Gangster Town
System: SMS
Release Date: August 1987
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
We’ve got another Sega light gun shooter with Gangster Town. You play the role of an FBI agent who is trying to take down Big Boss. In order to get to him, though, you have to go through an army of mafia thugs, so get your trigger finger ready and start blasting!
You start off in the practice mode, where you shoot moving targets. If you qualify here, you get to start with six hearts, which dictate how many hits you can take from enemies before dying. After that, you start the car chase. Gangsters hang out of the side of their vehicle and try to take you out. You can get them first, though, either by shooting them or by hitting the front tire a few times to send them careening off the road. You have to be mindful of the plane that shows up halfway through the chase and starts dropping bombs on you.
Next, you find yourself downtown. Gangsters show up from inside buildings, either side of the street, and even from manholes. Shoot them and their angels for even more points. At one point, LuLu will come walking on screen. You want to make sure she gets across unharmed in order to maximize your points. Once you reach the saloon, Ferret Face comes out and you have to shoot him five times to move on to the next level.
The saloon stage has bottles on the back shelf that if you shoot them all, earn some big bonus points. You move back and forth two times, shooting everyone that appears on screen, even rats. Then Ferret Face shows up again and you have to put him down. Then it’s back to the downtown stage to head to the Nightclub.
I was unable to make it to the Nightclub, which is the penultimate stage before the fight against Big Boss on the Docks. There is also a bonus stage where you shoot bricks in order to find a key.
Graphics: 2.0
The graphics are fine. I have no issues with them.
Sound: 1.5
There’s not much to say about the music and the sound effects are your gun shots.
Gameplay: 2.5
Shoot the bad guys as fast and accurately as you can.
Difficulty: 2.5
The second downtown stage throws a lot of gangsters that shoot quickly.
Fun Factor: 1.5
I would like to play this with the actual Light Phaser.
Overall Grade: 2.0
Gangster Town gets a C. It’s an average game overall, and a decent light gun shooter.