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Mobile Suit Alpha and Mobile Suit Beta are the main protagonists of the 1986 side-scrolling shoot 'em up Hyper Dyne Side Arms. Side Arms is a second installation of Capcom's Jet-Pack trilogy (the other two being Section Z and Forgotten Worlds). They are a pair of flying mechs that were sent by Earth to destroy an invading alien army known as the Bozons. The mechs are armed with a variety of weapons and are capable of firing in either direction to boost their combat effectiveness.
History[]
Following the extinction of the dinosaurs by unknown means, a new species began to emerge that dominated Earth's surface, it was none other than humanity. For the next several million years, the humans began to adapt and prosper on the planet they called home, and despite frequent conflicts that turned deadly, they managed to reach the distant future, where mobilsuits have become mainstream.
However during this time, a sinister force began to awaken. An alien species known as the Bozons, who were actually responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, emerged from their dormancy, now recognizing the humans as their new foe, they launched a full-scale invasion with the same goal they had with the dinosaurs: to bring about humanity's extinction. The world's militaries tried fighting back, but the Bozons proved to be far superior and quickly decimated the world's population with little resistance, eventually turning most of Earth into a wasteland. Fearing that history would repeat itself in the worst way, the remaining humans devise a plan to stop the Bozons by constructing two specially-made mechs dubbed Mobile Suit Alpha and Mobile Suit Beta under the codename "Side Arms: Hyperdyne". Two ace pilots, Lieutenant Henry and Sergeant Sanders are recruited to pilot the massive Side Arms in their mission to save humanity.
The two mechs travel through nine different environments, ranging from ruined cities to crystalline chasms, and even a lava lake. In each environment, they encounter various Bozon forces led by numerous commanders and proceed to eliminate them. Once all previous areas are cleared, they proceed to enter the Chamber of Ovze, battling through the last of the Bozon army. Eventually they confront the Bozon leader who unleashes Bozon's secret weapon Bahamut and engage in a prolonged showdown that would determine the fate of humanity. Despite the odds, the two mechs manage to destroy Bahamut, bringing an end to the Bozons invasion and saving humanity from an untimely extinction.
Other Media Appearances[]
Mobilesuits in SD forms would later appear in various Capcom games as items, with various beneficial effects (score boosts, special weapons, stock extension etc.) to players. in Some games, Mobilesuits would even imitate Ryu/Ken's Shotokan Karate moves such as Shoryuken, Hadoken and Hurricane Kicks. Mobilesuit's latest appearance in a Capcom game was Asura's Wrath.
Both Mobilesuits made their appearnces in Namco + Capcom's RPG game Namco x Capcom.
Mobilesuit Alpha also appears as a guest/collaboration character in Darius Burst.
Weapons[]
The two Mobilesuits are armed with a variety of weapons that can be obtained by means of "Pow" power-ups that are frequently dropped in battle. By shooting the power-ups, they will switch between weapons and abilities, allowing the mechs to collect the power-up they wish to obtain. All weapons can be fired in either direction, and any weapon the mechs collect can be switched freely at anytime in battle, and they can be upgraded (up to how many times varies upon each weapons).
- Standard Gun - the default weapon of the Mobilesuits, it is a standard, semi-automatic blaster that can tackle most small Bozons quickly.
Bits - summons an option that circles around the mech, effectively increasing its total firepower. Up to four bits can be equipped. Despite requiring most upgrades, this weapon is at best average in terms of firepower, rapid-firing and radius coverage.
Shotgun - fires a 5-way spread shot, it has the widest coverage and deals above-average damage, but has a slow fire-rate and limited range. Despite covering widest radius, this weapon is least commonly used due to lack of rapid-firing capability, short-ranged and being less powerful than MBL.
Mega Bazooka Launcher (MBL) - Fires a powerful stream of laser beams that deals heavy damage and can penetrate through weaker enemies. This weapon is especially useful during boss battles. Its weakness is that its rapid-firing capability is sacrificed in exchange for firepower. Can be upgraded up to 2 times.
3-Way - fires 3 rapid-fire shots in a fan pattern, with one traveling diagonally upwards, and another traveling diagonally downwards in the direction fired. Can be upgraded twice. This will be the most widely used weapon by most players due to the wider defensive coverage it provides.
- Auto - A unique weapon that comes in two forms. After shooting the icon POW icon enough times, the letter will be in reverse form. Shooting the reversed letter one more time, the logo will reveal either Yashichi or Sakichi icon. The first is a rapid-firing forward shot that is obtained by collecting the Yashichi icon. Very powerful weapon and can substitute for MBL during boss battles in the MBL's absence. The second is a 3-Way shot that fires three shots forward, up, and down respectively that is obtained by collecting the Sakichi/Star icon. While it shoots 3-way, it has a very weak firepower in comparison to the first and thus is not widely used.
Hyper Form - When either Mobilesuit obtains two unique power-ups that resemble the Greek letters α and β, they will combined to form a powerful hybrid mech, which can fire an 8 directional attack simultaneously with the weapon they have equipped. The 8 directional attack is different depending on which combination the Mobilesuit is based dominantly upon (Alpha Union will unleash Solar Flare attack and Beta Union will unleash Lunar Blaster attack). In one-player mode, the player has full control of both weapons, while in two-player mode, one player will fire the eight-directional attack, while the other will fire the regular weapon. The mechs will remain in this form until they take two hits from enemy fire or collision, after which they will revert to their standard forms.
Trivia[]
- Protagonist pilots' names Henry and Sanders are homage to characters from American military sitcom Combat! which aired from 1962~1967.
- Many enemies star in Side Arms are straight out of Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. Back in 1987, copyright law was very lax in Japan. When Capcom re-released Side Arms as part of Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium collection, enemy designs underwent alterations, as Japan today has more strict copyright law and enforces it.