Metal Black | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Taito |
Publisher(s) | Taito |
Producer(s) | Takamasa Hori |
Designer(s) | Takatsuna Senba |
Programmer(s) | Naoya Kuroki Takashi Seguchi |
Artist(s) | Ohno Wepokichi |
Composer(s) | Yasuhisa Watanabe |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Saturn |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Arcade system | Taito F1 System |
Metal Black [lower-alpha 1] is a 1991 scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Taito. [1] Set in the dystopian future of 2052, players assume the role of rogue pilot John Ford taking command of the CF-345 Black Fly space fighter craft to defeat the Nemesis alien race and save humanity.
Created under the working title "Project Gun Frontier 2", Metal Black was made by most of the same staff behind Gun Frontier and ran on the Taito F1 System hardware, although its actual connection with the latter title is very loose. Under the initial internal name "Darius Part 22", development began as the third entry in the Darius series before being reworked into an original game, as its atmosphere was deemed to be very dark by Taito during production phase. Though first launched in arcades, it was later ported to the Sega Saturn and has since been re-released through compilations.
Metal Black was met with mixed reception from critics since its initial arcade release and later on the Saturn as an import title. The game later served as an inspiration for G.rev's Border Down , including its "beam level" system.
Metal Black is a scrolling shooter game where players assume the role of rogue pilot John Ford taking control of the CF-345 Black Fly space fighter craft across six increasingly difficult rounds to combat against the Nemesis alien race and save humanity. [2] [3] [4] The gameplay is unique in that there are no alternative weapons or bombs; [2] [3] [4] the only power-up players grab through rounds are the Newalone molecules scattered by Nemesis. Collecting it increases the ship's beam level, serving as the only defense mechanism. The more Newalone molecules players collect, the stronger the ship's firepower becomes. [3] [4]
When reaching a mid or max beam level, players can unleash a large beam to obliterate enemies caught within range and cause a lightning that briefly shocks the screen, destroying enemies around the ship. [2] [3] [4] Enemies also have beam levels of their own, most notably the bosses, who in turn eat as much Newalone as they can to unleash their own beam. [2] [3] [4] If the players and boss' large beams are fired simultaneously, one overpowers the other depending on how high each level is, starting a "beam duel". [2] [3] When "beam dueling", players must quickly tap the fire button to keep the opposing beam at bay, accumulating into a destructive energy matter that changes color based on which wielder's beam is stronger. [2] [3]
After the first and third rounds, a bonus round occurs to indicate players' advancement into space. [2] [3] Each bonus round has players encircle a group of enemies that must be destroyed by locking on the moving targets and launch cluster missiles under a time limit to gain extra points. [2] [3] Getting hit by enemy fire or colliding against solid stage obstacles will result in losing a life and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing.
The plot summary of Metal Black is explained further through supplementary materials. [5] [6] [7] In the year 2042, a companion star of the planet Jupiter appears a few astronomical units away from the planet and propels the asteroids along Jupiter's orbit towards the Earth, creating a wave of meteorites. As Earth struggles to survive, extraterrestrial cybernetic invaders from beyond the distant star use the meteorites as cover to invade with little resistance, intending to plunder Earth for inorganic materials needed to sustain their forms. Both the aliens and the star they came from are quickly named 'Nemesis'.
What resistance the aliens face from Earth's combined international defense forces is quickly obliterated by the aliens' powerful beam weapons. Earth's scientists study the molecules that power the alien weaponry, which have started to litter the Earth, and the molecule is given the name 'Newalone'. With Newalone in their hands, scientists quickly begin Project Metal Black, focused on developing at least twenty-thousand human spacecraft capable of wielding the same beam weaponry as the aliens. The spacecraft is known as the CF-345 Black Fly, named for its method of Newalone energy use.
However, ten years after the invasion, Earth's remaining diplomats pass a treaty with the Nemesis forces outlining a peaceful surrender, which promises to keep all of Earth's remaining forces from attacking: this applies to Project Metal Black, preventing the Black Fly spacecraft's use. With the planet's population thinning and natural resources dwindling, a rogue pilot named John Ford commandeers one of the Black Fly craft in violation of the treaty, intending to strike back against Nemesis and save what remains of humanity.
The events within the game itself unfold over six stages as Ford pilots the Black Fly and travels to Jupiter, confronting powerful Nemesis ships along the way. In the final two stages, Ford breaches Nemesis itself, earning a crucial chance to defeat the invading forces once and for all. From this point, there are two possible endings: if the player gets a Game Over on the final stage, Ford's death incites a military coup d'état of the global government, and 20,000 Black Fly craft are dispatched to Nemesis's apparent origin point. Otherwise, Ford confronts the leader of Nemesis in a rapidly-shifting dimension, the battle apparently culminating with the Earth being split in two; it is left unclear as to whether the Earth's destruction and the events of the game as a whole ever actually occurred.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2020) |
Metal Black was developed under the working title "Project Gun Frontier 2" by most of the same staff behind Gun Frontier, including its designer Takatsuna Senba and producer Takamasa "Tarabar" Hori but its actual connection to the latter is faint at best. [8] [9] According to Senba, development began as Darius 3 under the initial internal name "Darius Part 22" and the original plan was to announce it in a two-screen cabinet similar to Darius II . [8] [10] [11]
Metal Black was released in arcades in November 1991. [12] [13] Prior to launch, it was showcased in a playable state to attendees at the 1991 Amusement Machine Show. [14] [15] [16] The game ran on Taito's F1 System hardware, using expansion chips that allowed special graphical effects. [4] A version named after Hori titled Metal Black: Tarabar Edition was created for internal use at Tatio and not released for arcades, featuring only three stages and different music, as well as a new "extra stage" and more difficult enemy patterns. [4] An album containing music from the game was co-published exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon in January 21, 1992. [17] The title was later ported to the Sega Saturn by Ving and published only in Japan on May 24, 1996 under the "Arcade Gears" budget line. [4] [18] [19] It has since been included as part of the Taito Legends 2 compilation for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2006. [4] The original arcade version is planned to be included as part of the Taito Egret II mini console. [20] In 2012, a compilation album containing its soundtrack, as well as the music from Gun Frontier and Dino Rex was released by SuperSweep in Japan. [21] [22] [23]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | (AC) [24] |
Famitsu | (SS) 20/40 [25] |
Fun Generation | (SS) 4/10 [26] |
Gamest | (AC) 32/50 [27] |
Joypad | (SS) 1/5 [28] |
neXt Level | (SS) 65% [29] |
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) | (SS) 7.33/10 [30] |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Micom BASIC Magazine (1992) | Video Game Grand Prix 6th (Arcade) [31] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed Metal Black on their February 1, 1992 issue as being the thirteenth most-popular arcade game at the time. [32] According to Famitsu , the Saturn version sold over 7,839 copies in its first week on the market. [33] Four reviewers of Famitsu gave the Sega Saturn version a score of 20 out of 40. [25]
A similar "beam duel" system was featured in G-Darius . [4] Hiroyuki Maruyama of G.rev stated that Metal Black was a heavy inspiration during development of Border Down, including its "beam level" system and also features references to the former in other ways. [34] The CF-345 Black Fly appears as a downloadable ship in Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours for PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. [35]
Darius Gaiden is a 1994 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Taito. The fifth entry in its Darius series, players control a starship named the Silver Hawk in its mission to destroy the Belsar empire before it wipes out the population of planet Darius. Gaiden adds several new features to the core concepts of its predecessors, including screen-clearing black hole bombs and the ability to capture mid-level bosses. The game has been ported to several consoles, including the Sega Saturn and PlayStation.
Darius is a 1987 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Taito. Players control a starship named the Silver Hawk in its mission to destroy the Belser empire before they wipe out the planet Darius. Its gameplay involves traversing through a series of scrolling levels while destroying enemies and collecting power-up icons. It is notable for its unique three-screen panoramic display, upbeat soundtrack, and cute anime-influenced graphics.
Batsugun is a 1993 vertically scrolling bullet hell arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as Korea by Unite Trading. The last shoot 'em up created by Toaplan, the title takes place on a distant Earth-like planet where a global takeover operative led by king Renoselva A. Gladebaran VII is set into motion, as players assume the role from one of the six fighter pilots conforming the Skull Hornets squadron taking control of submersible jets in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the invading military force from the planet. Its gameplay mainly consists of shooting mixed with role-playing game-esque elements using a main two-button configuration.
R-Type Leo is a 1992 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Nanao and published by Irem. It is a spin-off of the R-Type series and the last R-Type entry to be released in arcades. In Leo, players take control of the titular space fighter to travel the man-made mechanical planet Eden and destroy its supercomputer core Major. The game was initially conceived as an original shoot 'em up by Nanao before being retooled into an R-Type project by Irem. The title was met with positive reception from reviewers. It has since been re-released as part of Dotemu's 2010 Irem Arcade Hits compilation.
Metal Hawk is a 1988 multidirectional shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. Assuming control of the titular attack helicopter, the player is tasked with using a machine gun and air-to-surface missiles to destroy enemies and earn a certain number of points before the timer runs out, all while avoiding collision with ether enemy projectiles and obstacles. The Metal Hawk can change its altitude to allow it to either rise higher in the air or lower towards the ground. It runs on the Namco System 2 arcade board.
Twin Cobra II is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Takumi Corporation and published in 1995 by Taito in Japan, Asia and Europe. It is the sequel to Twin Cobra from 1987. Taking place after the events of the previous game, players assume the role of two pilots taking control of their respective attack helicopters to overthrow the returning enemy forces.
Detana!! TwinBee, released in Europe and North America as Bells & Whistles, is a 1991 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Konami. It is the fifth entry in the TwinBee series and the second to be released for arcades following the original TwinBee. Set several years after the events of TwinBee, players assume the role of Light and Pastel taking control of TwinBee and WinBee to defeat invading forces of the evil alien Iva and save planet Meru after receiving an SOS message sent by Princess Melora.
Xexex, released as Orius in North America, is a 1991 side-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game by Konami. It draws on Irem's R-Type and Konami's other shoot 'em up Gradius, while adding the tentacle mechanics of Irem's other shoot 'em up XMultiply. In the game, players take control of the Flintlock space fighter in a mission to rescue Princess Irene La Tias of Planet E-Square, who has been captured by the evil galactic warlord Klaus Pachelbel.
Liquid Kids is a 1990 platform arcade video game developed and published by Taito. Starring the hippopotamus Hipopo, players travel through the land of Woody-Lake throwing water bombs, jumping on and off platforms to navigate level obstacles while dodging and defeating monsters in order to rescue Tamasun from her captor, the Fire Demon. The game was ported to the PC Engine and Sega Saturn. Home computer versions were in development but none were officially released to the public.
Gun Frontier is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and originally published by Taito in Japan. Set on the fictional planet of Gloria in the 22nd century, where an alien race of space pirates known as the Wild Lizards have invaded the location and enslaved its inhabitants for gold extraction, players assume the role of settlers who were part of the planet's colonization team taking control of revolver-shaped fighter aircraft in an attempt to overthrow the invaders and free their surviving civilization from slavery.
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Success and originally released in Japanese arcades in 1991. The first installment in the Cotton series, players assume the role of the young witch Cotton who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, sets out on her broomstick on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. Its gameplay mainly consists of shooting mixed with role-playing game elements using a main two-button configuration. It ran on the Sega System 16 hardware.
Truxton II is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. It is the sequel to Truxton, which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.
Dino Rex is a fighting arcade video game developed and originally released by Taito in Japan in November 1992. Set during the 25th century BC on a prehistoric South America, players assume the role of a warrior commanding his dinosaur companion as he enters a tournament held by the current titular king in order to become the next ruler while facing matches against other rivals. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main three-button configuration, featuring special moves and combo techniques.
Dogyuun is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Dino in the future, where an alien race of metallic robots have invaded a police communication center and held its inhabitants as hostages, players assume the role of two fighter pilots taking control of the Sylfers bomber space fighter crafts in an revenge attempt to overthrow the invaders and free the surviving colonists after one of their comrades is killed by one of them during a reconnaissance assignment.
Ghox is an action arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in Japan and Europe in November 1991. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. Taking place in a fantasy world where the evil magician known as Jagula sealed the goddess Lucia in the netherworld, players assume the role of Axis and Bilious in an effort to defeat both Jagula and the unleashed evil spirits from the netherworld. As of 2019, the rights to the game are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other IPs from the defunct studio.
Pipi & Bibi's is a 1991 eroge action-platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and in Europe by Nova Apparate GMBH & Co. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. In the game, players assume the role of Pipi and Bibi attempting to place time bombs in buildings filled with enemies who appear from behind closed doors and escape before the location collapses.
FixEight is a run and gun arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in July 1992. The spiritual successor to 1990's Out Zone, it is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. Set in a future where an alien race known as the Gozzu from the fictional planet Fortuna invaded the universe, players are tasked by the Galactic Federation government with an extermination mission against the invaders by assuming the role of one of the eight mercenaries.
Stakes Winner is a horse racing arcade video game developed by Saurus, with additional support from AM Factory, and originally published by SNK on September 27, 1995. In the game, players compete with either AI-controlled opponents or against other human players across multiple races. Though it was initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released for both Neo Geo AES (home) and Neo Geo CD respectively, in addition of being ported and re-released through download services for various consoles. It was received with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release. In 1996, a sequel titled Stakes Winner 2 was released for the arcades.
Stakes Winner 2 is a horse racing arcade video game developed by Saurus, with additional support from System Vision, and originally published by SNK on September 24, 1996. It is the sequel to the original Stakes Winner, which was released earlier in 1995 on multiple platforms. In the game, players compete with either AI-controlled opponents or against other human players across multiple races. Though it was initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released to Neo Geo AES (home), in addition of being ported and re-released through download services for various consoles. Like its predecessor, it was received with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release. A third entry, Stakes Winner 3, was rumored to be in development but never released.
Super Spacefortress Macross is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed NMK and published by Banpresto. Based upon the 1984 anime film Macross: Do You Remember Love?, it is the first arcade entry in the Macross franchise. In the game, the players control the VF-1 Valkyrie variable mecha fighters, piloted by Hikaru Ichijyo and Max Jenius, in a battle against the Zentradi alien race.
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help)