
Wizard Fire
1992 Beat 'em Up
Lucky & Wild drops you into a frantic police pursuit where two partners—Lucky behind the wheel and Wild on the gun—hunt down five wanted suspects across five high‑speed rounds. As the car barrels down a scrolling highway, you must blast enemy gunmen, smash hostile vehicles and dodge obstacles, then keep firing at the target’s car until its stamina fades. If the clock runs out, the crook escapes, but each capture nets a cash reward that fuels the next chase.
The arcade cabinet is a show‑stopper: a motion‑based seat that rocks side‑to‑side while two light‑guns are mounted on the console, letting one player drive and the other fire, or letting a single player handle both roles. Namco experimented with a three‑player setup, but the hardware officially supports up to two shooters, making the cooperative feel tight and intense. Balancing the controls proved a nightmare for the team, who spent weeks tweaking the gun triggers and steering to avoid player frustration.
Designer Yutaka Kounoe drew on the buddy‑cop craze of the early ’90s—think CHiPs and Police Story—to give the game a cinematic vibe that arcade couples could instantly get. Sticking with 2‑D sprites on the System 2 board, the team crafted hand‑drawn lampposts, billboards and hedges that scroll past the screen, creating a convincing pseudo‑3D road. The title quickly climbed the charts, ranking among the top arcade hits in Japan and North America shortly after its 1993 debut.
Lucky & Wild drops you into a high‑octane police chase where two buddy cops are on a mission to bring down a mafia gang. Lucky, the sharp‑dressed suit‑wearer, handles the steering wheel, accelerator and the first light gun, while Wild, a blond‑haired surfer type, mans the second gun to cover the pursuit.
Together they must hunt down six wanted suspects—Jerky, Gambit, Juliora, Keel, Bear, and the boss Big Cigar—by blasting enemy cars, dodging projectiles and obstacles, and draining the target’s energy before the timer expires. Each stage ends with a showdown where continuous fire is required to capture the fleeing crook.
After every chase the duo pulls into the Pink Cats Garage for a quick car repair. While waiting, they’re entertained by young women in pink bikinis complete with cat ears and tails, adding a quirky intermission before the next high‑speed round.
Edited by Maya Carter

1992 Beat 'em Up

1992 Shooter

2006 Shooter

1994 Shooter