll buy this tomorrow.

 

[mktrOOp]

Can someone give me advice for the second boss? Do I have to move inside the several beams when the boss attacks?

 

[digita1alchemy]

I want to get this but I think I am going to wait until I get a 2DS, as I think I will like using it's d-pad much better. *cough* proper account system *cough*

 

[Eusis]

I thought this was hitting Wii U, any word on that? I may still grab for 3DS anyway, but I'd rather play NES games on Wii U generally due to the resolution allowing better scaling.

 

[SAB CA]

So, a game developed only for the hardest of hardcore, for a single competition?

I have to ask... does this even happen anymore? And if it does... do they ever turn out good?

I'd imagine if such was created now-a-days, people would complain about lack of polish, modes, low resolution textures, blah, blah... but it would be really interesting to see 1 off games like this made for leaderboard/online seasonal play.

At any rate, if I can someone I know with a 3DS to buy this, I'll have to give it a try I'd get it if it made it to WiiU as well. Sounds like quite the novelty, and I love the fact something like this has been released for worldwide consumption now.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Really impressive tech for a Famicom title.

 

[zroid]

I thought this was hitting Wii U, any word on that? I may still grab for 3DS anyway, but I'd rather play NES games on Wii U generally due to the resolution allowing better scaling.

Hmm, is it? I haven't heard anything about that. The Wii U's NES emulator is better, but the games do tend to look sharper on 3DS, I find.

 

[AutumnAve]

Thi is kinda unbelievable. wow

 

[Teknoman]

I need this asap.

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

So, a game developed only for the hardest of hardcore, for a single competition?

I have to ask... does this even happen anymore? And if it does... do they ever turn out good?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gutefabrik/sportsfriends-featuring-johann-sebastian-joust

NYU's No Quarter exhibition features purpose-built games. They aren't necessarily built only for the hardcore, but I think it's the closest we can get nowadays.

You gotta understand that STG players are essentially hardcore by default, so designing a game specifically for them means that nobody in your target audience will be alienated by essentially any part of it, if you do it right. The general public, on the other hand? Well...

 

[Letep]

Trying to figure out these codes. Gotta place your 3DS down & put your fingers in certain positions to do it. I got Limit Change, but no idea what that does & I can't access the sound test.

CODES.

Sold.

 

[Jockel]

Insta-bought.

 

[UncleSporky]

Yeah I would definitely agree with that first review in the OP. Approach with some caution, know what you're getting into.

But this is seriously a piece of history. It's a bit of a NES benchmark. Not necessarily beautiful, but dizzying!

 

[Diddy Kong]

This looks awesome! I'm going to have to buy it some time

 

[Cody_D165]

Well goddamnit, and here I thought I was going to be able to keep my $30 credit completely intact by the time Ace Attorney 5 came out.

I need this.

 

[zroid]

Ah, Nintendo posted another trailer on their youtube channel a couple hours ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG_MC-H8zzA&noredirect=1

complete with contemporary text effects

 

[Tain]

Getting through Recca's first loop doesn't seem too tough, but beyond that I have no idea.

Game is a great mess.

 

[GhostSeed]

I did not realize this was already out, downloading....

 

[dallow_bg]

Bought!

 

[Dicer]

I hope we get the rest of the Summer Carnival games, that would be sweet.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

I did not realize this was already out, downloading....

Same. I actually had no idea it was even being released across the pond.

 

[andymcc]

Game is a great mess.

It's a Yagawa game!

 

[Plinko]

Wow, I saw the title of the game in the Nintendo Downloads thread and brushed it off because I thought it was something like a Summer Games or Track and Field-type game.

I might buy this.

 

[zroid]

Man, from watching all the videos, some of the enemy formations just look completely insane. I can't even figure out how to avoid them just from watching, never mind executing the necessary manoeuvre.

 

[BOTEC]

Man, dat sprite flicker. Is there an emulator option to help with that or not so much?

 

[andymcc]

Man, dat sprite flicker. Is there an emulator option to help with that or not so much?

the flicker is part of the experience. it's like seeing a boom mic in the frame on a beloved film.

 

[Eusis]

Man, dat sprite flicker. Is there an emulator option to help with that or not so much?

The only time I ever saw anything like that was with MM9, and that was more disabling a graphical effect EMULATING flicker, not using stronger power to run an emulation that eliminates it. I'm not even sure if unofficial emulators address it.

 

[UncleSporky]

Man, dat sprite flicker. Is there an emulator option to help with that or not so much?

On the NES, any time more than 8 sprites need to be displayed in a horizontal line, flickering needs to happen. It's not even automatic, they have to program it in to cycle between sprites on different frames. If they don't, then the 9th sprite is simply invisible, the console simply can't support that many graphics horizontally. It'd take too long for it to render that scanline.

And a sprite is only 8 pixels wide, so wider objects are 2 or more sprites wide. If all the ships are 16 pixels wide, then you can only have 4 ships on any horizontal before introducing flickering. That's not including bullets, explosions, other effects...

It's kind of amazing that the game runs at all.

Interesting thing, another NES shooter called Gun-Nac does have options to optimize the game for speed or graphics. That's a pretty awesome shooter too.

 

[BOTEC]

the flicker is part of the experience. it's like seeing a boom mic in the frame on a beloved film.

Ha, that's true. But man, I don't know if my old man eyes can take it anymore.

 

[andymcc]

Interesting thing, another NES shooter called Gun-Nac does have options to optimize the game for speed or graphics. That's a pretty awesome shooter too.

it's my favorite Fami shooter. what a game!

 

[Zonic]

Interesting thing, another NES shooter called Gun-Nac does have options to optimize the game for speed or graphics. That's a pretty awesome shooter too.

Oh man, I really wish Gun-Nac would get added to the VC (either Wii U or 3DS). Been wanting to play that for quite some time.

Able to beat the first two bosses pretty easily, but man, Stage 2 just takes all my lives.

 

[duckroll]

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I just bought this. I was in the eShop buying Shantae GBC and saw that it was out! OH YEAH!

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Oh Christ! Who woulda expected this gem to appear on US shores via 3ds VC? So buying this one.

 

[Teknoman]

On the NES, any time more than 8 sprites need to be displayed in a horizontal line, flickering needs to happen. It's not even automatic, they have to program it in to cycle between sprites on different frames. If they don't, then the 9th sprite is simply invisible, the console simply can't support that many graphics horizontally. It'd take too long for it to render that scanline.

And a sprite is only 8 pixels wide, so wider objects are 2 or more sprites wide. If all the ships are 16 pixels wide, then you can only have 4 ships on any horizontal before introducing flickering. That's not including bullets, explosions, other effects...

It's kind of amazing that the game runs at all.

Interesting thing, another NES shooter called Gun-Nac does have options to optimize the game for speed or graphics. That's a pretty awesome shooter too.

Gun*Nac needs to be on VC for more to experience, just because of the simple fact that the soundtrack is like 765 times better than Recca.

Seriously, the game is fun, but the soundtrack sounds like mechanical bees.

 

[iphys]

Thank goodness for the codes. My brain feels like swiss cheese after playing through both parts with the constant flurry of tiny bullets and seizure-inducing flickering and shaking. Too bad this didn't come out on Wii U, so we'd have a greater hope of seeing all those tiny bullets, although the big screen might have just made seizures more likely too.

 

[To Far Away Times]

I'm pretty wary of NES shmups but Recca looks pretty good. Think I'll pick this one up.

 

[@MUWANdo]

Trying to figure out these codes. Gotta place your 3DS down & put your fingers in certain positions to do it. I got Limit Change, but no idea what that does & I can't access the sound test.

Limit Change alters the target score for the time attack mode (default is 10k).