RayForce, alternately titled Layer Selection outside the continent of Asia; Gunlock in European arcades, and Galactic Attack in the United States, is a vertical space shooter that was developed in Japan by Taito and released for the personal computer by Gamebank, CyberFront and MediaKite. It is a more recent game that runs well in the Windows operating systems, having hit the markets in the very late nineties. Besides the personal computer, versions of RayForce can also be found in the classic arcades, and on the Sega Saturn.
The game of RayForce was also released as part of the second in a series of Taito Legends games.
The premise of RayForce involves the creation of a supercomputer titled Con-Human. It is made as an environmental monitor for the entire planet, and will ensure that proper nutrients and care are given to all life forms on Earth. However, a human clone somehow links to Con-Human and somehow the computer not only becomes self aware, but insane. Instead of working to protect life and the environment, the computer begins to create disasters, exterminating the very life forms that it was intended to defend. After almost all of humanity is wiped out, the few survivors flee to a space colony. With the planet all to itself, Con-Human
reshapes the planet and restructures it into a giant mobile fortress that doubles as its body and a battleship. The remaining humans develop the RVA-818-X-LAY fighter and intend to eradicate Con-Human by destroying the earth. The user will play the fighter pilot on one of these ships.
The craft fires straight lasers that can be built up to an impressive beam by acquiring power-ups. Secondary weapons can also be upgraded, this being the missile launcher. At its full strength it can be trained on as many as eight targets at once. The game is mostly a vertically scrolling space shooter, but there are a few brief horizontal sequences. The scroll is smooth, and the game play is excellent, making RayForce a brilliant example of a good, entertaining shooter. The animation is nice, the panning effect of the camera as the ship fluctuates back and forth is engaging, and the graphics in general are vivid. This is wonderful conversion of one of everyone’s favorite classic arcade games to a PC format. It comes highly recommended for download and can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages and skill levels.
