Rambo inspired millions of 80’s teens to go in “guns blazing” in their backyards, and it’s only fitting that 25+ years after Sylvester Stallone first wow’d us in the original Rambo: First Blood, he is once again inspiring a new generation of commando’s due to the new Rambo movie (which just came out on DVD if you haven’t seen it yet).
And now Rambo is making his long-awaited return to the video game world, and in an unlikely format . . . the arcades! Running on Sega’s advanced Lindbergh Red ex board, the game attempts to replicate the theatrical experience, with a large 62 inch HD screen and an advanced speaker system.
Gameplay is all gunplay, with players making use of a low-weight light gun to blast enemies and bosses, making use of an anger gauge that provides a power boost and temporary invincibility when filled. In-game, your weapon changes between regular guns and a bow-and-arrow depending on the situation and there will also be “special events” that will happen as you play through the stages (no real details on that yet).
Strangely, the new game doesn’t have anything to do with the new movie, which is due for release in Japan on May 24. Instead, the game follows the story of the first three movies, allowing players to relive classic scenes from the films.
This new video game adaptation of Rambo will hit Japanese arcades some time this year. No word yet on if it will get an international release, but considering the popularity of Rambo, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.
Oh and in case you were wondering who the guy in the picture is, that was Sega’s “human mascot” known only as Segata Sanshiro (and thus the headline is a pun) who was played by Hiroshi Fujiioka. This guy was extremely popular in Japan in the late 1990’s and inspired people to play more Sega Saturn! Which was a response from Sega to sluggish sales of their gaming system. — Via IGN, NeoGAF and Kotaku