Ghoul Panic

In these minigames there is an objective that must be fulfilled before the time runs out to progress such as shooting a certain amount of enemies or protecting small, yellow cats from projectiles. It ran on the Namco System 12 arcade hardware. The game was directed by Raizing composer Manabu Namiki and produced by Raizing artist Shinsuke Yamakawa, whose previous works include Battle Garegga and 1944: The Loop Master, with music composed by Masahiro Fukuzawa and Jin Watanabe. It is heavily inspired by Namco's Point Blank series of games, with a focus on thrill and adventure. Yamakawa recalls the game being in development when Raizing's development staff had dramatically increased in number. Liked by critics for its gameplay, graphics and multiplayer features, although its lack of additions to the traditional gameplay of lightgun shooters was the subject of criticism.

• Title — Ghoul Panic • Developer — Raizing • Publisher — NamcoSony Computer Entertainment • Director — Manabu Namiki • Producer — Shinsuke Yamakawa • Composer — Masahiro Fukuzawa Jin Watanabe Manabu Namiki • Genre — Light gun shooter • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Arcade System — Namco System 12 • Platforms — Arcade, PlayStation • Released — ArcadeJuly 1999PlayStation

• Illustration — In this minigame, the player must shoot a certain number of ghosts before the timer runs out. Ghoul Panic is a light gun shooting video game, often compared to the Point Blank series which also runs on the same arcade hardware. Players use lightguns attached to the arcade cabinet to fire at enemies in a series of minigames. These minigames feature a quota that must be fulfilled before the time limit ends, such as shooting a certain number of enemies or protecting small, yellow cats from projectiles. Completing minigames will allow the player to progress, while losing will cause the player to lose a life; losing all lives will result in a Game Over. A life will also be lost if the player shoots the yellow cats or "bomb ghosts". The game is divided into three different stages, each featuring eight minigames to play that become gradually harder as it progresses. Finishing all the minigames in a stage will have the player face off against a boss, including: Frankie, a Frankenstein's monster that will toss projectiles at the player; Vladie, a vampire that launches a barrage of deadly bats; Witchina, a witch that attacks with her spell-casting broomstick; and Mama Mia, a massive dragon-like monster that hurls fireballs.

Ghoul Panic, titled Oh! Bakyuuun in Japan, was released for arcades in July 1999 in Japan and later that year in North America. It was developed by Eighting/Raizing, and published by Namco. The game was produced by Raizing artist Shinsuke Yamakawa, whose works include Battle Garegga and 1944: The Loop Master, who recalls the game being developed at a time where Eighting/Raizing's staff had grown considerably. The game was directed by Manabu Namiki, who primarily worked as a composer at Raizing. As Namiki was busy working on designing the game, the music and sound effects were created by former Namco composer Masahiro Fukuzawa and former Westone composer Jin Watanabe. However, he created the waveform data and also composed additional music for the PlayStation version. It is heavily based on Namco's Point Blank series, with a focus on adventure and thrill. A home conversion for the PlayStation was released in Japan on April 20, 2000, and in Europe later that year. This version was published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is compatible with the GunCon peripheral. To promote its release, Namco held an online contest on the game's official website where players could submit their high-scores in return for prizes.