Another Look At Panic Shot! Rockman

A little while back, we learned of the existence of an official Rockman arcade machine by the name of Panic Shot! Rockman. Details were pretty scarce then, but recently uncovered fliers and advertisements for the machine offer a better idea of what the game was all about, and even reveals an interesting series milestone. 
 

"Everyone's favorite hero, Rockman, has taken a big role in prize machines!" screams the flier(s). "The super popular characters from the Famicon and GameBoy, Rockman and the army of Dr. Wily have arrive in a flipper-type ball game. If you manage to hit through the card in the moving Wily figure, you win. When you hit the ball, the figure will perform a surprising action! The background and the vehicle lamps will also flash brightly! The first great achievement of the Rock Man series: Hear Dr. Wily's voice!"

The machine appeared in arcades in 1992, and was successful enough to warrant a followup version the following year -- the one we covered previously. This particular version of the game tasks players with knocking over Robot Master cards while avoiding a mechanical Wily figure that moves back and forth on a fixed path, blocking your shots. Version 2 swaps out Robot Masters for series trademark Mettools (right). Successfully knock them all down within the set time limit and you win prizes and such.

As mentioned in the fliers, the machine marks the first time in series history where Dr. Wily was voiced; predating his vocalization in 1993's Rockman: Wishing Upon A Star animated series. Wily here likely he taunts the player in you typical mad scientist mannerisms throughout gameplay and maybe even explains how to play the game. The identity of the voice actor remains unknown, but considering the game came out a year or so before Wishing Upon A Star, Ken'ichi Ogata likely assumed the role.

Regardless of its simplicity, Panic! Shot seems like a pretty fun game and definitely quite the collectors item if you're into obscure Rockman products.  Scoping out Japanese auctions is probably your best bet at securing a machine, though they're extremely difficult to come by. If you do happen to spot one, it's best to make sure everything is functioning properly or else it really isn't worth the time and money to import. If you've got Panic Shot! at home, we'd love to see more of it, so pictures and videos would be greatly appreciated!

Credits: Images (The Arcade Flyer Archive), translation (Belie)