Sharknado: The Video Game

Last updated

Sharknado: The Video Game
SharknadoTheVideoGame cover.png
Developer(s) Other Ocean Interactive
Publisher(s) Majesco Entertainment
Platform(s) iOS
ReleaseJuly 25, 2014
Genre(s) Endless runner
Mode(s) Single-player

Sharknado: The Video Game is a 2014 endless running video game developed by Other Ocean Interactive and published by Majesco Entertainment. [1] The game is based on the 2014 film Sharknado 2: The Second One .

Contents

Gameplay

Players control the actions of the main character, Fin Shepard, who is running through various areas of shark-infested New York City. While he runs, players must weave Fin in and out of three different lanes while encountering various obstacles such as roadblocks, cars, and sharks. Fin can kill sharks with a variety of weapons and some levels require the player to kill a certain number of sharks before proceeding. Each level has three parts: a street running segment, a surfing segment, and a boss fight with a sharknado. During each level players can do things like purchase upgrades and extend their gameplay after death by using gold or chum, which is made available during gameplay or via microtransactions. [2] After successfully completing a level players proceeded to a new level with the same setting, but with an increased difficulty.

Release

The game was announced on July 10, 2014. Jeff Li, vice president of Syfy, said that their "one quest was to get a game out before or at the time of the second movie. We did not give the game developer a lot of time. Usually they want more than a year but here we said we've got to get a quality game out so it can ride the Sharknado 2 wave." According to The Hollywood Reporter , if the game is a success, they will likely move on to another game for consoles. [3]

Reception

Critical reception for Sharknado: The Video Game has been predominantly negative. [4] IGN gave it a rating of 5.5 and wrote, "Sharknado’s ridiculous tone, tight controls, and respectful in-app purchases make it fine to play for a while. But once the novelty wears off and you play the same level (and hear the same song) dozens of times over, there’s not much left to sink your teeth into." [5] Hardcore Gamer heavily panned the game and commented, "As a game based on a movie that literally aspires to be awful, it falls short of its mark. That is how much of a failure this game is. It is so lazily made that it cannot even get into the realm of epiclly [ sic ], amazingly bad. It is just a boring, run of the mill endless runner without enough ideas to even be terrible." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sonic the Hedgehog</i> Video game franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main Sonic the Hedgehog games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; other games, developed by various studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party and sports genres. The franchise also incorporates printed media, animations, feature films, and merchandise.

The Asylum is an American film production and distribution company based in Burbank, California. The company is known for producing low-budget, direct-to-video films, in particular mockbusters, which capitalize on the popularity of major studio films with similar titles and premises. The Asylum's business model revolves around producing as many low-budget films as quickly as possible, which earn around $150,000 to $250,000 in profit. Since the company produces dozens of films every year, this model generates millions of dollars, and the company claims to have never lost money on a film. The Asylum spends around 4-6 months making a film, and since the company is not affiliated with any industry guilds other than SAG-AFTRA, this means their employees will sometimes work upwards of 22 hours a day.

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> (2000 video game) 2000 beat em up game

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 2000 beat 'em up game developed by GameBrains and published by THQ. Based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the game features Buffy Summers, who fights vampires, demons, and other supernatural entities as the Slayer. The player controls Buffy through eight side-scrolling levels, and gameplay centers on one-on-one fights with vampires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Whitney (actress)</span> American actress (born 1998)

Ryan Whitney Newman, known professionally as Ryan Whitney, is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ginger Falcone in Disney XD's Zeke and Luther, Allison in The Thundermans, Cindy Collins in Zoom and Emily Hobbs in See Dad Run.

Earthworm Jim is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four games were released in the series: Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2, Earthworm Jim 3D, and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy, with the first game released in 1994. The series had lain dormant for almost a decade before Gameloft remade the original game in HD for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Interplay announced Earthworm Jim 4 in 2008; little to no information surfaced until May 2019 and August 2020, and development was believed cancelled by the rights owners by 2023, as it had never left pre-planning stages.

<i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips, and their attempts to commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. Players freely roam San Andreas's open world countryside and fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

<i>The Last of Us</i> 2013 video game

The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us is played from a third-person perspective. Players use firearms and improvised weapons and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated fungus. In the online multiplayer mode, up to eight players engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay.

<i>Temple Run</i> 2011 3D endless runner video game

Temple Run is an endless runner video game developed and published by Imangi Studios. The player controls an explorer who has obtained an ancient relic and runs from demonic monkey-like creatures chasing him. The game was initially released for iOS devices on August 4, 2011, and later ported to Android systems and Windows Phone 8.

<i>Rotozoa</i> 2010 video game

Rotozoa is a single-player exclusive puzzle video game published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game revolves around a colour-matching concept, with a mechanic similar to that of Snake, taking place within a diffuse world of microorganisms. Developed by skip Ltd., the game is the fifth WiiWare installment in the Art Style series. It was initially released in Europe on May 28, 2010, under the alternative title Penta Tentacles, and followed in North America on June 21, 2010. It was eventually also released in Japan on October 18, 2011, both preserving the launch title of the PAL release and being the final WiiWare game to be released in the former.

<i>Sharknado</i> 2013 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado is a 2013 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. It tells about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles. It is the first installment in the Sharknado film series. The movie first aired on the Syfy channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and John Heard. It was also given a one-night-only special midnight theatrical screening via Regal Cinemas and Fathom Events, where it earned $200,000 from 200 screenings. The over-the-top premise and theatrics of the film quickly earned it a cult following.

<i>Sharknado 2: The Second One</i> 2014 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado 2: The Second One is a 2014 American made-for-television film and a sequel to the 2013 television film Sharknado and the second installment in the Sharknado film series. It was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, with Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprising their roles from the first film. The film premiered on July 30, 2014, and was the highest-premiering film on the Syfy Channel.

<i>Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!</i> 2015 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! is a 2015 American made-for-television science fiction action comedy disaster film and the third installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado and Sharknado 2: The Second One. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, and Mark McGrath reprising their roles from the previous installments. Also joining the cast are David Hasselhoff, Bo Derek, Ryan Newman, and Jack Griffo.

<i>Sharknado</i> (film series) American film series

Sharknado is a series of six American made-for-television science fiction action comedy horror disaster films released by Syfy between 2013 and 2018. It has since been expanded into video games and comics, including a spin-off film, Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, that was released in 2015. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the others received negative reviews.

<i>Sharknado: The 4th Awakens</i> 2016 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens is a 2016 American made-for-television science fiction action comedy disaster film and the fourth installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. The film was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante with Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff and Ryan Newman reprising their roles from the previous installments. New people joining the cast in the film include Tommy Davidson, Masiela Lusha, Imani Hakim, Cheryl Tiegs and Gary Busey. In the film, Fin Shepard and his allies, five years after the last sharknado, contend with a group of sharknado variants, such as a "cownado" and a "lightningnado".

<i>Celeste</i> (video game) 2018 platform game

Celeste is a 2018 platform game developed and published by indie studio Maddy Makes Games. The player controls Madeline, a young woman with anxiety and depression who aims to climb Celeste Mountain. During her climb, she encounters several characters, including Part of You a personification of her self-doubt who attempts to stop her from climbing the mountain.

<i>Mr. Driller 2</i> 2000 video game

Mr. Driller 2 is a puzzle video game developed and published by Namco, and the second game in the Mr. Driller series. It was released for the arcades in 2000, and was ported to the Game Boy Advance and Windows in 2001, and is available in emulated form via the Virtual Console on the Wii U. The game introduces two new characters to the series, Puchi, and Anna.

<i>Sharknado 5: Global Swarming</i> 2017 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming is a 2017 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film and the fifth installment in the Sharknado film series, following Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, and Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fin Shepard</span> Fictional lead character of the Sharknado film series

Fin Shepard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Sharknado film series. He is a former surfer and shark hunter, who is played by Ian Ziering in all the films. He is a positive hero, protecting his family and the rest of the world from the evil sharks and hurricanes that bring sharks from the sea to land.

<i>High Score</i> (TV series) Netflix docuseries about video game history

High Score is a Netflix docuseries created by France Costrel. It features stories and interviews with the developers and creators of early video games. The series first premiered on August 19, 2020.

Endless runner or infinite runner is a subgenre of platform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach a high score by surviving for as long as possible. The method by which the game level or environment appears to continuously spawn before the player is an example of procedural generation. The genre exploded on mobile platforms following the success of Doodle Jump, Canabalt, and Temple Run being other popular examples. Its popularity is attributed to its simple gameplay that works well on touchscreen devices.

References

  1. "SHARKNADO: THE VIDEO GAME ANNOUNCED". IGN. July 9, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  2. McElroy, Justin (July 31, 2014). "Sharknado: The Video Game lays waste to Manhattan, iOS, common sense". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  3. "'Sharknado' Video Game Arriving With Syfy Sequel". The Hollywood Reporter . July 8, 2014. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  4. "Sharknado:TVG". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  5. "RUNNING IN CIRCLES". IGN. August 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  6. "Review: Sharknado: The Video Game". Hardcore Gamer. August 5, 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2014.