X-Zone Playthrough (Actual SNES Capture)

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube on July 12, 2018.]

This is a capture of me playing through X-Zone for the SNES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my Super Nintendo using an actual X-Zone cartridge and the Super Scope light gun. I'm playing on normal difficulty.

I picked up X-Zone a couple years ago off eBay while I was searching for additional light gun titles, but I just now got around to playing the game. X-Zone is an early Super Scope title from Kemco that feels quite similar to Bazooka Blitzkrieg.

In this game you have blast through four separate areas (three of which have two different levels) with the goal of taking down some rogue supercomputer gone crazy. The story is basically a rip-off of The Terminator.

The gameplay itself is rather simple. The cursor button on the Super Scope displays a continuous cursor on screen but doesn't fire any shots. The fire button on the top fires the main shots, regardless of cursor-button usage. However, the cursor button is essentially mandatory because you fire homing missiles by moving the cursor over targets and then releasing the fire button.

Strategy wise, the entire game is based around balancing your use of homing missiles and rapid-fire shots. I tend to focus my rapid-fire shots on enemy rockets and then release homing missiles whenever I get the opportunity. However, it's a tough balancing act.

Difficulty wise, this game isn't much more challenging than Bazooka Blitzkrieg, but it's a little less forgiving since you have to restart an entire level when you continue. Also, I think if you use two continues, the game actually pushes you back one level, which is annoying.

I managed to beat the game on normal difficulty while using a single continue on level 4-1. That meant I had to redo the entire stage. While I would like to beat the entire game without continuing, I just don't know if I'm capable of doing that. There isn't much footage on Youtube of anyone completing the entirety of X-Zone (much less on the actual hardware), so I hope you enjoy the footage.

Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and the official SNES S-video cable at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the SNES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

The Super Scope requires a CRT TV to function, and since the Hauppauge only outputs to the TV using component video (a format not supported on my old CRT TV), I used my distribution amplifier to split the SNES's audio/video signal and send one set of cables to the CRT TV while sending the other set of cables to the DVD Recorder/Hauppauge HD PVR combo.