During GDC 26, I was reintroduced to the arcade of the 90s, but not on the usual arcade cabinet; it was on a 55-inch big screen TV. The developers from G’AIM’E had setup their system on the floor of GDC, and I’m glad I had an appointment because the line to play was fifteen people deep. The system was impressive, but my time was limited with it, so they sent me a unit to try out at home with friends and family.
You are probably asking yourself why we are talking about a non-PlayStation device. The answer is the folks at G’AIM’E really want this to be a PlayStation device, and so do I. G’AIM’E’s main reason for being at GDC this last year wasn’t to sell units; it was to bring awareness to the many developers in attendance and to connect with them and bring this system to other platforms. As a testament to the popularity of the system, they exceeded their original Kickstarter target goal by more than ten times. Are you listening, PlayStation?
Quality Build and Easy to Set Up
As soon as you open the box, you can tell this unit is well built. The guns have a little bit of weight to them and feel great in my hand. While the guns are wired to the little Android box that runs the software, the wires are braided and should last a very long time. The wires are also 13 feet long, so you have quite a bit of leeway on your gaming setup. The system is literally plug-and-play. Plug in the guns, plug in the HDMI to the box and then your TV, plug in the USBC power, and you are ready to calibrate the guns with whatever TV (or projector screen) you are using.
There are several ordering options on their website: Basic ($99.99), Premium ($149.99), and Ultimate ($199.99). Basic is just the gun, system box and only comes with Time Crisis, premium adds the G’AIM’E Pedal and three more games, and Ultimate adds the pedal, three games, and a second gun. They sent me the Ultimate Edition, and that extra gun means extra fun.
The Games
The Premium and Ultimate systems have four games to play: Time Crisis, Point Blank, Steel Gunner, and Steel Gunner 2. Time Crisis was developed under license from Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and its original arcade developers, and the game runs flawlessly, albeit pixelated. The other three games run just as well, and playing couch co-op, and seeing who can get the highest accuracy rate and score, makes for great party games.
Time Crisis is the only game that uses the pedal, and it’s only single player, but it runs and feels just like the original arcade game. There is a button on the gun itself that acts like the pedal, so the pedal isn’t necessary, but come on, where’s the nostalgia without it?
The game Point Blank seems to be where we spent quite a bit of time when playing as a group. There are over a hundred different games to play head-to-head, and it tends to make everyone ultra competitive. Whether it’s a single-shot game or a mad dash down a hallway blasting bad guys as fast as you can, it’s always fun.
Steel Gunner and its sequel, Steel Gunner 2, can be played co-op or solo and are both similar to Time Crisis, but without the need to reload. Luckily, there’s no real quarter slot anywhere to be found to add credits, as we would go broke in a hurry in this arcade classic. Adding credits every time you run out of life is free and just a button press away.
The Tech in The Guns
The tech in use by each light gun is where this system excels in tracking. Inside each gun is a 1080p camera that uses AI tracking to map out your TV screen, and when calibrating, the gun measures the distances and recognizes shapes across the screen and analyzes the data in real-time. It is this technology that allows for the gun to be accurate enough to shoot an apple off of a guy’s head in Point Blank, and not shoot the guy in the face. The technology is definitely ready to be unleashed on the masses; it just needs more games.
Let’s Get G’AIM’E on PlayStation
G’AIM’E has created an incredibly advanced piece of technology with this light gun, and the only requirement is that you have a room with decent lighting and a big screen TV. There’s no need for an extra sensor or putting bars around your TV. Just plug and play. The only downfall is that there’s no way to add more games to the unit at this time. This is why PlayStation needs to jump on board and get this system certified for their platform. Technically, the Android box is software upgradable, and there was a recent firmware update that had us plugging the box into our Windows 10 PC, so there is an open update method if G’AIM’E decided to go that way.
At the end of the day, what G’AIM’E has created is a light gun that has reinvented how light guns work, and they’ve done so almost flawlessly. The system is well worth the $199.99 price tag and can give your family and friends hours upon hours of fun for a long time to come. PlayStation lacks anything like this, and with the end of PlayStation Move support long ago, now would be a great time to bring G’AIM’E into the family.
