Target: Terror — A Game So Ridiculous That It’s Good
Every once in a while, I highlight a game that I come across that absolutely blows my mind. And to think I missed it beforehand because I was caught up in other games at the time. But hey, that’s the joy of rediscovery for you.
Anyway, the game is Target: Terror. It was released in 2004 by Raw Thrills and produced by none other than arcade legend Eugene Jarvis. It’s got a similar formula to the previously released Area 51 and Maximum Force games by Midway, using rendered characters amidst computer generated backgrounds as you shoot at enemies and protect innocents from being harmed, all while collecting power-ups.
The game is silly. But that’s the point. In an effort to boost the arcade shooter market at the time, Raw Thrills opted to go for the “silly” with Target: Terror. Not only is it cheesy in its general nature, but its bonus rounds sometimes defy logic. One even has you taking on terrorists that ride around in golf carts while you destroy them with explosive golf balls. I’m serious. You actually do this.
While Target: Terror wasn’t as trailblazing a success as other Raw Thrills releases, it did find a cult following. And for some reason, Konami, of all people, thought fit to give the game a home release on the Nintendo Wii, since it’s a system that’s custom built for arcade ports. (Yet Bandai Namco never gave us the Point Blank trilogy we deserved — grrr…)
Anyway, the port was spot on, but some people felt tempted to give it a negative review because of its “lack of quality,” saying it lacked the punch of other light-gun shooters at the time. But I have a feeling they were looking at the game through rose-colored glasses, expecting…I dunno, a Time Crisis game or something. (Which is good, don’t get me wrong, but there’s room for stuff like this.)
Years later, however, I can’t help but admire the sheer hilarity of Target: Terror. It firmly sits in the “so bad, it’s good” category, with cheesy quality that comes across like a ridiculous 80s B-movie and shooting tactics that work just as well, if not better, than the Midway classics mentioned above.
In short, Target: Terror deserved more credit than it got. Sure, it did come after 9/11 happened and that probably turned off arcade distributors and others from carrying it, which I get. But its nature isn’t dwelling on terror at all, but rather the sheer silliness of watching actors try to “gun” you down, only to watch them hilariously cower when you return the favor. It’s meant to be cheesy, and not taken seriously at all.
It reminds me of this awful 90s movie called No Contest. It’s nuts. It features an all-star cast — Shannon Tweed, Andrew “Dice” Clay (if you count him as a star), Robert Davi and, of course, Roddy Piper — but it’s a Die Hard knockoff through and through. And cheesy at that. But look past that for the sheer cheesiness and you’ll find a treasure underneath that’ll make you smile. Provided you take it the right way, like you would Target: Terror.
No, really, this movie is ridiculous. I kinda want to find the DVD now.
Anyway, back to Target: Terror. I think the game is pretty well done myself, and a lot of fun — especially for those that love a good light gun game. Or just light gun games in general. There’s certainly far worse than this (should I mention Mad Dog McCree?), although there are also better. But you can accept it for what it offers and just have a good time with it.
I think you can find a copy on Wii for around $60 now (that’s about what I paid), and it’s so worth it if you have a Wii or Wii U still. As for the arcade version, well, I haven’t seen it around, but keep an eye open.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this journey into the past. Embrace the so-bad-it’s-good-ness!
Have a good week, everyone!
