Prehistoric Isle | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | SNK |
Publisher(s) | SNK |
Director(s) | Yah! [1] [2] |
Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki |
Designer(s) | Hideki Fujiwara Violetche Nakamoto Tomomi M. |
Programmer(s) | Itsam Matarca Takoguti Kamen 001 |
Composer(s) | Toshikazu Tanaka Yoko Osaka |
Series | Prehistoric Isle |
Platform(s) | Arcade |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, co-op |
Arcade system | SNK Unique [4] |
Prehistoric Isle [lower-alpha 1] is a 1989 scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by SNK. [3] Set during the 1930s, where ships at The Bahamas mysteriously disappeared, players assume the role of U.S. Marine pilots taking control of biplanes in a reconnaissance assignment at "Greenhell Isle", a fictional island inhabited by dinosaurs and creatures thought to be extinct. Headed by a director under the pseudonym of "Yah!", the game was developed by most of the same team that would later work on several projects for the Neo Geo platforms at SNK. First launched in arcades, the title has since been re-released through download services and compilations for various consoles. It received positive reception since its initial arcade release from critics who praised the visuals, sound design, gameplay and originality. A sequel, Prehistoric Isle 2 , was released in 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS but garnered less success than its predecessor.
Prehistoric Isle is a scrolling shoot 'em up game reminiscent of R-Type where players assume the role of U.S. Marine pilots taking control of biplanes, which are sent on a reconnaissance assignment through five increasingly difficult stages at "Greenhell Isle", a fictional island inhabited by dinosaurs and creatures thought to be extinct. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] The players control their plane over a constantly scrolling background and the scenery never stops moving until a boss that must be fought before progressing any further is reached. [6] [7] [10] Players have only one weapon at their disposal: the standard shot that travels a max distance of the screen's length. A gameplay feature is the satellite "option"; [5] [6] [7] [10] when collecting a "P" icon by destroying dinosaur eggs, the players gain a satellite "option" similar to R-Type, which fires multiple types of weapons depending on its current stoptrack position. Various other items can also be picked up along the way such as speed increasers and "$" icons for points. [7] [10] If the player's plane is hit by enemies, enemy fire or enough neanderthals climb onto it, a life is lost but they will be respawned with the penalty of decreasing the plane's firepower to its original state. [10]
In the 1930s, ships that sailed near The Bahamas began to disappear mysteriously, with the United States and neighbor countries deciding to task an investigation team from the U.S. Marine to determine the cause. When surveying the ocean, the expedition crew comes across an uncharted land dubbed "Greenhell Isle" and launches two reconnaissance biplanes to examine further. During their research, the biplanes come under attack by dinosaurs and creatures thought to be extinct. [5] [10]
Prehistoric Isle was created by most of the same team that would later work on several projects for the Neo Geo platforms at SNK. [1] [2] [11] [12] Its development was helmed by a director under the pseudonym of "Yah!", with Eikichi Kawasaki serving as producer. [1] [2] The coding work was handled by two programmers under the pseudonyms of Itsam Matarca and Takoguti Kamen 001 respectively. [1] [2] Hideki Fujiwara, Violetche Nakamoto, Tomomi M. and "Yokochan" acted as the project's designers. [1] [2] The soundtrack was co-written by Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan composers Toshikazu Tanaka and Yoko Osaka, with Tanaka writing the names of each music track. [1] [2] [11] [12]
Prehistoric Isle was first released in arcades across Japan, North America and Europe by SNK in 1989. [3] Prior to launch, it was showcased in a playable state at the 1989 AOU Show. [13] [14] The same year on September 21, an album containing its soundtrack was co-published exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon. [11] [15] The game was first re-released by SNK Playmore in Japan as part of the SNK Arcade Classics 0 compilation for PlayStation Portable in 2011. [16] Later during the same year, the title was later ported to PlayStation Network by G1M2. [10] [17] [18] It was also included as part of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection compilation. [19]
Publication | Score | |
---|---|---|
Arcade | PSP | |
AllGame | [20] | N/A |
Computer and Video Games | 81% [21] | N/A |
Jeuxvideo.com | N/A | 13/20 [22] |
Sinclair User | 10/10 [23] | N/A |
Génération 4 | 9/10 [24] | N/A |
PSP Minis | N/A | 9/10 [18] |
Retro Gamer | N/A | [25] |
Prehistoric Isle was met with positive reception since its initial launch in arcades. [26] [27] [28] In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their July 1, 1989 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Arbalester , Crack Down and Dynasty Wars . [29]
A sequel to Prehistoric Isle had already been teased during its credits sequence. [1] Prehistoric Isle 2 was released in 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS but proved to be less popular than its predecessor. [30] It was later re-released in recent years for the PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop and Xbox Live. [31]
The Neo Geo, stylized as NEO•GEO and also written as NEOGEO, is a ROM cartridge-based arcade system board and fourth-generation home video game console released on April 26, 1990, by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was the first system in SNK's Neo Geo family.
SNK Corporation is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing coin-op games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company produced many in-house games and now-classic franchises during the 1990s, including Aggressors of Dark Kombat, Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, King of the Monsters, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, The Last Blade, Twinkle Star Sprites, and World Heroes; they continue to develop and publish new titles in some of these franchises on contemporary arcade and home platforms. Since the 2000s, SNK have diversified from their traditional arcade focus into pachislot machines, mobile game development and more recently character licensing.
Metal Slug is a 1996 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving on a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
Fatal Fury 2, known as Garō Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai in Japan, is a 1992 fighting video game developed by SNK as the sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991), and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise. Originally released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, it was later ported to several other home systems, including Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis by Takara. Its updated version, Fatal Fury Special, was released in 1993.
Fatal Fury Special, known as Garō Densetsu Special in Japan, is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of 1992's Fatal Fury 2, introducing several changes to the gameplay system while expanding the available character roster.
Samurai Shodown 64, known as Samurai Spirits in Japan, is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK for its Hyper Neo-Geo 64 system. It was SNK's first 3D fighting game. After having released four Samurai Shodown games on the Neo-Geo, SNK announced that they would be producing a new arcade hardware platform, this one 64-bit and with extensive 3D capabilities. Although it was never ported to home consoles, it was followed by a second 3D installment titled Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage.
Pulstar is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for arcades by SNK in 1995. Players control a starship in its mission to eradicate the Solar System of a hostile race of aliens that threaten mankind. Its gameplay has been compared to the R-Type series for its similar premise and mechanics; players must complete each of the game's eight stages by destroying constantly-moving formations of enemies and avoiding their projectiles. There are power-ups that can be collected that provide additional abilities for the player. It runs on the Neo Geo MVS arcade system board.
Last Resort is a horizontally scrolling shooter by SNK released as an arcade video game in 1992. It was also released for the Neo-Geo and Neo Geo CD systems, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii, as well as ACA Neo-Geo for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Neo Bomberman is an action-maze arcade video game developed by Produce! and published by Hudson Soft for the Neo Geo MVS on May 1, 1997. It is one of two games in the Bomberman franchise that was released for the Neo Geo platform, the first being Panic Bomber, and the only one to retain its traditional top-down gameplay. It was released for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and has not received a home console release to date. It was the last original Bomberman title to be released for arcades until Konami's Bombergirl in 2018.
Sun Shine is an unreleased 1990 tile-matching puzzle arcade video game that was in development by Alpha Denshi and planned to be published by SNK for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms. It is the first puzzle game to be developed for both systems and the smallest Neo Geo game in terms of memory data.
Dunk Star is an unreleased 1991 basketball arcade video game that was in development and planned to be published by Sammy for the arcade Neo Geo MVS and Neo Geo AES home console. Had it been launched before Street Slam, it would have become the first basketball title for the Neo Geo platforms.
Tobe! Polystars is a scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and originally published by Konami in March 1997. It has not received any official port to home consoles after its arcade release. It is the first game that ran on the Konami M2 hardware, which was Konami's version of the Panasonic M2. Taking place on the fictional planet Polygon, where the secret Perfect Primitive Polygon association led by Material the Third have invaded its inhabitants, players assume the role of police officers Poly and Stan from the titular squad in order to restore peace on their home.
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.
Over Top is a racing arcade video game developed by ADK and originally published by SNK on April 26, 1996. It is the spiritual successor to Thrash Rally, which was released earlier in 1991 on Neo Geo platforms.
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.
ZuPaPa! is a platform arcade video game developed by Face and originally published by SNK on September 1, 2001. Starring the eponymous creature, players are tasked with travelling through nine stages, throwing small creatures called Zooks, jumping on and off platforms to navigate level obstacles while dodging and defeating monsters. Although first launched in arcades, the game has been re-released through download services for various consoles. The title has gained a cult following since its initial release.
Pleasure Goal: 5 on 5 Mini Soccer is a 1996 futsal arcade video game developed by Saurus and published by SNK. In the game, players compete against either AI-controlled opponents or other players in matches across various stadiums. The title was created by most of the same team that would later work on future projects at Saurus such as Shock Troopers. Though first launched for Neo Geo MVS, it was later released for Neo Geo CD and has since been re-released through download services on various consoles.
Prehistoric Isle 2 is a 1999 scrolling shooter arcade video game co-developed by Saurus and Yumekobo and published by SNK. It is the sequel to the original Prehistoric Isle, which was developed and released earlier in 1989 by SNK. In the game, players take control of helicopters to shoot at dinosaurs while rescuing people. Although first launched in arcades, the title has since been re-released through download services for various consoles. It received mixed reception since its initial arcade release and garnered less success than its predecessor.
Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory is a 1995 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the third installment in the Super Sidekicks series, succeeding Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship (1994). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer like its predecessors, the game allows players to choose any of the available game modes to compete with AI-controlled rivals or other human players with their preferred team. Though first launched for the MVS hardware, the title was ported for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, in addition of being re-released through compilations and download services for various consoles. It proved popular among players and garnered positive reception from critics, however most reviewers noted that it felt more an update than a true successor to Super Sidekicks 2. It was followed by The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship in 1996.
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help)