Gearheads (video game)

Last updated

Gearheads
Gearheads coverart.png
North American cover
Developer(s) Philips Media, R/GA Interactive
Publisher(s) Philips Media
Producer(s) Stacy Koumbis
Designer(s)
Programmer(s) Ephraim Cohen
Artist(s) Susan Brand
Composer(s) Michael Sweet
Platform(s) Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJune 1996
Genre(s) Strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Gearheads is a strategy video game developed by R/GA Interactive and Philips Media, and published by Philips Media for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in June 1996. The player deploys wind-up toys to get them across an arena while attempting to prevent toys from crossing from the other side. Players can play against the computer or another player. Single, customisable games can be played, or the player can play a series of games with set rules and a limited number of lives in a tournament.

Contents

The game was designed by Eric Zimmerman and Frank Lantz, and developed in eighteen months. A major part of the game's design was the toys' interaction with each other, and the effectiveness of certain toy setups led Zimmerman and Lantz to coin a term for them. Critical reception was mixed, with some reviewers praising its addictiveness and others criticising its sounds and artificial intelligence.

Gameplay

A typical game in the factory in progress. At the top and bottom are stoppers. At the centre are teleporters. There is a powerup key at the bottom-right. Gearheads.png
A typical game in the factory in progress. At the top and bottom are stoppers. At the centre are teleporters. There is a powerup key at the bottom-right.

A strategy video game, Gearheads is played by releasing toys on an arena floor. [1] The goal is to get them to the other side, [2] and prevent the opponent's toys from reaching the player's side. [3] In single-player mode, the player always plays on the right-hand side. [3] Toys are charged while waiting before they are released. They stop when they run out of energy. [4] There are different types of toys, such as robots, Father Christmas, and magicians. Each toy has its own specifications. These include speed, movement pattern (straight, diagonal, or erratic) and special abilities. For example, the Walking Timebomb explodes when it runs out of energy, destroying nearby toys. [5] [6] Deadhead, a skull toy, "scares" toys it comes into contact with so they reverse direction. [7] [6] [2] [8] A chicken toy called Clucketta has the ability to hatch fry toys. [9] Some toys are primarily intended for offence, others for defence. [8] Some are immune to the special abilities of other toys: for example, Big Al (a bulldozer) is unaffected by attacks from Disasteroids (a robot that can also destroy toys, like the Walking Timebomb). [9] [8]

The player can switch between the available toys at any time. [3] Once released, players have no direct control over them, [10] and they do not belong to a player: a toy leaving the arena via the left side scores a point for the player on the right side and vice versa. [3] The first player to score 21 points wins, [11] unless he is only ahead by one point, in which case the game continues until there is a two-point difference. [4] [6] There is an unlimited supply of toys, [2] and they are released in a row in the arena. [12] Toys can be recharged by Handy, a glove toy. [13]

There are four main arenas: kitchen, garden, frozen pond, and factory. [14] The kitchen has no obstacles. [15] The garden's main obstacles are bugs, mud, and rocks. [9] [16] The frozen pond's main obstacles are cracks in the ice which, if crossed over enough times, become holes that destroy toys that fall into them. [15] [9] The factory levels can feature obstacles such as conveyor belts, teleporters, and stoppers. [16] [2] [9] Occasionally, a Powerup Key (a metal winding key) will appear on one side of the arena. When crossed, a power-up is granted to the player on the opposite side. Powerups include a one-shot rocket, being able to release toys from halfway across the arena, and the opponent being unable to release toys. Most powerups last only for a limited time. [16]

There are two game modes: tournament and duel. In tournament, the player is assigned a selection of four toys (toy selections are referred to as "toyboxes" [17] [18] ) and must defeat the computer-controlled opponent. Every three victories, there is a challenge in a special arena where the player must defeat the opponent with only one toy in the toybox. A life is granted if won (the player starts with three). Duel is where players can practise a game against either a computer opponent or another player. The arena where the game takes place, the toys in the players' toyboxes, the difficulty level, and whether powerups are available can be customised. [12]

Development

Frank Lantz and Eric Zimmerman at R/GA Interactive designed Gearheads; [19] [20] [21] it was produced in co-operation with Philips Media. [22] Susan Brand Studios handled art and animation. [20] Other companies involved in the development included R/GA Interactive's parent company R/GA Digital Studios, XXCAL, and Elias Associates. [23] [24] The Windows and Mac OS versions were released in June 1996. [25] A Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) version was developed and scheduled for late 1996, [1] [26] [27] but never released. [28] [29]

The game took 18 months to develop. [19] Early in the design process, the designers were able to create new toys and tweak their attributes using a playable prototype. [19] The prototype had menus that showed the statistics for each toy. [19] Alterations took effect immediately, allowing the designers to see what effect a change would have even during a game. [19] There was an iterative game testing process that assisted in balancing the game. [19] An important aspect of the game's design was the interaction between the toys. [19]

Due to the discovery of effective toy combinations, Zimmerman and Lantz coined the term "engine" to describe them. [19] The engines were given names including Punching Roaches, Bomb Shield, and Perpetual Motion. [19] Toy attributes were set to make certain engines possible, although most were discovered as development progressed. [19] The artificial intelligence (AI) included engine-based heuristics so the AI was aware of advantageous combinations. [19] Engines were not written into the game's rules, but were playing patterns that arose from the attributes that defined the toys. [19] During the testing, Zimmerman and Lantz kept increasing the difficulty so the game would challenge them, and at one point made the game too difficult. [21]

Reception

Gearheads received mixed reviews. Reviewers praised the game's addictiveness, [30] [36] [10] visuals, [2] [26] and entertainment value, [36] [33] but were conflicted over the sound and music. [6] [10] [9]

PC Zone lauded the game's addictiveness, saying it features the planning aspects of Tetris and plenty of options, including "bizarre" powerups. [30] Another reviewer who found the game addictive wrote in Computer Gaming World that this was due to its "eclectic cast of characters". [36] Michael Bertrand of Gamer's Zone also agreed the game was addictive. [10]

Steve Wartofsky of Computer Games Strategy Plus said that Gearheads is just what it claims to be: "a furious war of wind-up toys". [31] Computer Gaming World agreed with this view of its entertainment value, describing the game as "hilarious and addictive". [36] PC Team 's reviewers called the game "great fun", and liked the gameplay's facility. [33] These sentiments were echoed by Garrett Rowe of The Irish Times , who said the multiplayer mode's fun factor was "endless and chaotic". [18]

Critics thought highly of the graphics. PC Gamer 's Dean Evans believed they were "pretty". [2] This sentiment was echoed by other reviewers including Bob Strauss of Entertainment Weekly , [32] and PC Team's reviewers, who said the game was "cute and well done". [33] Similar views were held by Victor Lucas of The Electric Playground , who described the game as "sweet as honey" and praised the toys' animations. [9]

Other compliments included Lucas's approval of the music as "perfectly suited" to the action, and the sound as "truly wonderful". He said he was "immensely" impressed by the game. [9] Garrett Rowe of The Irish Times described Gearheads as "unusual and original"; he also felt the game was "refreshingly different" from cloned games. [18] Joystick 's reviewers believed that Gearheads's concept was attractive to beginners. [37]

Criticisms included those of Mike McGrath of Coming Soon Magazine who commented that the game is "far too mindless", describing the sound and music as "annoying". [6] Michael Bertrand of Gamer's Zone also criticised the sound and music as "repetitive", and disliked that the game only has four arenas. [10] PC Gamer's Dean Evans believed that Gearheads has a "childish" nature and is "dull and overpriced". [2] Bob Strauss of Entertainment Weekly's criticism was the difficulty of controlling the game with a keyboard due to the speed of the action. [32] Another complaint came from GamePro 's Air Hendrix who criticised the artificial intelligence as "moronic". [26] The concept was found to be uninteresting for hardcore gamers by Joystick's reviewers, and one was not optimistic about the game's life span. [37] Génération 4 cited the inability to increase the size of the game board as a fault. [34]

Hendrix of GamePro reviewed the SNES version and said the graphics were colourful and humorous. [26] It was criticised by Electronic Gaming Monthly for having a "Lack of strategic depth". [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Populous</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Populous is a video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts, released originally for the Amiga in 1989, and is regarded by many as the first god game. With over four million copies sold, Populous is one of the best-selling PC games of all time.

<i>M.U.L.E.</i> 1983 video game

M.U.L.E. is a 1983 multiplayer video game written for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers by Ozark Softscape. Designer Danielle Bunten Berry took advantage of the four joystick ports of the Atari 400 and 800 to allow four-player simultaneous play. M.U.L.E. was one of the first five games published in 1983 by new company Electronic Arts, alongside Axis Assassin, Archon: The Light and the Dark, Worms?, and Hard Hat Mack. Primarily a turn-based strategy game, it incorporates real-time elements where players compete directly as well as aspects that simulate economics.

<i>Theme Park</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Theme Park is a construction and management simulation video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1994. The player designs and operates an amusement park, with the goal of making money and creating theme parks worldwide. The game is the first instalment in Bullfrog's Theme series and their Designer Series.

<i>Turok: Dinosaur Hunter</i> 1997 video game

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter video game developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Acclaim for the Nintendo 64 console and Microsoft Windows. It was released in 1997 in North America and Europe. Turok is an adaptation of the Valiant Comics comic book series of the same name. The player controls Turok, a Native American warrior, who must stop the evil Campaigner from conquering the universe with an ancient and powerful weapon.

<i>Mario Paint</i> 1992 video game

Mario Paint is a 1992 art creation video game developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (R&D1) and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Mario Paint consists of a raster graphics editor, an animation program, a music composer, and a point and click minigame, all of which are designed to be used with the Super NES Mouse peripheral, which the game was packaged and sold with. Per its name, the game is Mario-themed, and features sprites and sound effects that are taken from or in the vein of Super Mario World.

<i>Dungeon Keeper 2</i> 1999 video game

Dungeon Keeper 2 is a strategy game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1999 for Microsoft Windows. The sequel to Dungeon Keeper, the player takes the role of a 'dungeon keeper', building and defending an underground dungeon from the would-be heroes that invade it, as well as from other keepers. In the campaign mode, the player is charged with recovering the portal gems from each area in order to open a portal to the surface. The player can also construct a dungeon without strict objectives, and multiplayer is supported over a network.

<i>Theme Hospital</i> 1997 video game

Theme Hospital is a business simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997 for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows compatible PCs in which players design and operate a privately owned hospital with the goal of curing patients of fictitious comical ailments. The game is the thematic successor to Theme Park, also produced by Bullfrog, and the second instalment in their Theme series, and part of their Designer Series. The game is noted for its humour, and contains numerous references to pop culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Zimmerman</span> American game designer, CEO of Gamelab

Eric Zimmerman is an American game designer and the co-founder and CEO of Gamelab, a computer game development company based in Manhattan. GameLab is known for the game Diner Dash. Each year Zimmerman hosts the Game Design Challenge at the Game Developers Conference. He is also the co-author of four books including Rules of Play with Katie Salen, which was published in November 2004. Eric Zimmerman has written at least 24 essays and whitepapers since 1996, mostly pertaining to game development from an academic standpoint. He's currently a founding faculty at the NYU Game Center.

<i>Descent II</i> 1996 video game

Descent II is a 1996 first-person shooter game developed by Parallax Software and first published for DOS by Interplay Productions. For the PlayStation, it is known as Descent Maximum. It is the second installment in the Descent video game series and the sequel to Descent. The base of the gameplay remaining the same, the player controls a spaceship from the pilot's perspective and must navigate extrasolar underground mines to locate and destroy their reactors and escape being caught in their self-destructions, while engaging and surviving infected robots, which will attempt to destroy the ship. Unlike other first-person shooters, its six-degrees-of-freedom scheme allows the player to move and rotate in any three-dimensional space and direction.

<i>Syndicate</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

Syndicate is an isometric real-time tactical and strategic game from Bullfrog Productions created in 1993, and released for a variety of platforms beginning with the PC and Commodore Amiga. It is the first title in the Syndicate series. Set in a dystopian future in which corporations have replaced governments, Syndicate puts the player in control of a corporation vying for global dominance.

<i>Wonder Boy III: The Dragons Trap</i> 1989 action-adventure video game

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, known as Monster World II in Japan, is a platforming action-adventure video game developed by Westone as part of Sega's Wonder Boy series. It was published by Sega and released for the Master System in 1989 and for the Game Gear in 1992 as Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. It was ported by Hudson Soft and released in 1991 for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine under the name Dragon's Curse. It was also ported in 1993 by Brazilian company Tec Toy under the title Turma da Mônica em o Resgate, with the game retooled to include characters from Brazilian comic book series Monica's Gang. A remake developed by Lizardcube and published by DotEmu, titled Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, was released in April 2017.

<i>Mega Man X3</i> 1995 video game

Mega Man X3, known as Rockman X3 (ロックマンX3) in Japan, is a video game released by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The game was originally released in Japan on December 1, 1995, and later in North American and PAL regions in 1996. It is the third game in the Mega Man X series and the last to appear on the SNES. Mega Man X3 takes place in a fictional future in which the world is populated by humans and intelligent robots called "Reploids". Like their human creators, some Reploids involve themselves in destructive crime and are labelled as "Mavericks". After twice defeating the Maverick leader Sigma, the heroes X and Zero must battle a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler and his utopia of Maverick followers.

<i>Theme Park World</i> 1999 video game

Theme Park World, also known as Theme Park 2, and in North America as Sim Theme Park, is a 1999 construction and management simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and released by Electronic Arts. The direct sequel to Theme Park, the player constructs and manages an amusement park with the aim of making profit and keeping visitors happy. Initially developed for Windows, it was ported to PlayStation and PlayStation 2, as well for Macintosh computers. The Mac version was published by Feral Interactive.

<i>Destruction Derby 2</i> 1996 vehicular combat video game

Destruction Derby 2 is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Reflections Interactive and published in 1996 by Psygnosis for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. The sequel to Destruction Derby, players race with the goal of earning points by damaging opponent cars. Standard races and matches based in arenas with the goal of remaining the last player driving are also available. The game is an overhaul of the original and features ideas that did not make it into the first game including tracks that feature obstacles and improved realism. The car mechanics were also redesigned. Development was also focused on Americanisation: the game style shifted away from the British banger racing of the original, and the cars and music were changed to fit a NASCAR theme. The game features Paul Page as commentator, and the soundtrack was created by thrash metal bands Jug and Tuscan. The game was positively received, with reviewers praising the large tracks and car physics, though the PC version was criticised for its difficulty.

<i>Atomic Bomberman</i> 1997 video game

Atomic Bomberman is a game by Interplay Productions for the PC that was released in 1997. It was the first original Bomberman game to be developed for Windows, and the second game of the series made for the PC, following Dynablaster.

<i>Worms 2</i> 1997 video game

Worms 2 is a 1997 artillery tactical game developed and published by Team17 and released for Windows. It is part of the Worms series and a sequel to the 1995 game Worms. As with the first game, players control their team of worms in combat against each other, using a wide collection of rockets, grenades, firearms, explosives, and air strikes, some eclectic and others bizarre. Also as with the first game, the objective is to eliminate all opposing worms and become the sole surviving team.

<i>Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos</i> 1993 video game

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos is a 1993 role-playing video game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Games for MS-DOS, the NEC PC-9801, and FM Towns. It was the first installment of the Lands of Lore series. The player travels around various environments, collecting items and battling monsters in an attempt to save the kingdom from a witch named Scotia, who has acquired shape-shifting abilities.

<i>Kingmaker</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Kingmaker is a turn-based strategy game published by Avalon Hill in 1993. It was developed by American studio TM Games based on the Kingmaker board game.

<i>Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament</i> 1994 video game

Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament is a 1994 racing video game developed by Supersonic Software and published by Codemasters for the Sega Mega Drive. The sequel to Micro Machines, the game is themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, and players race around environments in miniature toy vehicles. Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament adds new vehicles and game modes, and the Mega Drive version was released on J-Cart, enabling up to eight players without a multitap.

<i>Micro Machines</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Micro Machines is a racing game developed by Codemasters and originally published by Camerica for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, players race in miniaturised toy vehicles around various environments. The game is the first installment in the Micro Machines video game series.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gearheads" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 89. December 1996. p. 180. ISSN   1058-918X . Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Evans, Dean (July 1996). "Gearheads". PC Gamer . No. 32. Bath: Future plc. p. 78. ISSN   1470-1693.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Manual, p. 5.
  4. 1 2 Manual, p. 6.
  5. ↑ Manual, pp. 8,9.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McGrath, Mike (1996). "Gearheads by Philips Media". Coming Soon Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Manual, p. 7.
  8. 1 2 3 Manual, pp. 7–9.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lucas, Victor (3 May 1996). "Gearheads". The Electric Playground . Archived from the original on 4 August 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bertrand, Michael (1997). "A Review of Gearheads". World Village. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Gearheads-MAC". Génération 4 (in French). No. 93. November 1996. p. 18. ISSN   1624-1088.
  12. 1 2 Manual, pp. 6,10.
  13. ↑ Manual, pp. 7,8.
  14. ↑ Manual, pp. 9,10.
  15. 1 2 Manual, p. 9.
  16. 1 2 3 Manual, p. 10.
  17. ↑ Manual, pp. 6,11.
  18. 1 2 3 Garrett Rowe (20 July 1996). "Wonderful wacky wind-up". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Salen, Katie; Zimmerman, Eric (1 October 2003). Rules of Play . MIT Press. pp. 166–168. ISBN   978-0-262-24045-1.
  20. 1 2 Manual, p. 63.
  21. 1 2 Matthew Hawkins (16 June 2005). "A Man For All Seasons: gameLab's Eric Zimmerman Talks Design, Trends, and the Big Apple". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  22. ↑ Gearheads Box (Europe ed.). Philips. 1996. p. back.
  23. ↑ R/GA Interactive (1996). Gearheads (Windows). Philips Media. Scene: Credits.
  24. ↑ "R/GA Interactive". R/GA. Archived from the original on 4 January 1997. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  25. ↑ "Gearheads". Joystick (in French). No. 71. May 1996. p. 157.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Gearheads". GamePro. No. 99. IDG. December 1996. p. 158. ISSN   1042-8658 . Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  27. ↑ "October's 16-Bit Releases". GamePro. No. 97. IDG. October 1996. p. 92. ISSN   1042-8658 . Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  28. ↑ "Super NES Games" (PDF). nintendo.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  29. ↑ "SNES Games in UK/Europe". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  30. 1 2 3 "PC Review: Gearheads". 13 October 2001. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  31. 1 2 Wartofsky, Steve (1996). "Gearheads". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on 17 August 2003. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  32. 1 2 3 Strauss, Bob (31 May 1996). "Gearheads". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Gearheads". PC Team (in French). No. 14. June 1996. p. 56.
  34. 1 2 "Gearheads". Test Express. Génération 4 (in French). No. 90. July 1996. p. 154. ISSN   1624-1088.
  35. ↑ Loyola, Roman (January 1997), "The Game Room", MacUser , archived from the original on 21 February 2001, retrieved 25 December 2019
  36. 1 2 3 4 C. Panther (June 1996). "Gearheads" (PDF). Read.Me. Computer Gaming World. No. 143. Ziff Davis. p. 44. ISSN   0744-6667. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  37. 1 2 "Gearheads". Joystick (in French). No. 72. June 1996. p. 117.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.