Gun Beat

Last updated

Gun Beat
Gun Beat flyer.jpg
Teaser flyer
Developer(s) Treasure
Artist(s) Kiyotaka Ohashi
Composer(s) Norio Hanzawa
Platform(s) Arcade
ReleaseCanceled
Genre(s) Racing, action
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system Sega NAOMI

Gun Beat [lower-alpha 1] is an unreleased action-racing video game previously under development by Treasure for the Sega NAOMI arcade platform. The game was revealed in February 1999 at an arcade trade show in Japan alongside several other games to promote Sega's new arcade board. Gun Beat was not playable, but a gameplay video was on display. The demo reel was well received by critics who felt the game carried the same quirky characteristics and quality artwork of previous Treasure offerings. Development on the game was ceased indefinitely in May 2000 with little explanation.

Contents

Treasure hatched the initial idea for Gun Beat when the NAOMI arcade board was revealed. The team looked to Wacky Races for inspiration to develop a disjointed and slapstick action-racing game. The game features players racing against each other while also having the ability to fire shots capable of slowing down rival players and destroying traps and enemies littered across the race course. It supports up to four players competing across locally connected cabinets.

Gameplay

Cunyanya racing through a stage Gun Beat screenshot.jpg
Cunyanya racing through a stage

Gun Beat was billed as an "action-racing" game for arcades. [1] [2] The goal of the game is to complete a race while destroying enemies and obstacles on the course. [3] There are three modes: a single-player race, a score attack mode, and a versus mode. [4] In the versus mode, up to four players can compete across four arcade cabinets linked locally to each other. [3] [5] Each player can choose one of four characters: Carmine, Mirabelle, Squad-Man, and Cunyanya. [6] Carmine drives a hover bike, Mirabelle rides a witch's broom, Squad-Man is a biped robot that can fly and run, and Cunyanya is a young boy riding atop a giant Siberian flying squirrel. [1] [5] [6] Each character can only be picked by one player, and each has its own unique characteristics such as handling, shot power, size, etc. [5] Only three stage concepts were ever shown: a city, a snowy mountain, and ancient ruins. [4] [7]

Player can use various shot types to destroy enemies and traps obstructing the course, and slow down rival players. [7] There are also power-ups on the courses. [6] Other than the standard shot there is also a Magical Shot and the Beat Gun. The Magical Shot fires many projectiles at a wide range, and the Beat Gun is short range but powerful and can destroy enemies and obstacles unaffected by standard bullets. [3] There is also a Magical Turbo gauge that when filled up, can boost the player through the course for five seconds, destroying any enemies or obstacles in their path. The gauge increases if the player hits an enemy, but decreases if they are hit themselves. [3] [5] Attacks become more powerful as a race goes on, so it is very possible for players to overtake each other towards the end of the race. [3] Some of the enemies are larger and treated more like bosses. [5] All enemy models are segmented into different appendages, with one segment being the "core". If an enemy's core is destroyed, the whole enemy is defeated, and the player gets a bonus based on how many other segments were remaining. [3] Shots can be chained into combos for bonus points as well. [4] In addition, players earn bonuses based on their rank and remaining time at the end of race, and also how many obstacles they destroyed. [3] Each course has checkpoints that extend the player's remaining time if passed. If time runs out, it is game over. [5]

History

Development

Gun Beat was to be Treasure's second arcade game after Radiant Silvergun (1998) and their first for the Sega NAOMI arcade board. [4] [7] The idea for the game came when the NAOMI board was unveiled. [5] Their idea could not be realized with current hardware, so the NAOMI board arrived at an opportune time. [5] Sega's new arcade board allowed them to develop the race tracks as they envisioned them, with four player models along with enemies moving smoothly across a fully polygonal race track. [3] The initial concept was to make a disjointed and slapstick racing game in the likeness of Wacky Races . They also held a concept from the beginning to make it unlike previous Treasure games. [5] Once they established the racing elements, they added action, which at first was only punching and kicking. A programmer then thought of using shooting mechanics instead. [5]

Music was being composed by Norio Hanzawa, who had written music for some of Treasure's previous games. [5] The characters and artwork were designed by staff artist Kiyotaka Ohashi. [5] The team decided on four characters because any more would cause frame rate slowdown, and any less was deemed too lonely. [5] The characters were designed to appear from different works, wearing different clothes and using different vehicles. The character Carmine was designed as an ideal Treasure hero, a stark contrast from the other more fantastical characters. Mirabelle was given a long skirt because they felt a short skirt would appear too shameless. Squad-Man's design was based on "Treasure Man", a character that appeared in Mega Drive Magazine comics. [5]

Promotion

This video of Gun Beat was captured at the AOU trade show by Japanese arcade gaming site Amusement Graffiti. It is the only known footage of the game. [8]

Gun Beat was revealed on 17 February 1999 at the AOU (Arcade Operators Union) Amusement Expo at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Tokyo. [1] [2] [7] [9] It was not playable at the trade show, but a gameplay video could be seen at one of Sega's booths. [1] [7] Sega was demonstrating it alongside several other games to promote their NAOMI arcade board including Crazy Taxi (1999), Zombie Revenge (1999), and F355 Challenge (1999) among others. [9] [10] The game was only 10% complete at the time, and no release date was revealed. [3] [5] Treasure did not confirm whether a Dreamcast port was in development or not, but with the track record of NAOMI games commonly being ported to the Dreamcast, critics expected Gun Beat to follow in kind. [1] [2] [4] [6]

Critics shared their thoughts based on the gameplay video shown at the 1999 AOU trade event. [1] [7] IGN wrote that it looked "brilliant", [1] and described it as "bizarre" and "very silly". [9] They compared the gameplay to Bomberman Fantasy Race (1998), but believed Gun Beat would surpass it with better graphics, larger characters, faster speed, and quirky qualities characteristic of Treasure. They compared the flashy explosion effects to the Virtual On series. [1] French publication Consoles +  [ fr ] felt the game held testament to Treasure's ability in developing intense and original action titles. [4] Chris Johnston of GameSpot advised readers to not write off the game as "cartoony" like Pen Pen TriIcelon (1998), but a more mature game with high quality Treasure artwork. [6] Gamers' Republic believed the game showed promise. [7]

Cancellation

In May 2000, Treasure announced they had ceased development of Gun Beat indefinitely until "conditions are satisfactory". [11] [12] [13] The announcement was posted on their website along with a notice asking fans to look forward to another project they were still developing and had yet announced. [12] The cancellation did not come as a surprise to IGN. [12] According to GameSpot, the lead producer of the game had left Treasure a few months previously. They suspected his absence had placed a damper on the project. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Japanese: Gan Bīto (ガンビート)

Related Research Articles

<i>Radiant Silvergun</i> 1998 video game

Radiant Silvergun is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It was originally released in Japanese arcades in 1998 and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn later that year. The story follows a team of fighter pilots in the far future who are battling waves of enemies summoned by a mysterious crystal dug up from the Earth. The player hosts an arsenal of six different types of shots to choose from, and a sword to destroy nearby targets. The stages are tightly designed to present players with scenarios that can be approached differently with the various weapon types.

<i>Crazy Taxi</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Crazy Taxi is a racing video game developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi series. The game was first released in arcades in 1999 and then was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Gameplay is based on picking up taxi customers and driving to their destination as quickly as possible. Reception to Crazy Taxi has been mostly positive. It was ported to other platforms numerous times, including the PlayStation 2 and GameCube by Acclaim in 2001, and then Windows in 2002.

<i>Bangai-O</i> 1999 video game

Bangai-O is a multidirectional shooter developed by Treasure and released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 in Japan. It was ported to the Dreamcast worldwide shortly after with some gameplay changes and updated graphics and audio. The game places the player in control of a weaponized mech that can hover across large stages and fire at enemies all around them. The player must reach the end of each stage and defeat the boss, while avoiding hazards scattered across the map such as enemy mechs and gun turrets.

<i>Sonic Adventure</i> 1998 video game

Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It was the first main Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their quests to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing Chaos, an ancient evil. Controlling one of the six characters—each with their own abilities—players complete levels to progress the story. Sonic Adventure retains many elements from prior Sonic games, such as power-ups and the ring-based health system. Players can play minigames such as racing and interact with Chao, a virtual pet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure (company)</span> Japanese video game developer

Treasure Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo known for its action, platform, and shoot 'em up games. The company was founded in 1992 by former Konami employees seeking to explore original game concepts and free themselves from Konami's reliance on sequels. Their first game, Gunstar Heroes (1993) on the Sega Genesis, was a critical success and established a creative and action-oriented design style that would continue to characterize their output. Treasure's philosophy in game development has always been to make games they enjoy, not necessarily those that have the greatest commercial viability.

<i>Phantasy Star Online</i> 2000 video game

Phantasy Star Online is an online role-playing game (RPG) developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast. It was the first online RPG for game consoles; players adventure with up to three others over the internet to complete quests, collect items and fight enemies in real-time action RPG combat. The story is unrelated to previous games in the Phantasy Star series.

<i>Ikaruga</i> 2001 shoot em up video game

Ikaruga is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It is the spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun (1998) and was originally released in Japanese arcades in December 2001. The story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation using a specially designed fighter called the Ikaruga which can flip between two polarities, black and white. This polarity mechanism is the game's key feature and the foundation for its stage and enemy design. All enemies and bullets in the game are either black or white. Bullets which are the same color as the player are absorbed while the others will kill the player. The game features both single-player and cooperative modes.

<i>The Typing of the Dead</i> 1999 video game

The Typing of the Dead is an arcade game that was developed by WOW Entertainment and published by Sega for the NAOMI hardware. The game was released in Japanese arcades in 1999 and was ported to the Sega Dreamcast in 2001 by Smilebit. A Microsoft Windows version was released in 2000 and a PlayStation 2 port followed in 2004.

<i>San Francisco Rush 2049</i> 1999 video game

San Francisco Rush 2049 is a racing video game developed and manufactured by Atari Games for arcades. It was ported to the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast by Midway Games. The arcade machine was released in 1999; home versions followed in 2000 on September 7 for North America and November 17 for Europe. It is the third game in the Rush series and the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA. It is the last game in the Rush series to be set in the city of San Francisco and the last released on a Nintendo console. It also serves as the final game for the Atari Games label, which was retired shortly after the arcade release. The Dreamcast version was later re-released as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube and later for Windows as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition.

<i>Twinkle Star Sprites</i> 1996 video game

Twinkle Star Sprites is a 1996 competitive scrolling shooter arcade game originally created by ADK. It was ADK's last production for the Neo Geo platform. The gameplay, which can be characterized as a combination of a fixed shooter and a versus puzzle game, uses combinations of shots, as well as timed power-ups to attempt to damage the opponent. These attacks also serve as counters to the opponent's attack.

<i>Crazy Taxi</i> Series of racing video games

Crazy Taxi is a series of racing video games that was developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. The first game appeared in arcades in 1999 and was very successful, prompting Sega to port the arcade version to their Dreamcast console in 2000. It is the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States, selling over a million copies. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and PC with sequels also appearing on the Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable systems.

<i>Virtua Striker</i> Video game series

Virtua Striker is a series of association football sports video games released by Sega for arcades. Originally developed by Sega AM2 from 1994 to 1999, the series moved to Amusement Vision with Virtua Striker 3, but it later moved to Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. with Virtua Striker 4.

<i>Confidential Mission</i> 2000 video game

Confidential Mission is a light gun game published by Sega, first available as an arcade game, then ported to the Dreamcast. The game is in the same style as the Virtua Cop series or The House of the Dead series, with support for one or two players. The game was developed by Sega's Hitmaker development team and first released in 2000. Its plot is of the same vein as James Bond and Mission: Impossible. Despite it also having an arcade release, it never enjoyed the popularity of the Virtua Cop nor The House of the Dead series, which were also produced by Sega.

<i>Hydro Thunder</i> 1999 video game

Hydro Thunder is an inshore powerboat racing video game, originally an arcade game in February 1999 and later released for the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title later that year. It was also released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in early 2000. This game is part of Midway's Thunder series of racing games, which includes Offroad Thunder, 4 Wheel Thunder, and Arctic Thunder. Hydro Thunder Hurricane, a sequel to Hydro Thunder, was later released for the Xbox 360 on July 27, 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade.

<i>Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes</i> 1998 crossover fighting video game developed and published by Capcom

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes is a crossover fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It is the third installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, which features characters from Capcom's video game franchises and characters from Marvel Comics. The game debuted in Japanese and North American arcades in 1998. It was ported to the Dreamcast in 1999 and the PlayStation in 2000. The game was re-released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Marvel vs. Capcom Origins collection.

<i>Outtrigger</i> 1999 video game

Outtrigger is a first/third-person shooter video game developed by Sega AM2 for the Sega NAOMI arcade cabinet and the Dreamcast. The game was originally released in 1999 for the arcades and was later ported over to the Dreamcast in 2001. The player character of Outtrigger is a member of an anti-terrorist group, and can be chosen between default characters with different specialties or a custom character, and can utilize a number of power-ups. Reception to Outtrigger was generally positive, praising the gameplay and mechanics, though criticizing the removal of online play in the European version of the game.

<i>Jambo! Safari</i> 1999 video game

Jambo! Safari is a video game first released by Sega in 1999. The original arcade version of the game used the Naomi board, arcade hardware which was based on Sega's Dreamcast video game console. Even though other Naomi-based arcade games were, Jambo! Safari was never released for the Dreamcast. The UK version of the Official Dreamcast Magazine reported that the game was to be released in a 3-in-1 compilation along with other games in Sega's "Real Life Career Series", Brave Firefighters and Emergency Call Ambulance, but such a game was never released and neither of the other two games were ported either. Sega released versions of the game for the Wii and Nintendo DS, under the title Jambo! Safari: Animal Rescue on November 17, 2009.

<i>Chaos Field</i> 2005 video game

Chaos Field is a 2004 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by MileStone. The game consists entirely of boss battles, featuring five stages with three bosses each. The player can choose to play as one of three characters, each with their own ship that has a unique primary weapon. The player can flip the environment at will between two parallel worlds.

<i>Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica</i> 2001 video game

Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica is a light gun shooter video game developed and published by Capcom as part of the Resident Evil series. The arcade version was developed in conjunction with Namco for the arcade machines. The game was released for Sega NAOMI and PlayStation 2. It was released on the PlayStation 2 on November 8, 2001 in Japan and in Europe on March 22, 2002. The game is the second installment in the Gun Survivor series and the sequel to Resident Evil Survivor. The game is adapted from Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and features enemies and characters from that game, and enemies from Resident Evil 2 and 3. It was followed by Dino Stalker which is a spin-off of Dino Crisis, and has no ties to Resident Evil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climax Graphics</span> Japanese video game developer

Climax Graphics Inc., renamed Crazy Games Inc. in 2001, was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. Established in December 1996 by Shinya Nishigaki as an independent "brother company" of Climax Entertainment. The staff were made up of CGI developers who had worked on Climax Entertainment's Dark Savior. Their debut project, the action-adventure Blue Stinger, began production for the Sega Saturn, but on encouragement from Sega it shifted to becoming an early Dreamcast title.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 IGN Staff (17 February 1999). "Treasure Beats a New Path". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 IGN Staff (3 February 1999). "News Bytes". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Gun Beat" (PDF). ドリームキャストマガジン  [ ja ] (in Japanese). Japan. 5 March 1999. p. 97. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Treasure: le podium à tout prix" [Treasure: the podium at all costs](JPG). Consoles +  [ fr ] (in French). No. 87. EMAP France  [ fr ]. April 1999. p. 20. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Gun Beat" (PDF). ドリームキャストマガジン  [ ja ] (in Japanese). Japan. 26 February 1999. pp. 139, 144–149. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnston, Chris (27 April 2000). "Treasure on the Beat". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Treasure: We went digging for Treasure and here's what we got!". Gamers' Republic. No. 12. May 1999. p. 31.
  8. ↑ IGN Staff (22 February 1999). "More Naomi Movies". IGN. Archived from the original on 9 June 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 IGN Staff (17 February 1999). "Naomi Rocks AOU – A Full Report". IGN. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Ohbuchi, Yutaka (27 April 2000). "Sega Goes Naomi Crazy". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Sato, Ike (May 2000). "Gunbeat Development Halts". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 IGN Staff (22 May 2000). "Treasure Issues a Statement on Gunbeat". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Sunken Treasure" (PDF). Dreamcast Magazine. No. 11. UK. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2018.
  14. ↑ GameSpot Staff (27 April 2000). "TGS: We Chat With Treasure". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
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.