Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000

Last updated
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 Coverart.png
North American cover art
Developer(s) CSK Research Institute
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Shinya Izumi
Takeshi Niimura
Producer(s) Hiroshi Aso
Designer(s) Toshikazu Nagasato
Yuichiro Kuroda
Programmer(s) Makoto Nakamura
Masanori Sato
Tooru Kujirai
Artist(s) Emi Kurabayashi
Kiyoshi Fujita
Yuzi Yamashita
Composer(s) Masami Yitsuse
Naoshi Kunisawa
SeriesZaxxon
Platform(s) 32X
Release
  • JP: July 14, 1995
  • NA: June 1995
  • EU: June 1995
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000, known in Europe as Motherbase and in Japan as Parasquad, is a 1995 isometric-scrolling shooter video game developed by CSK Research Institute and published by Sega for the 32X. The North American version was rebranded as part of the Zaxxon series due to its similar gameplay. Gameplay involves piloting a ship to destroy giant robots and enemy ships, while being able to capture enemy ships and use them as power-ups. Reception to Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 was negative. While reception of the gameplay was mixed, the visuals were panned as being rough-edged, ugly, and susceptible to slowdown. Most North American critics also said the game is not similar enough to Zaxxon to justify the use of the series name.

Contents

Gameplay

Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 is played from an isometric point of view. Players fight other ships and have the ability to jump into enemy ships and take control of them. ZaxxonMotherbase2000screenshot.png
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 is played from an isometric point of view. Players fight other ships and have the ability to jump into enemy ships and take control of them.

Played from an isometric point of view, similar to the original Zaxxon , [1] the player flies a spaceship through various enemy bases with the goal of destroying enemy robots and craft. Additionally, the player's ship can enter into other craft, using the enemy craft as a power-up, [2] granting the player access to powered up blasters depending on the craft hijacked. The game also features two player head-to-head multiplayer. [3]

According to the game's manual, the story of Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 involves a Hive Confederation, once a peaceful planetary system until the separation of the Ginglii clan from the Hive. The Ginglii have created a computer which can coordinate the production of weapons and have overtaken and enslaved Hive planets. A rebellion force has begun a mission, codenamed "Motherbase 2000", to get through the Ginglii defenses and reach the computer. The player's ship is called the Stinger. [4]

Several influences on the gameplay have been identified, most prominently Zaxxon, but also elements from Stellar Assault, Space Harrier , Metal Head , Xevious , and Viewpoint. [1]

Reception

Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 received negative reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly especially criticized the removal of the ability to change altitude, which they regarded as one of the Zaxxon series's defining features, and all but one of the reviewers felt that the new jump ability was nearly useless. They approved of the 2D backgrounds but derided the polygon graphics as rough and the controls as sluggish, and generally agreed that the game was not as fun as previous Zaxxon games. [5] GamePro praised the jump ability as the game's only redeeming feature. Though they allowed that some shooter fans would enjoy the game, they felt the gameplay and graphics to be mediocre, and criticized that the game does not resemble the original Zaxxon strongly enough to justify using the Zaxxon name. [2] Spanish magazine Hobby Consolas praised the game's originality but criticized its scrolling mechanic. [7] French magazine CD Consoles criticized the game's graphics and sound, while giving moderate reviews of its creativity and gameplay. [11] Next Generation outright panned the game, arguing that the removal of the ability to change altitude strips Zaxxon of any interest. They also cited slowdown, glitches, and a poorly-designed two-player mode, and concluded: "Zaxxon's MotherBase 2000 is graphically ugly, slow, boring, repetitive, and a game that is truly unworthy of any stars. We'll still give it one star in memory of the much more playable original." [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Zaxxon</i> Isometric shooter arcade game from 1982

Zaxxon is an isometric shooter arcade video game, developed and released by Sega in 1982, in which the player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki is also credited for having worked on the development of the game.

<i>X-Men: Children of the Atom</i> (video game) 1994 video game

X-Men: Children of the Atom is an arcade game that was produced by Capcom and released on the CP System II arcade hardware in 1994 in Japan and in 1995 in North America and Europe.

<i>Revolution X</i> 1994 video game

Revolution X is a shooting gallery video game developed by Midway and released in arcades in 1994. The gameplay is similar to Midway's earlier Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but is themed around the band Aerosmith. The oppressive New Order Nation regime and their leader Helga have abducted Aerosmith, and players use a mounted gun to control onscreen crosshairs and shoot enemies. The members of Aerosmith are hidden throughout the game's international locales and must be found in order to receive the game's true ending.

<i>Sonic Labyrinth</i> 1995 video game

Sonic Labyrinth is an action-puzzle game developed by Minato Giken and published by Sega for the Game Gear in 1995. The game features Sonic the Hedgehog exploring maze-like stages from an isometric perspective. Dr. Robotnik has robbed Sonic of his trademark speed, so Sonic walks slowly but can roll into a ball and dash across the stages.

<i>Hi-Octane</i> 1995 video game

Hi-Octane is a vehicular combat and racing video game published in 1995 for MS-DOS compatible operating systems, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. It was developed by Bullfrog Productions based upon their earlier Magic Carpet game code.

<i>Corpse Killer</i> 1994 video game

Corpse Killer is a horror-themed rail shooter developed and published by Digital Pictures for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers. An interactive variation on the zombie film genre, it utilizes live-action full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Reviews for the game were mixed, generally criticizing the repetitive gameplay and low video quality, though many reviewers enjoyed the campy nature of the cutscenes. Corpse Killer was the first CD game released for the Sega 32X. It was later remastered for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

<i>The Jungle Book</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of platform video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film of the same name. The game was released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994 for the Game Boy, NES, Master System, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear, Super NES, and PC. While gameplay is the same on all versions, technological differences between the systems forced changes – in some case drastic – in level design, resulting in six fairly different versions of the 'same' game. This article is largely based upon the Genesis version.

<i>Light Crusader</i> 1995 RPG video game

Light Crusader is an action-adventure game developed by Treasure and published by Sega for their Sega Genesis console in 1995. The game was included in the Sega Genesis Classics collections on Steam and other platforms in 2011. It was also included on the Sega Genesis Mini in North America and Sega Mega Drive Mini in PAL regions.

<i>Viewpoint</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Viewpoint is an isometric-scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Aicom and originally released in 1992 by Sammy and SNK for the Neo Geo hardware family. It was met with a highly positive critical response upon release for its cutting-edge visuals and hip hop-influenced soundtrack, though later ports for the Sega Genesis and Sony PlayStation saw much more mixed reviews.

<i>Batman Forever</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the movie of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998, itself based on the movie of the same name.

<i>Aero Fighters 2</i> 1994 video game

Aero Fighters 2 is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1994 by Video System. It is developed by SNK and released in Japan, North America and Europe. It is the second part of the Aero Fighters series followed by the third part Aero Fighters 3 and a spin-off Aero Fighters Assault. It was initially released as a cabinet token base game.

<i>Spot Goes To Hollywood</i> 1995 video game

Spot Goes to Hollywood is a platform game developed by Eurocom and published by Acclaim Entertainment in North America and Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Mega Drive/Genesis as the sequel to Cool Spot. Saturn and PlayStation versions were later released with full motion video clips and isometric graphics. The player controls Spot, once the mascot for the 7 Up soft drink, as it travels to various places trying to free its friends.

<i>MechWarrior 3050</i> 1996 video game

MechWarrior 3050, also known as BattleTech in its original Sega Genesis release and in Japan as BattleTech 3050 (バトルテック3050), is a 1994 mech-based video game developed by Malibu. The first BattleTech based game to be released for the Sega Genesis, it was later ported to the Super Nintendo by Activision as MechWarrior 3050. The Super Nintendo game was localized and published in Japan by Ask Group.

<i>Star Wars Arcade</i> 1993 video game

Star Wars is a 1993 arcade game developed by Sega and based on the original Star Wars trilogy. Combining elements of A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, the game has players pilot a Rebel starship and battle against the forces of the Empire. Sega developed Star Wars for their Model 1 system, the same arcade hardware that powered Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing. Like those two titles, the graphics in Star Wars are rendered entirely using polygons. The game was given a home port under the name Star Wars Arcade, as an exclusive for the Sega 32X's launch in 1994.

<i>T-MEK</i> 1994 video game

T-MEK is a two-player, sit-down, virtual reality fighting arcade game developed and published by Atari Games in 1994.

<i>Shadow Squadron</i> 1995 video game

Shadow Squadron is a space combat simulation video game developed and published by Sega exclusively for the 32X add-on first in Japan on 26 April 1995, then in North America and Europe in June of the same year.

<i>Star Fighter</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Star Fighter or Star Fighter 3000 is a 3D flight-based shoot-em-up. The gameplay is mission based and involves elements of strategy and planning. The player can order wingmen to fly in formation and attack specific targets.

<i>Isolated Warrior</i> 1991 video game

Isolated Warrior is a 1991 video game developed by KID and published in Japan by Vap, in North America by NTVIC, and Europe by Nintendo. It falls in the shooter genre, although its gameplay also includes elements reminiscent of platforming, while it features isometric projection, similar to Sega's Zaxxon.

<i>Off-World Interceptor</i> 1994 video game

Off-World Interceptor is a third-person vehicular car combat game, released for the 3DO. An alternate version of the game was later released for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation consoles, named Off-World Interceptor Extreme. The two versions of the game have identical core gameplay elements, though the Extreme version is tweaked to feel more like the arcade mode in the original Off-World Interceptor.

<i>Toughman Contest</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Toughman Contest is a boxing video game for the Sega Genesis and 32X. It is based on the Toughman Contest, and features Eric "Butterbean" Esch on the cover and as the game's final boss. The game was released in 1995. It received mixed reviews, generally criticizing the sluggishness of the gameplay while praising the selection of special moves.

References

  1. 1 2 "Motherbase". Mean Machines Sega . EMAP. July 1995. pp. 70–71. ISSN   0967-9014.
  2. 1 2 "ProReview: Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000". GamePro . No. 82. IDG. July 1995. p. 46.
  3. ↑ Badziak, Ken (June 1995). "Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 71. Sendai Publishing. pp. 128–129.
  4. ↑ Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 manual. Sega. 1995. p. 3.
  5. 1 2 "Review Crew: Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 71. Sendai Publishing. June 1995. p. 36.
  6. ↑ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: パラスコード". Weekly Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 344. Famitsu. July 21, 1995. p. 31.
  7. 1 2 "Lo más nuevo: Motherbase". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer. August 1995. pp. 82–83.
  8. 1 2 "Zero". Next Generation . No. 7. Imagine Media. July 1995. p. 69.
  9. ↑ "Reviews: Zaxxon's Motherbase". Video Games (in German). Magna Media. July 1995. p. 100.
  10. ↑ Hallock, Betty (July 1995). "Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000". Video Games & Computer Entertainment . No. 78. p. 61. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Les Critiques: Mother Base 2000". CD Consoles (in French). No. 9. July 1995. pp. 110–113.
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.