A coder friend excitedly told me, "Big Knife, today my ex-girlfriend asked me if I was playing 'shoot the plane'?"
"How did you reply?"
"I said no!"
Looking at his smug smile, I wanted to write in PHP on his face "".
These days, the air across the country is filled with the scent of people playing 'shoot the plane'. Even a girl who looks very innocent loudly said in the elevator: "XX, come on, let me help you shoot the plane."
What's happening to this world?
From the perspective of flight games, WeChat 5.0's 'shoot the plane' game is not on the same level as Thunder or CAVE 1942 from 20 years ago. Blind comparisons would only make pilots of Thunder Strike crash into mountains out of anger. It's just because of WeChat's massive user base combined with users' competitive psychology and ranking obsession that has triggered the 'shoot the plane' craze.
Once the Android version gets updated, there will likely be an even bigger wave of 'shooting planes'.
The only thing that can stop this tragedy is another mobile social application - Momo. I strongly suggest they introduce a 'Tank War' game within their app, allowing for doubles and team-ups, finding nearby people to take a shot together. I've already thought up the slogan for the new version update: "Instead of shooting planes elsewhere, why not fire a shot here!"
So, looking back at the fighter jet games that sparked memories of my youth, how many classic games could be transplanted into social apps like WeChat and Momo?
One, Contra
Back in the day, the appearance of Contra played a crucial role in the popularization of the NES, and every time I heard the advertisement "Little Master Learning Machine, endless fun," it sounded like heavenly music to me.
If Contra were to appear in Momo, please imagine the following scene.
In the quiet night, you open Momo, widen your eyes, and your fingers fly over the keys, up up down down left right left right BABA, then laugh out loud, "Damn, I've got 30 lives again!" At this moment, you refresh your nearby people list, and a beautiful girl with fair skin, long legs, and a curvy figure sends a request to play Contra with you.
You agree, and together you start climbing mountains and diving into seas, bravely moving forward. You give her weapons first, and you charge ahead to block the bosses. But she keeps dying repeatedly on the way forward, borrowing your lives without permission. This reminds you of childhood traumas; the little skinny girl used to bully you like this too.
You firmly reject her repeated requests to "give one more life." Three minutes later, there's a knock on the door. Peering through the peephole, you see a tattooed hulk standing outside. Trembling, you ask what he's doing here, and he shouts, "Brother, don't be so stingy, my wife sent me to ask for one of your lives!" ...
Two, Super Mario
It wasn't until I grew up that I learned Super Mario was actually about plumber Mario falling into a mysterious land and being captured, then going through countless hardships to rescue the princess from the hands of Bowser. Back then, as a child, I thought it was just a game where after passing a level, you get the privilege to jump on a white flag and see how many shots you can fire.
This game could easily be added to WeChat, inviting a friend to play together, comparing who goes further and collects more coins. Sure, whoever pays more, the mushrooms appear more frequently, and the bullets are stronger.
Three, King of Fighters '97
Beast, take your hand off!!! Let go of Mai Shiranui!
Many fighting games should bow down to King of Fighters '97 and call it "Ancestor"! This game is a hard benchmark for measuring a gamer's skills. It might be the cheapest game because people keep challenging you, only to be defeated; it might also be the most expensive game because of the incredible skills of some masters.
Whether WeChat or Momo, adding this game would significantly increase user retention. After all, how can the reputations of characters like Kyo Kusanagi and Ryo Sakazaki be tarnished in our hands? Of course, we'd have to challenge others repeatedly and get beaten repeatedly.
Never underestimate the passion and persistence of King of Fighters fans. Back in my youthful arrogance, I dismissed authority and didn't believe that characters like Mai Shiranui couldn't defeat Kyo Kusanagi and others. On a gloomy afternoon, a young boy sat there tiredly but persisted silently, continuously inserting coins. When the shop owner announced closing time, he sighed deeply, "The sound Mai Shiranui makes before dying is too stimulating!"
Four, Monopoly
Uncle Tuo, Sun Xiaomei, Sharon Bass, Mrs. Qian... Hearing these names again, does it touch that pure era deep inside you? Back then, not many girls were willing to join you in those smoke-filled, mixed gaming arcades, watching you smoke a cigarette while playing King of Fighters. But if you used Monopoly as bait, she would quietly sit beside you, staying in some secluded little alley computer printing room, without internet but with a few computers. You use Sharon Bass, she uses Sun Xiaomei, both of you playing happily back and forth, forgetting the time. By the end of the night, after sending her home, with a bit more effort, you could almost become a love tycoon.
Nowadays, there's no better scenario than a social app to play Monopoly. Before colleagues and friends gather for dinner, everyone usually buries their heads in their phones, so a round of Monopoly could be perfect, with the loser paying the bill.
Five, Counter-Strike (CS)
"GO GO GO", "Fire in the hole", "Cover me", a few commands easily bring us back to that battlefield full of smoke. The dull sound of the sniper rifle, the high-pitched AK, the stable M4A1, hurried footsteps, and the ticking of the timer form a symphony impossible to forget. When a terrorist with a red headscarf rushes into the DUST2 wooden door, he gets headshot by the police sniper, and a cry and roar echoes through the internet cafe, "When I work and have money, I'll definitely buy the best keyboard and mouse set, one shot per person!"
Later, he started working, but forgot those times.
For mobile applications, CS is too resource-intensive, but with hardware standards constantly improving, they're now fully capable of running large games. Moreover, the original PvP game can be transformed into a shooting-based level-clearing game. You can team up with Momo or WeChat friends, advancing and shooting non-stop.
Of course, mobile games all face the issue of fragmentation. What if you're playing and a call comes in? Should you answer or not? If you do, what about your teammates? Actually, this situation is very easy to solve – you're already down to half health!! Enemies are already attacking the base!! Are you still going to answer the phone??
Six, Unethical Game – Stalking
When you use Momo to find a sexy girl wearing a short skirt nearby, and then silently wait on her commute route. Shy as you are, you don't dare approach her, but instead watch her silhouette, her laughter, her frowns when squeezed onto the subway, and her innocent expressions. In a quiet, empty alley at night, she seems to hear your footsteps and stops walking. At this moment, you quickly hide in the corner, fearing making any sound. When your stamina runs out or she discovers you, your future loses the chance to encounter her again. If you have enough friends around, they can send you stamina or take turns stalking her.
We must always take the essence and discard the dross from foreign imports. So, just let netizens experience a different kind of hide-and-seek feeling. Don't copy the original works, because otherwise, most scenes would involve dragging someone into a room/park/store to engage in reproductive activities. Vaguely remember choosing Kanon Shioda without understanding Japanese. Originally, if I had made the right choice, the male protagonist could have ended up happily married to her in a big bed. But due to my lack of Japanese knowledge, I watched her harassed by three thugs, fleeing until finally caught in a park...
That feeling is like silently loving a beautiful woman and tracking her for half a year. When you finally gather the courage to approach her, it's evening, a gentle breeze blowing, streetlights just turning on. You nervously say, "Hello, nice to meet you." She shyly replies, "Sir, would you like to buy a hairdressing card?"
Deep into the night, sleepless, my mind races with memories of those classic game characters.
Chun-Li, Mai Shiranui, Princess Peach, Lara Croft, Yuna, Yue Ru Lin, Athena Goddess, Sakura Trueji, Tifa, Ling'er Zhao, Akane Chisaki, Nakoruru...
Hmm, absolutely no male characters allowed.
Please, WeChat and Momo, push yourselves a bit more, don't let fans be lonely and play 'shoot the plane' alone.