It's hot. Though this summer, Japanese gamers have been piling into arcades across the country not only to take refuge from the heat, but to also check out one of the most interesting games released this year — and it may surprise you to hear that it's a shooter.
There's a notion that Japanese gamers don't like shooting games — especially online, networked shooting games. While role-playing games (RPGs) such as "Dragon Quest" and "Final Fantasy" are more popular, the belief that Japanese gamers have some sort of allergy to shooters, however, is false. Just look at "Gunslinger Stratos."
This is a networked shooting game in which players use pistol-shaped light-gun controllers to riddle each other with virtual bullets. The game is linked to other "Gunslinger Stratos" machines in arcades across the country and players can face off in teams of four-on-four.