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| Prop Cycle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Shigeki Toyama |
| Programmer(s) | Naoyuki Koyama |
| Composer(s) | Etsuo Ishii |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Namco Super System 22 |
Prop Cycle [lower-alpha 1] is a 1996 arcade game developed and published by Namco. [1]
Prop Cycle is a 3D flying simulator in which the player uses a human-powered aircraft to pop hot-air balloons in the city of Solitar to prevent the city from floating away permanently. [2] The cycle is controlled by using pedals to spin the propeller and handlebars to steer left and right and change altitude. [1]
The story takes place in a world destroyed by a war 200 years earlier. [3] A hyperspace magnetic weapon called the "Tesla Bomb" was used in the war, destroying all civilization and completely changing the world's terrain. The few who survived have abandoned high technology and live a simple but elegant life. The most advanced technology is the steam engine powered by a natural resource called fuel stones. Using improved steam engines with fuel stones, it is possible to fly an airplane. With the world's terrain made up of steep canyons caused by the destruction from the previous war, personal flight technology is necessary for people to live without destroying nature. However flight technology has undergone a high degree of evolution with the new civilization's collection of knowledge and now it's possible to fly freely with only human power. The flying machine is called the "Lapperopter". [3]
In one town an altar stood with where someone touched part of it and fierce lightning struck several villages. Each village was cut into either a sun, moon, and star shape, and taken to a high altitude. People on the ground eventually began to call the floating land a "solita" (isolated island). [3]
At one point, a letter fell from a resident in "Solita". The altar was actually a weapon controller with red energy balls floating around it. If all the balls can be destroyed in a short time, the villages can return to their original positions on the ground. However several have tried and failed to destroy all the energy balls.
To avoid more pilot casualties, a test to collect balloons in a short time is being conducted with the "Lapperopter". [3]
Prop Cycle was designed by Shigeki Toyama, an engineer for Namco that worked on games such as Xevious (1983), Final Lap (1987), and Point Blank (1994). [4] [5] Toyama was inspired to create Prop Cycle after he and another Namco employee finished production on a technical demo where the player rode in a human-powered plane and shot down enemies. The demo didn't use 3D polygons, but instead 2D sprites with scaling techniques that created the illusion of a 3D world. [4] While Toyama didn't find the game itself interesting, he thought its sense of flight was intriguing and decided to turn the concept into a full game. [4] He was also inspired by the Studio Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service , which stars a young witch flying on a broomstick. [4]
Since Prop Cycle was being made as an arcade game, Toyama wanted the game to be highly interactive and have a reason to be exclusive to arcades. He also wanted the game to be unique and distinct from other arcade games, as he never enjoyed repeating already-existing ideas. [4] [5] Toyama worked to allow players to experience the thrill of flying and feeling the wind, and to make the game itself be more than simply defeating enemies. To get an idea of what Toyama was looking for, the development team went out for a day of hang gliding with a camera attached to the glider's wings. The team spent three to four months developing the flying aspect; programmer Naoyuki Koyama didn't understand what Toyama wanted to convey with "riding the wind", so to demonstrate he attached a weight to an umbrella to give Koyama an idea of what he was trying to create. [4]
Toyama wanted Prop Cycle to have a proper storyline in addition to its unique game concept. [4] [5] Jokingly referring to his role as the project's "movie director", Toyama designed the setting, plotline, and characters, and drew the artwork for the villages and level themes. [4] [5] An intentional design choice was that the player had to make it to the last stage in order to understand the story, a decision he has since come to regret. [4] Toyama considered making a "Sightseeing" mode where players were able to fly anywhere they wanted under a time limit, however the limited development time caused the idea to be scrapped. [4]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Next Generation |   [2] |
Game Machine claims that Prop Cycle was the second most popular arcade game of August 1996 in Japan. [6] Next Generation stated that "in the final analysis, Prop Cycle's strengths win out over its weaknesses." [2] Retro Gamer described it as being one of the most unique arcade games ever created, and a more accessible title compared to Namco and Sega's other offerings. Staff enjoyed the game's simplicity and originality, writing that there's "no question as to how it has stayed in so many locations after almost two decades." [7]
Namco Limited was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955 which operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. They were one of the most influential figures in the worldwide coin-op and arcade game industry; Namco produced several multi-million-selling game franchises, such as Pac-Man, Galaxian, Tekken, Tales, Ridge Racer, and Ace Combat. In 2006, Namco merged with Bandai to form what is now named Bandai Namco Holdings; the standalone Namco brand continues to be used for video arcade and other entertainment products by the group's Bandai Namco Amusements division.
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Xevious 3D/G is a 1996 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The eighth entry in the Xevious series, it combines 2D-based gameplay with 3D gouraud-shaded polygon graphics. Players control the Solvalou starship in its mission to destroy a rogue supercomputer named GAMP and the Xevian Forces, using two basic weapon types - an air zapper to destroy air targets, and a blaster bomb to destroy ground targets. The game also features destructive power-ups, new bosses, and two player simultaneous play.
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Steel Gunner is a 1990 first-person shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. Players take control of Garcia and Cliff, a duo of police officers that are part of the Neo Arc police force, as they must use their powerful Gargoyle mecha suits to destroy the STURM terrorist organization, who have taken captive scientists Dr. Ryan and Dr. Ellis to create a world-ending superweapon. Gameplay revolves around using a crosshair to shoot down enemies and avoid harming civilians. It runs on the Namco System 2 Plus arcade hardware.
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