Time Killers

Last updated
Time Killers
Time Killers cover.png
Developer(s) Incredible Technologies
Publisher(s) Strata
Producer(s) Elaine Ditton
Designer(s) R. Scott Morrison
Programmer(s) Chris Oberth
Michael Hanson
Artist(s) Ralph Melgosa
Richard Ditton
Dale Kerkman
Composer(s) David Thiel
Leif Marwede
Platform(s) Arcade, Sega Genesis, iiRcade
ReleaseNovember 1992
1996 (Genesis)
2021 (iiRcade)
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Time Killers is a 1992 weapon-based fighting arcade game developed by Incredible Technologies and published by Strata. Along with Allumer's Blandia , Time Killers is one of the earliest weapon-based fighting games modeled after Capcom's Street Fighter II (1991). It was later overshadowed by the success of SNK's 1993 weapon-based fighting game, Samurai Shodown . In Time Killers, eight warriors from different periods in history face off with each other, and then Death, for a chance at immortality.

Contents

A home port for the Sega Genesis was released four years after the arcade version, after having been delayed and even cancelled for a time. It was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews. A port was released in 2021 for the iiRcade home arcade console by BASH Gaming Studio.

Gameplay

Wulf (left) versus Leif (right), Leif's arm has been amputated. Time Killers Arcade Gameplay Screenshot.png
Wülf (left) versus Leif (right), Leif's arm has been amputated.

Time Killers plays much like Mortal Kombat, with some similarities to Street Fighter II . Rather than the standard layout of punches and kicks of various strengths, a specific button is used to attack with the corresponding body part: left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and the head. A stronger attack can be executed by pressing both limb buttons at the same time. The attack buttons involving respective arms and legs are also the basis of BloodStorm as well as Namco Bandai's Tekken series, the 2011 Mortal Kombat game, and Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. .

If enough damage is done to an arm, it will be severed from the character's body, rendering it useless in combat. Both arms can be severed in the same round, forcing the character to fight with only legs and head and depriving them of the ability to block or use any weapons. Damage can also be done to the legs, but they cannot be severed.

The player may attempt a "Death Move" by pressing all five buttons at once. If successful, the attack cuts off the opponent's head and ends the round immediately; however, it can be blocked. A "Super Death Move" is also possible, but can only be executed while near a stunned opponent; the player holds the joystick toward the opponent and presses all five buttons, cutting off both arms and the head. Both of these moves differ from the "Fatalities" in Mortal Kombat in that they may be attempted at any time. Severed limbs and heads are restored after each round.

A character can win a round by knocking out the opponent, executing either type of Death Move, or having more health than the opponent when time runs out. Two victories out of three are required to win a match. The player may select any of the eight characters before each match, instead of having to play as the same character throughout the game.

Each of the warriors in the game hails from a different period, bringing their own origins and weapons into the battle. The handbook that was made for the game goes into detail that explains the origins and background of each. A few of the characters are based on historical figures and legends. Defeating all eight warriors allows the player to fight Death in a final match; a victory makes the player's character immortal and ends the game.

Ports

Ports were announced for the Super NES and Genesis/Mega Drive, with an intended release in Spring 1994, but Nintendo had the Super NES version cancelled early that Spring, while the Genesis/Mega Drive version's release date was pushed back. [1] Two months later the Genesis/Mega Drive version was cancelled entirely, even though developer THQ had already completed it. [1] According to a journalist for GamePro , "Reportedly, the game was considered too explicit. It also had a poor test run among reviewers who saw the preview copy." [2]

Nearly two years later, it was announced that the Genesis version would finally be released in July 1996. [3] It was eventually published by Black Pearl in 1996 but sold poorly, due to being cited by most video game magazine critics as having incredibly poor graphics, sound, and playability.[ citation needed ] In early 1997 a THQ spokesperson stated that all plans for further ports of Time Killers had been cancelled. [4]

Reception

In the United States, Play Meter listed Time Killers as the eighth most-popular arcade game in February 1993. [8] RePlay listed it as the top arcade software conversion kit the same month. [9] According to Ralph Melgosa of Incredible Technologies, Time Killers sold roughly 7,000 units, which for a small company like Incredible Technologies was a major success. [10]

Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed the Genesis version in 1993, roughly half a year before it was cancelled, and three years before its ultimate release by a different publisher. They gave it a 4.2 out of 10, remarking that "The only remotely redeeming factor of this 'fighting' game is the 'super death moves' where you dismember an opponent. Otherwise, the game play, sound, and technique aren't here." [5] They gave it a second review the following month, in which they lowered the score to 3.5 out of 10 and assessed it as a botched conversion of an already awful arcade game, citing poor graphics, audio, and controls, and generally unappealing gameplay. [6]

Upon the Genesis version's ultimate release in 1996, GamePro criticized that the game was completely unchanged from the 1994 review copy, retaining the same routine gameplay, poor controls, choppy animation, muffled voices, and backgrounds which "look almost 8 bit". [11] Next Generation thoroughly panned it, saying it "lacks any redeeming qualities whatsoever" and "is easily the worst example of a 2D fighting game in history." They echoed GamePro's remark that the graphics could be taken for 8-bit, and said the worst aspect of the game is its control scheme. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>NBA Jam</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

NBA Jam is a basketball video game developed and published by Midway for arcades in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series. The project leader for this game was Mark Turmell.

<i>Killer Instinct</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

Killer Instinct is a 2.5D fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway. It was originally released for arcades in October 1994, and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Game Boy the following year. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organizing a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acclaim Comics imprint.

<i>Mortal Kombat 4</i> 1997 video game

Mortal Kombat 4 is a 1997 fighting game, the fourth main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and a sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat 3. It was developed by Midway Games. Released to arcades in 1997, Mortal Kombat 4 is the first title in the series, and one of the first made by Midway overall, to use 3D computer graphics. It is also the last game of the series to have an arcade release. It was ported to the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, PC, and Game Boy Color in 1998. An updated version titled Mortal Kombat Gold was released exclusively for the Dreamcast.

<i>Mortal Kombat 3</i> 1995 video game

Mortal Kombat 3 is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 1993's Mortal Kombat II. As in the previous games, it has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game avoids the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of Earthrealm.

<i>The Magic of Scheherazade</i> 1987 video game

The Magic of Scheherazade is an action-adventure/role-playing video game (RPG) developed and released by Culture Brain for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game was released in 1987 in Japan and 1990 in North America. The plot is based on Middle Eastern folktales found in One Thousand and One Nights. It involves an amnesic hero traveling through time in an attempt to rescue the princess Scheherazade from the evil wizard Sabaron, who has summoned a horde of demons to bring chaos to the once peaceful land of Arabia. The Magic of Scheherazade is divided into chapters and incorporates elements of both action-adventure and RPG gameplay styles. In each chapter, the player character can freely explore an overworld in a top-down perspective. The player engages hostile enemies with various weapons and spells through both real-time solo action on the overhead map and random, turn-based battles fought alongside befriended allies.

<i>Mortal Kombat II</i> 1993 video game

Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and PlayStation only in Japan, mostly in licensed versions developed by Probe Software and Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment.

<i>Primal Rage</i> 1994 arcade video game

Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games to arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven large beasts that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. More than 1.5 million copies of the game were sold.

<i>Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3</i> Fighting video game

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, developed and released by Midway to arcades in 1995. It is a standalone update of 1995's earlier Mortal Kombat 3 with an altered gameplay system, additional characters like the returning favorites Reptile, Kitana, Jade and Scorpion who were missing from Mortal Kombat 3, and some new features.

<i>Shaq Fu</i> 1994 video game

Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game published by Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis and Super NES on October 28, 1994. It was developed by the now-defunct Delphine Software International. Versions for the Game Gear, Game Boy, and Amiga followed in 1995. Former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal stars as the player character.

<i>Mace: The Dark Age</i> 1997 fighting arcade game

Mace: The Dark Age is a fighting video game released by Atari Games for arcade machines in 1997 and later ported by Midway Games to the Nintendo 64. Like many fighting games of the time, its style is marked by extreme violence, with characters graphically slaying defeated opponents. Utilizing 3dfx Voodoo chips for the hardware, the game received attention for its cutting-edge graphics and turned Atari a profit in the arcades. Critical response to the gameplay was much less enthusiastic.

<i>Saturday Night Slam Masters</i> 1993 video game

Saturday Night Slam Masters, known in Japan as Muscle Bomber: The Body Explosion, is a 1993 pro wrestling arcade game released for the CP System by Capcom. The game features character designs by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, famous for Fist of the North Star.

<i>Pit-Fighter</i> 1990 video game

Pit-Fighter is a fighting game developed by Atari Games and released as an arcade video game in 1990. It was Atari's first fighting game. The Japanese release was published by Konami. Home versions were published by Tengen.

<i>WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game</i> 1995 video game

WWF WrestleMania is a professional wrestling arcade game released by Midway Manufacturing Co. in 1995. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) professional wrestling promotion.

<i>Weaponlord</i> 1995 video game

Weaponlord is a fighting game developed by Visual Concepts and published by Namco for the Super NES and Genesis in October 1995. Weaponlord has players select a character and defeat a series of opponents. The game is a weapons-based fighter, with various gory moves and a deep counterattack system.

<i>Aggressors of Dark Kombat</i> 1994 video game

Aggressors of Dark Kombat, known in Japan as Thrilling Intense March or GanGan, is a 1994 fighting arcade game developed by Alpha Denshi Corp. (ADK) and published by SNK. It was also released on SNK's Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD home consoles, and in later decades appeared on retro compilations and digital storefronts. The English game title uses the same initials as the developer and the title is parodying the name of Midway's Mortal Kombat series. The game's defining feature was that, while it uses a generally 2D format, characters can move towards or away from the screen. While some reviews praised this mechanic, critics generally remarked that it offers no meaningful innovation and that the game is generic and lacking in depth. Though a modest success, Aggressors of Dark Kombat failed to match the popularity of the leading SNK fighters.

<i>BloodStorm</i> 1994 video game

BloodStorm is a 1994 arcade fighting game published by Strata and developed by Incredible Technologies. It is considered a spiritual sequel to Time Killers.

<i>Survival Arts</i> 1993 video game

Survival Arts is a 1993 fighting arcade game developed by Scarab and published by Sammy. It uses digitized images of real actors with blood and gore, similar to Midway's arcade hit Mortal Kombat.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1992 video game) 1992 fighting game

Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is the first entry in the Mortal Kombat series and was subsequently released by Acclaim Entertainment for nearly every home platform at that time. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. It introduced many key aspects of the Mortal Kombat series, including the unique five-button control scheme and gory finishing moves called Fatalities.

<i>Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales</i> 1995 video game

Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales is a platform game developed by Cryo Interactive and published by Sega in 1995 for the Game Gear, Master System, and Mega Drive. Only the Game Gear version was released in North America.

<i>World Heroes</i> (video game) 1992 video game

World Heroes is a 1992 fighting arcade game developed and published by Alpha Denshi with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on July 28, 1992. It is ADK's first game in the fighting game genre, as well as their earliest attempt in the fighting game trend of the '90s that was popularized by Capcom's 1991 arcade hit Street Fighter II. It was even the last game with the "Alpha" logo labeled within the game before the developer became "ADK"; however, the "Alpha" logo was last used on one of the arcade flyers of its sequel.

References

  1. 1 2 "At the Deadline". GamePro . Vol. 7, no. 7. IDG. July 1994. p. 172. ISSN   1042-8658.
  2. ↑ The Watch Dog (January 1995). "Buyers Beware". GamePro . Vol. 7, no. 1. IDG. p. 190. ISSN   1042-8658.
  3. ↑ "Sneak Previews: Time Killers". GamePro . Vol. 8, no. 5. IDG. May 1996. p. 46. ISSN   1042-8658.
  4. ↑ "Head 2 Head: Games 'n' Gear". GamePro . Vol. 9, no. 3. IDG. March 1997. p. 18. ISSN   1042-8658.
  5. 1 2 Ed Semrad; Danyon Carpenter; Al Manuel; Sushi-X; Mike Weigand (December 1993). "Review Crew: Time Killers". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 6, no. 12. Sendai Publishing. p. 50. ISSN   1058-918X.
  6. 1 2 Ed Semrad; Danyon Carpenter; Al Manuel; Sushi-X (January 1994). "Review Crew: Time Killers". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 7, no. 1. Sendai Publishing. p. 46. ISSN   1058-918X.
  7. 1 2 "Time Killers". Next Generation . No. 20. Imagine Publishing. August 1996. p. 103. ISSN   1078-9693.
  8. ↑ "Equipment Poll - Video & Pinball Combined". Play Meter . Vol. 19, no. 3. Skybird Publishing. February 1993. pp. 8–9.
  9. ↑ "Top Coin-Ops: Feb. 1993". Electronic Games . Vol. 1, no. 7 (April 1993). March 16, 1993. p. 12.
  10. ↑ Leone, Matt (March 1, 2021). "Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game: An Oral History". Polygon . Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Coach Kyle (July 1996). "16-Bit ProReviews: Time Killers". GamePro . Vol. 8, no. 7. IDG. p. 76. ISSN   1042-8658.
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.