Gungriffon

From Sega Retro

n/a

  • NTSC-U/PAL
  • NTSC-J

GunGriffon title.png

Gungriffon Saturn JP SSTitle.png

Gungriffon
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Sega (US, Europe), Game Arts (Japan)
Developer:
Supporting companies:
Distributor: Sega-Ozisoft (AU)
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (37 tracks)
Peripherals supported: Video CD Card, Saturn Backup Memory
Genre: 3D Shooting[1], Shooting[2]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥5,800 (5,974)5,800e[3] T-4502G
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
JP
(Satakore) 		¥2,8002,800 T-4509G
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
US 		$59.9959.99[8] 81046
ESRB: Teen
Sega Saturn
EU 		MK81046-50
ELSPA: 11+ OK
Sega Saturn
DE 		MK81046-50
USK: 16
Sega Saturn
PT
Sega Saturn
UK 		£44.9944.99[10] MK81046-50
ELSPA: 11+ OK
Sega Saturn
PL
Sega Saturn
AU 		FGUN08SSC
OFLC: G

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

Gungriffon, known as Gungriffon: The Eurasian Conflict (ガングリフォン) in Japan is a first person mech shooter for the Sega Saturn.

Developed by Game Arts, Gungriffon series, similar to Square Enix's Front Mission franchise focuses on realism and authentic real life politics rather than over the top visuals and overly powerful vehicles, as is common in other Japanese mecha anime series.

In the overseas versions, player's unit was changed from Japanese Foreign Legion's 501st Company to US 45th Armored Division, also implying that US joined the war on PEU's side even though this is not the case in the original story. Date of the conflict also bizarrely changed from 2015 to 2075. Reasons for these changes are believed to be the fact that players fight against US forces in the last few missions and Sega of America's belief that a game in which players engage US soldiers would not sell well in United States.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gungriffon became a hot topic in Japan as a game that predicted the future, as several missions in the game take place in Russian occupied Ukraine. [11]

Story

Following information is based on a series of articles published in Sega Saturn Magazine before the release of Gungriffon II. Overseas version's narration of events will not be taken into account.

At the beginning of the 21st Century, majority of Earth's farmable land is lost due to conflicts and abnormal weather patterns, causing a worldwide food crisis. United States, suffering from economical problems, abolishes security treaties it had made with overseas countries and instead establishes "AFTA", an alliance of North and South American countries and enters an isolationist stance. Europe and CIS countries band together to form "PEU" while Japan, now without the protection of US security umbrella, forms "APC" with other Asian and Oceanic nations. Several African nations also come together to form "OAU".

PEU and APC are competing for influence in OAU's few developmental areas, due to the loss of American market and tensions flare soon enough. When Chinse-led APC forces in Libya launch a surprise attack on PEU forces in Egypt during a training excercise, World War III breaks out between these two superpowers. When China pressures Japan into sending forces overseas, Japan amends its constitution and forms Japanese Foreign Legion, an expeditonary force consisting of mostly foreign nationals to send overseas and prevent the deployment of Japanese Self-Defence Forces out of the country.

Main land weapons of the conflict are AWGSs, which stands for "Armored Walking Gun System", basically large manned robots with much better offensive capabilities and mobility compared to tanks and able to travel rough terrain. Trump card of the conflict is HIGH-MACS, an AWGS jointly developed jointly by Japan and US before the war. HIGH-MACS is capable of limited gliding and low altitude flight, giving it performance of not only a main battle tank but also limited capabilities of an attack helicopter.

Player is a member of the 501st (and later 504th) Mobile Anti-Tank Company "Griffon" of Japanese Foreign Legion, pilotting a HIGH-MACS.

Factions

Asian Pacific Community (APC)

A military and economic alliance that consists of major Asian powers such as Japan, China, Korea, Thaliand, Australia and various other Pacific nations. Even though Japan brought the alliance together, China is the de facto leader due to its large population and economy. Relationship between members are problematic however, due to China's aggressive and expansionist policies, such as launching an incursion to Vietnam and calling it an APC operation despite the fact other APC members did not want to have anything to do with it. Japan leads the AWGS technology while China's AWGS weapons are copies of French and Russian designs.

Pan-European Union (PEU)

A more militaristic version of European Union of our time with the inclusion of Russia. Germany leads the AWGS development, also de facto leader of the alliance. Russia however, cannot contribute much to economic problems and various independence movements in Siberia. Main antagonists of the series.

American Freedom Trade Association (AFTA)

An alliance of North and South American nations, with United States in the lead. Despite having both technological and military superiority, AFTA refuses to participate the war until much later. AFTA is renamed UAC (United American Countries) in the English version to avoid trademark issues with real-life NAFTA.

Organization of African Unity (OAU)

A loose alliance of African nations lead by South Africa. Despite being the least developed continent, it also has potential for most growth compared to the desolate areas in Europe and Asia and therefore is the target of both factions. Considering the majority of its members are dealing with civil strifes and wars, it is difficult to consider this faction an alliance. Mentioned in name only and only made an appearance in the last mission of Gungriffon Blaze.

Gameplay

Missions

Notavailable.svg

Operation Dandelion Seed
Location: Kharkov, Ukraine

With Russian forces occupy Kiev, Ukraine requests assistance from APC. 501st MATC is deployed in an airborne operation to eliminate PEU forces in Kharkov and use it as a base of operations against furher operations in Kiev.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Dark Servant (Renamed "Unbound" in English version)
Location: Kiev, Ukraine

While Russian forces approach Kiev from the North and PEU froces from the West, 501st launches a surprise airborne assault on Russian/PEU forces in the city and capture it before enemy reinforcements arrive. Urban terrain makes use of tanks and vehicles problematic so expect mostly airborne and AWGS attacks.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Foxhound
Location: Novosibirsk, Russia

Defeat at Kiev breaks Russian morale and various territories within the country declare their independence. One such location is Novosibirsk, which asks for assistance from APC. 501st Company is assigned to disrupt the Trans-Siberian railroad by engaging the supply train waiting in Chulym and eliminating Russian, French and German forces there. Snow and dense fog will limit visibility. Expect heavy counterattacks once you have reached the train station. Several heavy artillery units in the southern part of the map will pose a serious threat so enage them as soon as you can.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Bloodstorm
Location: Ulan Bator, Mongolia

APC suffers a crushing defeat in Novosibirsk, which results in destruction of 502nd Company. Now on the defensive, APC forces form a defensive line near Russian-Mongolia border with Siberian rebels to withstand the onslaught of PEU forces consisting of Russian, German and French forces. Heavy enemy presence is expected to hit your defensive lines soon. Main part of enemy forces are located in the middle of the battlefield while and enemy AWGS reinforcements will reach the battlefield within 10 minutes. You must conserve ammunition until supplies are delivered.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Chicken Cage
Location: Datong, China

APC is on full withdrawal and retreats all the way into Chinese mainland. A massive PEU force of French, German and Polish forces close in on Datong while assortment of APC nations consisting of Japanese, Thai, Korean, Singaporean, Australian etc. forces attempt to hold the line near the Great Wall of China.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Shock Wave
Location: Lianyungang, China

AFTA declares war on both PEU and APC. Exhausted by war and run out of supplies, neither faction offers much resistance to fresh and fully-equipped AFTA forces. Two Marine Expeditionary Forces invade Chinese port of Lianyungang while US 101st Airborne Division lands near the strategically important airport. Now reassigned to 504th Company, players must defend the airport until a JASDF C-17 Globemaster transport plane can take off.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Iron Storm
Location: Weifang, China

What is left of Japanese Foreign Legion, 504th Company and 103th Armored Division withdraws further into Beijing, chased relentlesly by AFTA forces. Passing through a narrow ravine, pilots of 504th must protect allied tanks not only from chasing marine and armored units but also surprise attack by 82nd Airborne Division.

Notavailable.svg

Operation Aurora
Location: East Urals, Russia

War draws to a close as both PEU and APC surrender unconditionally to AFTA. However a group of PEU radicals capture a Russian missile silo in Eastern Ural Mountains and launch a missile to AFTA-heald Moscow, annihilating the city. 504th Company pilots are temporarily recruited into AFTA due to their skills and ordered to re-capture the silo before another missile attack can occur.

History

Development

During development Gungriffon was known as 3D Robot Shooting (3Dロボットシューティング)[12].

Sega of America originally intended to release the US version of the game under a new title, Iron Rain[13]. Without naming names, Working Designs alludes in its manual of the localised PlayStation 2 sequel, Gungriffon Blaze, that it convinced Sega's Japanese arm to force the name back to Gungriffon so as not to confuse customers with Iron Storm (that and the new title "sucked really hard")[14]. Working Designs were not involved in the Saturn version of Gungriffon, but had a strong working relationship with Game Arts at the time, seeing prototypes of the technology at Winter CES 1995[14].

Legacy

In Japan, the game was followed by Gungriffon II.

Production credits

  • Director: 宮路 武
  • Main programmer: 浜田 憲一
  • Sub Programmer: 金井 秀樹, 増渕 利道, 小山 洋幸
  • Game Data Making: 原田 修, 浜田 憲一, 庭野 健一
  • Model Animator: 原田 修, 金井 秀樹
  • Visual Coordinator: 高橋 秀信
  • Texture Drawing: 迫 章久, 里 大樹, 横川 憲太郎
  • Background Design: 迫 章久, 横川 憲太郎
  • Special Effect Making: 里 大樹
  • Visual Designer: 安住 政敏
  • Visual Design Assistant: 迫 章久
  • Sound System Programmer: 上条 有
  • Sound Effect Programmer: 松田 明男
  • Sound Treatment & Strategies: 西 隆宏
  • TrueMotion S Data Making: 増渕 利道
  • Situational Designer: 岡田 厚利
  • A.W.G.S. Design: Bee-Craft, 山田 隆博, 阿久津 潤一, 広部 滋
  • 3D Modeling: 柳川 渉
  • Opening & Ending CG: 株式会社リンクス, 倉澤 幹隆, 平野 善久, 西井 育生, 竹中 隆弘, 斎藤 紀生, 大谷 謙, 名越 輝幸, 斎藤 香, 江崎 達也, 田中 将史, 海亀事務所, 林 弘幸, イクイティ エンタテインメント, 鈴木 慎二
  • All Songs Composed & Arranged: 武内 基朗
  • Recording & Mixing Engineer: 小林 敦
  • Manipulator: 小西 輝男
  • Sound Production: Two Five, 溝口 功, 高野 聡
  • Narration Recording: ユーメックススタジオ, 猪股 一彦, 加園 稔
  • Narrator: 野田 圭一
  • Marking Design: ㈲戦船
  • Data Research: 長村 琢哉, 柏木 朗, 早川 真吾
  • Special Thanks for: 須永 有三, 柏木 朗, 吉田 聡士, 大畑 和幸, 岡野 崇宏, 加藤 孝視, 池谷 昌彦, 松田 充弘
  • Sales: 岡部 利香, 菅谷 由美, 小川 陽平
  • Producer: 内田 敏幸
  • Executive Producer: 宮路 洋一
  • Presented by: Game Arts
Source:
In-game credits (JP)[15]
  • Director: Takeshi Miyaji
  • Main programmer: Kenichi Hamada
  • Sub Programmer: Hideki Kanai, Toshimichi Masubuchi, Hiroyuki Koyama
  • Game Data Making: Osamu Harada, Kenichi Hamada, Ken-ichi Niwano
  • Model Animator: Osamu Harada, Hideki Kanai
  • Visual Coordinator: Hidenobu Takahashi
  • Texture Drawing: Akihisa Sako, Daiki Sato, Kentaro Yokokawa
  • Background Design: Akihisa Sako, Kentaro Yokokawa
  • Special Effect Making: Daiki Sato
  • Visual Designer: Masatoshi Azumi
  • Visual Design Assistant: Akihisa Sako
  • Sound System Programmer: Ari Kamijo
  • Sound Effect Programmer: Akio Matsuda
  • Sound Treatment & Strategies: Takahiro Nishi
  • TrueMotion S Data Making: Toshimichi Masubuchi
  • Situational Designer: Atsutoshi Okada
  • A.W.G.S. Design: Bee-Craft, Takahiro Yamada, Junichi Akutsu, Shigeru Hirobe
  • 3D Modeling: Wataru Yanagawa
  • Opening & Ending CG: Links Corp., Mikitaka Kurasawa, Yoshihisa Hirano, Ikuo Nishii, Takahiro Takenaka, Norio Saito, Ken Otani, Teruyuki Nagoshi, Kaori Saito, Tatsuya Ezaki, Masabumi Tanaka, Umigame Jimusho, Hiroyuki Hayashi, Equity Entertainment, Shinji Suzuki
  • All Songs Composed & Arranged: Motoaki Takenouchi
  • Recording & Mixing Engineer: Atsushi Kobayashi
  • Manipulator: Teruo Konishi
  • Sound Production: Two Five, Isao Mizoguchi, Satoshi Takano
  • Narration Recording: Youmex Studio, Kazuhiko Inomata, Minoru Kasono
  • Narrator: Keiichi Noda
  • Marking Design: Ikusa Bune
  • Data Research: Takuya Osamura, Akira Kashiwagi, Shingo Hayakawa
  • Special Thanks for: Yuzou Sunaga, Akira Kashiwagi, Satoshi Yoshida, Kazuyuki Ohata, Takahiro Okano, Takashi Kato, Masahiko Ikeya, Mitsuhiro Mazda, Tomoyuki Shimada
  • Sales: Rika Okabe, Yumi Sugaya, Youhei Ogawa
  • Producer: Toshiyuki Uchida
  • Executive Producer: Youichi Miyaji
Staff For US Version
Source:
In-game credits (US)
Gungriffon Saturn credits.pdf
[16]
Source:
US manual
Error creating thumbnail: /bin/bash: line 1: 3915387 Done '/usr/bin/gs' '-sDEVICE=jpeg' '-sOutputFile=-' '-dFirstPage=1' '-dLastPage=1' '-dSAFER' '-r150' '-dBATCH' '-dNOPAUSE' '-q' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/7/78/Gungriffon_sat_us_manual.pdf' 3915388 Segmentation fault | '/usr/bin/convert' '-depth' '8' '-quality' '95' '-resize' '2195' '-' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/temp/transform_0c1f2b761cdf.jpg'
[17]


Magazine articles

Main article: Gungriffon/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Gungriffon Saturn JP Flyer.pdf

PDF
JP flyer
Gungriffon Saturn JP Flyer.pdf
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (JP) #1996-04: "1996-04 (1996-03-08)" (1996-02-23)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (JP) #1996-05: "1996-05 (1996-03-22)" (1996-03-08)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (JP) #1996-07: "1996-07 (1996-04-26)" (1996-04-12)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (DE) #35: "Oktober 1996" (1996-09-11)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(HU)
88
[18]
(FR) NTSC
91
[19]
(UK)
50
[20]
(UK) NTSC-J
50
[21]
(US) NTSC-U
83
[22]
(JP) NTSC-J
78
[23]
(DE) NTSC
90
[24]
(PL)
78
[25]
(US) NTSC
93
[26]
(US) NTSC-U
82
[8]
(US) NTSC-U
85
[27]
(US) NTSC-U
78
[28]
(FR)
90
[29]
(FR) NTSC-J
90
[30]
(DE) PAL
84
[31]
(UK)
75
[32]
(DE) PAL
83
[33]
(DE) NTSC-J
83
[34]
(UK) PAL
88
[10]
(UK) NTSC-J
88
[35]
(DE) PAL
75
[36]
(FR)
92
[37]
(UK)
85
[38]
(JP) NTSC-J
79
[39]
(UK) PAL
62
[40]
(PL)
80
[41]
(CZ)
94
[42]
(UK) PAL
66
[43]
(UK) PAL
88
[44]
(JP) NTSC-J
91
[45]
(JP) NTSC-J
80
[46]
(UK) PAL
63
[47]
(DE) NTSC-J
78
[48]
(US) NTSC-U
90
[49]
Sega Saturn
 81
Based on
34 reviews

Gungriffon

Saturn, JP
GunGriffon Saturn JP Box Back.jpgGunGriffon Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
GunGriffon Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
GunGriffon Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP (Satakore)
GunGriffon Saturn JP Box Back Satakore.jpgGunGriffon Saturn JP Box Front Satakore.jpg
Cover
GunGriffon Saturn JP Spinecard Satakore.jpg
Spinecard
GunGriffon Saturn JP Disc Satakore.jpg
Disc
Saturn, US
GunGriffon Saturn US Box Back.jpgGunGriffon Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
Gungriffon sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
Gungriffon Saturn EU cover.jpg
Cover
GunGriffon Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, DE
Gungriffon Saturn PAL Cover HQ.jpg
Cover
GunGriffon Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, PT

Saturn, AU
Gungriffon Saturn AU back.jpgNospine.pngGungriffon Saturn AU cover.jpg
Cover
GunGriffon Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc

Technical information

Main article: Gungriffon/Technical information.

References

  1. ↑ File:GunGriffon Saturn JP Box Back.jpg
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-10-02 10:31)
  3. ↑ File:Gungriffon Saturn JP Flyer.pdf
  4. ↑ http://sega-saturn.com/saturn/software/gg.htm (Wayback Machine: 1996-12-15 06:16)
  5. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/OTRAW2W9QSU/m/M1gZPQAU14MJ
  6. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/HQMVAO1rhTc/m/B26P8KO98JQJ
  7. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/qaJVXrNiiIY/m/vzrma9NgNPwJ
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Game Players, "Vol. 9 No. 8 August 1996" (US; 1996-07-09), page 75
  9. ↑ File:LeicesterMercury UK 1996-07-13 16.jpg
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mean Machines Sega, "August 1996" (UK; 1996-07-05), page 74
  11. ↑ https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/37451
  12. ↑ File:SegaHotInformation JP 1995.pdf, page 18
  13. ↑ Intelligent Gamer's Fusion, "Volume 2, Number 8: April 1996" (US; 1996-02-27), page 60
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 File:GungriffonBlaze PS2 US Manual.pdf, page 26
  15. ↑ File:Gungriffon JP Saturn credits.pdf
  16. ↑ File:Gungriffon Saturn credits.pdf
  17. ↑ File:Gungriffon sat us manual.pdf, page 22
  18. ↑ 576 KByte, "Szeptember 1996" (HU; 1996-xx-xx), page 34
  19. ↑ Consoles +, "Mai 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 100
  20. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1996" (UK; 1996-06-12), page 68
  21. ↑ Edge, "June 1996" (UK; 1996-05-03), page 73
  22. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 22
  23. ↑ Famitsu, "1996-03-22" (JP; 1996-03-08), page 30
  24. ↑ Fun Generation, "05/96" (DE; 1996-04-10), page 55
  25. ↑ Gambler, "11/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 1
  26. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 5: May 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 15
  27. ↑ GamePro, "September 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 72
  28. ↑ Game Informer, "August 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 49
  29. ↑ Joypad, "Juin 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 78
  30. ↑ Joypad, "Mai 1996 (Joypad International supplement)" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 10
  31. ↑ MAN!AC, "09/96" (DE; 1996-08-14), page 70
  32. ↑ Maximum, "May 1996" (UK; 1996-05-30), page 127
  33. ↑ Mega Fun, "08/96" (DE; 1996-07-17), page 38
  34. ↑ Mega Fun, "05/96" (DE; 1996-04-xx), page 66
  35. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "June 1996" (UK; 1996-05-03), page 80
  36. ↑ neXt Level, "September 1996" (DE; 1996-08-14), page 80
  37. ↑ Player One, "Septembre 1996" (FR; 1996-08-29), page 94
  38. ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, August 10, 1996" (UK; 1996-08-10), page 1
  39. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 10-11" (JP; 1996-04-26), page 80
  40. ↑ Saturn+, "Issue 4" (UK; 1996-10-24), page 29
  41. ↑ Secret Service, "Listopad 1996" (PL; 1996-11-01), page 64
  42. ↑ Sega News, "Říjen 1996" (CZ; 1996-xx-xx), page 8
  43. ↑ Sega Power, "July 1996" (UK; 1996-05-09), page 58
  44. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "July 1996" (UK; 1996-06-20), page 72
  45. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 11
  46. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-05 (1996-03-22)" (JP; 1996-03-08), page 225
  47. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 31
  48. ↑ Video Games, "5/96" (DE; 1996-04-24), page 94
  49. ↑ VideoGames, "September 1996" (US; 1996-08-20), page 64


Gungriffon

GunGriffon title.png

Main page | Comparisons | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Technical information


Books: (1996) | (1996) | (1996)

Sega Saturn
Prototypes: 1995-12-25
Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Gungriffon&oldid=1042846"