Difference between revisions of "Spikeout: Digital Battle Online"
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[[File:Spikeout DBO.png|thumbnail|right|In-game screenshot of the first level, Diesel Town.]] | [[File:Spikeout DBO.png|thumbnail|right|In-game screenshot of the first level, Diesel Town.]] | ||
− | Spikeout is a fully-3D beat 'em up which takes place in huge and sprawling stages – split into sections called '''Areas''', further divided into little segments. Progressing through these "segments" are quite simple; beat up every enemy that appears within one of them. Once enough enemies have been defeated, the player then has to quickly "Break the Gate": Locate a flashing barrier/barricade of some sort (i.e. a door) – in the later ''Final Edition'', with the additional help of a red directional arrow (ala [[Crazy Taxi]]) – to punch through to progress to the next segment/Area, within 30 seconds (in which doing so quickly enough will give you bonus points). Due to the semi-open nature of the levels, and the inclusion of multiple Gates in certain stages, it very much acts as a "choose-your-path" system. | + | Spikeout is a fully-3D beat 'em up which takes place in huge and sprawling stages – split into sections called '''Areas''', further divided into little segments. Progressing through these "segments" are quite simple; beat up every enemy that appears within one of them. Once enough enemies have been defeated, the player then has to quickly "Break the Gate": Locate a flashing barrier/barricade of some sort (i.e. a door) – in the later ''Final Edition'', with the additional help of a red directional arrow (ala ''[[Crazy Taxi]]'') – to punch through to progress to the next segment/Area, within 30 seconds (in which doing so quickly enough will give you bonus points). Due to the semi-open nature of the levels, and the inclusion of multiple Gates in certain stages, it very much acts as a "choose-your-path" system. |
Each Area usually ends in a face-off with the "Bosses" – signified by the brief, flashing "'''Here Comes the Boss'''" overlay – whom, for the most part, act as mini-bosses. You may face up to three of these bosses at the same time; along with the current enemies in the Area. (Note that once one or many boss(es) appear, you will only need to defeat them in order to clear a segment, and not any remaining enemies.) After successfully clearing an Area, the score results will appear, giving you extra bonus points (and health) for the amount of enemies you've defeated in the Area, and how fast you cleared the last 30-second "Break the Gate" in the Area. | Each Area usually ends in a face-off with the "Bosses" – signified by the brief, flashing "'''Here Comes the Boss'''" overlay – whom, for the most part, act as mini-bosses. You may face up to three of these bosses at the same time; along with the current enemies in the Area. (Note that once one or many boss(es) appear, you will only need to defeat them in order to clear a segment, and not any remaining enemies.) After successfully clearing an Area, the score results will appear, giving you extra bonus points (and health) for the amount of enemies you've defeated in the Area, and how fast you cleared the last 30-second "Break the Gate" in the Area. | ||
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In addition, Spikeout is also a co-operative multiplayer game; up to four players can join a game, and can do so at anytime. One distinction against other 3D beat 'em up games is that any player in a co-op session can go anywhere within the boundaries of an Area's segment, thereby making it possible for players to stick close to one another and fight together, or to split up and take care of a multitude of foes elsewhere. Friendly fire can also be performed among players if so chosen, and there are also a variety of taunts and commands one can use as means of limited communication with other players. | In addition, Spikeout is also a co-operative multiplayer game; up to four players can join a game, and can do so at anytime. One distinction against other 3D beat 'em up games is that any player in a co-op session can go anywhere within the boundaries of an Area's segment, thereby making it possible for players to stick close to one another and fight together, or to split up and take care of a multitude of foes elsewhere. Friendly fire can also be performed among players if so chosen, and there are also a variety of taunts and commands one can use as means of limited communication with other players. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Playable characters=== | ||
+ | {{InfoTable|imagewidths=120| | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Spike | ||
+ | | sprite={{sprite | Spikeout, Character Portraits.png | crop_width=120 | crop_height=136 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=0}} | ||
+ | | desc=A former New York boxer. Height, 185cm/6'0.8"; Age, 27. He is not good with interpersonal relationship, typically being silent and expressionless if he's not in a fight. His intimidating presence makes people fear him, except for White who works in the same factory as him. Spike always carries his 5-year-old son on his back{{magref|dmjp|1998-02|166}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His boxing history makes Spike good at punching, particularly straight punches, while his kicks and big and flashy. He overwhelms opponents with pure strength. His greatest strength is his charge move, which takes extra long to charge but deals by far the most damage. His weakness is that his attacks easily miss when not facing an enemy head on. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=White | ||
+ | | sprite={{sprite | Spikeout, Character Portraits.png | crop_width=120 | crop_height=136 | crop_x=120 | crop_y=136}} | ||
+ | | desc=A military man born in New York. Height, 185cm/6'0.8"; Age, 25. He has an optimistic and mischievous personality, always talking in a loud voice. The first person to beat him in a fight was Spike, and White has been keeping tabs on Spike ever since{{magref|dmjp|1998-02|166}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He uses a punch-centric style like Spike, but with more uppercuts and even bigger kick motions. His attacks come out quick, but have the shortest reach of any character, so he needs to quickly close the gap between himself and enemies. Both White and Spike have good combos against enemies they've knocked in the air. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Linda | ||
+ | | sprite={{sprite | Spikeout, Character Portraits.png | crop_width=120 | crop_height=136 | crop_x=120 | crop_y=0}} | ||
+ | | desc=The intelligent daughter of a successful family, she had plans to become a judge in the future. While she is generally calm, she has a strong moral compass and will take action if she believes someone to be in the wrong. She serves as the mediator between White and Tenshin{{magref|dmjp|1998-02|167}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Her fighting style mainly makes use of kicks, with all sorts of kicking techniques at her disposal. Unlike every other character, '''B''' is kick and '''C''' is punch. She uses kicks as combo starters which transition into close-quarters finishers. Her fast movements and long reach makes her easy for beginners to use, though still has some advanced combos. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Tenshin | ||
+ | | sprite={{sprite | Spikeout, Character Portraits.png | crop_width=120 | crop_height=136 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=136}} | ||
+ | | desc=A 23-year-old Japanese man, he towers over the other 3 characters at 193cm/6'4". He is a well-read, intelligent person who always speaks calmly. Because he chooses his words carefully to not be wasteful, he is the antithesis to White. Tenshin rarely gets angry, but can be the scariest if provoked{{magref|dmjp|1998-02|167}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His fighting stye is a wild martials arts style consisting of various spinning techniques, back fists and roundhouse kicks. There is an elegant rhythm to his combos that let him overwhelm groups of opponents. His attacks cover a wide berth, but there are brief pauses in-between attacks, making him a bit tricky for beginners to use. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Tenshin is suppodely modeled after chief stage designer [[Daisuke Sato]].{{magref|dmjp|1998-06|166}} | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Stages=== | ||
+ | {{InfoTable|imagewidths=320| | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Diesel Town | ||
+ | | screenshot=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Fuel.png | ||
+ | | screenshot2=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Stairs.png | ||
+ | | screenshot3=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Hoops.png | ||
+ | | screenshot4=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Warehouse.png | ||
+ | | screenshot5=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Drain.png | ||
+ | | screenshot6=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Factory.png | ||
+ | | screenshot7=Spikeout DBO DieselTown Towers.png | ||
+ | | tabs=yes | ||
+ | | desc=Diesel Town is an urban setting where most of the areas are industry-related. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 1''' (Gas Station) | ||
+ | <br/>After exiting a tunnel, the player is in a confined space with only a few enemies to beat before breaking down the first game. Several enemies will pop out of buildings on the straight path to a gas station, where the path is blocked by a fuel track. The music is ''Fuel''. | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Douglas''' and '''Norah'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Akemi'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 2''' (Construction Site) | ||
+ | <br/>The path leads up a flight of stairs to a bridge under construction. On the other side of blocked-off bridge is another set of stairs leading down, where the gate blocks people from falling down and being unable to get back up the stairs. After breaking the gate and dropping down to ground level, one gate is nearby to the right, while the alternate gate lies past a tunnel to the left. The music is ''Stairs''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Victor'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Atkins'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 3A/6B''' (Under the Bridge) | ||
+ | <br/>Entered from the main gate in '''Area 2''' or from '''Area 5B'''. Entering from the construction site takes the player through a street past a basketball court. On the other side of the first gate is a dirt-surfaced area surrounding the bridge from before, with graffitied walls on the other side. Entering from the Warehouse starts on the bridge's side, but takes the player into the basketball court for the stage's final boss fight. If area 3, the music is ''Hoops''; if area 6, the music is ''Diesel Town''. | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Justin''' and '''Elliot''', but in 6B, '''King''' acts as a mini-boss for segment 1. If 3A, a first aid kit is dropped by '''Amos'''; if 6B, first aid kits are dropped by '''Ritche''' and '''Abel'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4A/5B''' (Warehouse) | ||
+ | <br/>A warehouse for the Traffic Company, full of crates which acts as platforms to higher spots where special attacks and first aid kits can be picked up. Some enemies carry a hammer which can be used to stun enemies when hit on the floor or against the crates. The music is ''Warehouse''. | ||
+ | <br/>If 4A, the boss is '''Curtis'''; if 5B, the boss is '''Randolph'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Clint'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 3B''' (Underground Waterway) | ||
+ | <br/>While it is a straight path through the underground waterway, there are side paths where the enemies come from. The music is ''Drain''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Curtis'''. A first aid kits are dropped by '''Hadlan''' and '''Ellison'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4A/5B''' (Factory) | ||
+ | <br/>It is accessed either from the Drain (Area 3), or from the Warehouse (Area 4). The music is ''Factory''. | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Huey''', '''Louie''' and '''Dewey''' (referencing ''[[wikipedia:DuckTales|DuckTales]]''). A first aid kits are dropped by '''MacLaurin''' and '''Cary'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 6A''' (Water Towers) | ||
+ | <br/>Only accessed if the Factory is Area 5. The highest point in Diesel Town, on platforms and rooftops around water towers. The music is ''Diesel Town''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Randolph'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Porter'''. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Astro Mall | ||
+ | | screenshot=Spikeout DBO AstroMall 03F.png | ||
+ | | screenshot2=Spikeout DBO AstroMall 02F.png | ||
+ | | screenshot3=Spikeout DBO AstroMall 01F.png | ||
+ | | screenshot4=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Entrance.png | ||
+ | | screenshot5=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Records.png | ||
+ | | screenshot6=Spikeout DBO AstroMall B01F.png | ||
+ | | screenshot7=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Fish1.png | ||
+ | | screenshot8=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Fish2.png | ||
+ | | screenshot9=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Athletics1.png | ||
+ | | screenshot10=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Athletics2.png | ||
+ | | screenshot11=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Junk.png | ||
+ | | screenshot12=Spikeout DBO AstroMall Hedgehog.png | ||
+ | | tabs=yes | ||
+ | | desc=Astro Mall is a shopping mall. The stage has much fewer terrain-related obstacles and more advanced enemy patterns. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 1A/3B''' (Third Floor) | ||
+ | <br/>The topmost floor of Astro Mall's main shopping area. If Area 1, the music is ''Theme of SPIKEOUT''; if Area 3, the music is ''Astro Mall''. | ||
+ | <br/>If Area 1, the boss is '''Kingoro'''; if Area 3, the boss is '''Oswald'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Kaizi'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 2''' (Second Floor) | ||
+ | <br/>The second floor of Astro Mall's main shopping area, where music is sold. The music is ''Theme of SPIKEOUT''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Lenny'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Adlai'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 3A/1B''' (Ground Floor) | ||
+ | <br/>The ground floor of Astro Mall's main shopping area. If Area 1, the music is ''Theme of SPIKEOUT''; if Area 3, the music is ''Astro Mall''. | ||
+ | <br/>If Area 1, the boss is '''Kingoro'''; if Area 3, the boss is '''Oswald'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Eddie'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4A''' (Entrance Hall) | ||
+ | <br/>Exiting the ground floor leads to the Entrance, where the Sega Mall name can be seen. This area branches off in 2 directions. The music is ''Entrance''. | ||
+ | <br/>If he boss is '''Wang'''if entered from the food center, the bosses are '''Geena''' and '''Wanda'''. First aid kits are dropped by '''Chang Heng''' and '''Hong Pao'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 5''' (CD Store) | ||
+ | <br/>A CD/record store. The music is ''Records''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Homer'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Adrian'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 6A/6B''' (Underground Parking Lot) | ||
+ | <br/>An underground parking lot. The music is ''B01F''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Geena''' and '''Wanda'''. A first aid kits are dropped by '''Henry''' and '''Wilson'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 5/6''' (Aquatic Gift Shop) | ||
+ | <br/>One of the shops adjacent to the Entrance is aquatic-themed. The music is ''Fish''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Cheng Long''', whose moveset and animations are taken from Akira Yuki in ''[[Virtua Fighter 3tb]]''. A first aid kit. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 6/7''' (Merry-Go-Round) | ||
+ | <br/>Directly follows the Starfish area and uses the same enemies. The music is ''Fish''. | ||
+ | <br/>Taking the escalator up leads to a merry-go-round with fish. The boss is '''Duke'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Blaso'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 7/8''' (Elevators) | ||
+ | <br/>From the Fish area, the player reaches a small area surrounding an escalator. All the enemies carry sports equipment or outfits. The music is ''Athletics''. | ||
+ | <br/>Enemies donning sports gear pile out of elevators. The boss is '''Carlos'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Edward'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 8/9''' (Sports Shop) | ||
+ | <br/>The escalator leads up to a sports shop. Uses the same enemies as the elevators area. The music is ''Athletics''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Homer'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Lowell'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4B''' (Food Center) | ||
+ | <br/>It is only accessed from 03F (Area 4). The area is filled with chairs to use as weapons. Has no boss, although '''King''' essentially fills the role of boss. The music is ''Junk''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 7/9/10''' (Sonic Room) | ||
+ | <br/>The final area in all routes, but with a different entry door. A tall cylindrical area, with a giant [[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog]] statue in the middle. The walls are plastered with early artwork for Sonic's redesign in ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', and there are displayed props referencing ''[[Tetris]]'', ''[[Space Harrier]]'' and ''[[Fantasy Zone]]''. The music is ''The Hedgehog''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Ryuji'''. First aid kits are dropped by '''Honekawa''' and '''Ando'''. If it is Area 9, the enemy '''Ishikura''' drops a first aid kit. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{InfoRow | ||
+ | | title=Imperial Opera | ||
+ | | screenshot=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Park1.png | ||
+ | | screenshot2=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Park2.png | ||
+ | | screenshot3=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Court1.png | ||
+ | | screenshot4=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Court2.png | ||
+ | | screenshot5=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera LobbyA.png | ||
+ | | screenshot6=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera LobbyB.png | ||
+ | | screenshot7=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Theater.png | ||
+ | | screenshot8=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Cerberus.png | ||
+ | | screenshot9=Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Finale.png | ||
+ | | tabs=yes | ||
+ | | desc=Imperial Opera is the mansion home of big bad Mikhael. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 1''' (Hedge Maze) | ||
+ | <br/>Lengthy path through the maze. Enemies can go through the hedge, but the player cannot. The music is ''Park''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Hornet'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Whirlwind'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 2''' (Fountain Steps) | ||
+ | <br/>Exiting the maze takes you to a fountain at the steps of the Imperial Opera. This area spans the entire front of the building, with the main gate being the front door, but there being an alternate gate to the right. The music is ''Park''. | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Blake''', '''Muir''' and '''Clay'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 3B''' (Right Courtyard) | ||
+ | <br/>Taking the alternate gate leads to the courtyard surrounding the mansion. The music is ''Court''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Bryan'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4B''' (Left Courtyard) | ||
+ | <br/>Going through a tunnel leads to the other courtyard mirroring the shape of the previous courtyard. Past the first gate is a stairway and balcony dedicated to the boss fight. The music is ''Court'' | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Cobra''', '''Scorpion''' and '''Beetle'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Goldstein'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 3A''' (Lower Lobby) | ||
+ | <br/>The entrance lobby for the mansion, comprised of 3 floors, with a higher floor blocked by stanchions. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Immelmann'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Gordon'''. The music is ''Lobby''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 5B''' (Upper Lobby) | ||
+ | <br/>A side entrance in the courtyard balcony leads to a hallway near the flights of stairs that are blocked by stanchions. breaking the gate leads to a lower floor outside the opera theater. Uses the same enemy types as the lobby. The music is ''Lobby''. | ||
+ | <br/>The boss is '''Immelmann'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 4A/6B''' (Opera Theater) | ||
+ | <br/>The opera theater where all further areas take place. It is entered through a different door depending on the route. The curtains are a mid-stage gate. The music is ''Imperial Opera''. | ||
+ | <br/>The bosses are '''Schneider''', '''Rodriguez''' and '''Wilhelm'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Denzel'''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 5A/7B''' (Hell) | ||
+ | <br/>The stage is redecorated to feature hellish imagery. The boss appears at the start of the area. The boss is '''Belial'''. A first aid kit is dropped by '''Doppelganger'''. The music is ''Cerberus''. | ||
+ | <br/><br/>'''Area 6A/8B''' (Theater Stage) | ||
+ | <br/>The stage is again redecorated into a white stone design, with a floating platform in the middle. This platform will typically have a force field around it, but will sometimes drop it and become a bridge, for in case the player is knocked off the stage. There are 2 big first aid kits on platforms to the sides which can be reached either by jumping up from the main platform or jumping down from further to the sides. Final boss fight against '''Mikhael'''. The music is ''Finale''. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====Bosses==== | ||
+ | <gallery> | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Fuel Boss.png|Douglas and Norah | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Stairs Boss.png|Victor | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Hoops BossA.png|Justin and Elliot (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Hoops BossB.png|Justin and Elliot (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Warehouse BossA.png|Curtis (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Drain Boss.png|Curtis (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Factory Boss.png|Huey, Louie and Dewey | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Towers Boss.png|Randolph (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO DieselTown Warehouse BossB.png|Randolph (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall 03F BossA.png|Kingoro (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall 01F BossB.png|Kingoro (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall 02F Boss.png|Lenny | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall 01F BossA.png|Oswald (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall 03F BossB.png|Oswald (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Entrance BossA.png|Wang (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Fish2 BossB.png|Wang (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Records Boss.png|Homer (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Athletics2 Boss.png|Homer (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Entrance BossB.png|Oswald (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Fish1 Boss.png|Cheng Long | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Fish2 BossA.png|Duke | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Athletics1 Boss.png|Carlos | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO AstroMall Hedgehog Boss.png|Ryuji | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Park1 Boss.png|Hornet | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Park2 Boss.png|Blake, Muir and Clay | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Court1 Boss.png|Bryan | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Court2 Boss.png|Cobra, Scorpion and Beetle | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera LobbyA Boss.png|Immelmann (A) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera LobbyB Boss.png|Immelmann (B) | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Theater Boss.png|Schneider, Rodriguez and Wilhelm | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Cerberus.png|Belial | ||
+ | Spikeout DBO ImperialOpera Finale.png|Mikhael | ||
+ | </gallery> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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===Legacy=== | ===Legacy=== | ||
− | |||
A [[Dreamcast]] port of the game was being developed, but never saw the light of day outside of a few copies{{ref|http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/news/200401/021.asp}}; with Nagoshi himself stating that the main reason the port was never completed was due to the Dreamcast having insufficient hardware capabilities at the time for such a port{{ref|http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/sega_av_interview_july04.asp}}. (It would take a full seven years before [[Spikeout: Battle Street|a consumer-based Spikeout title]] would be released on a console.) | A [[Dreamcast]] port of the game was being developed, but never saw the light of day outside of a few copies{{ref|http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/news/200401/021.asp}}; with Nagoshi himself stating that the main reason the port was never completed was due to the Dreamcast having insufficient hardware capabilities at the time for such a port{{ref|http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/sega_av_interview_july04.asp}}. (It would take a full seven years before [[Spikeout: Battle Street|a consumer-based Spikeout title]] would be released on a console.) | ||
− | The engine for Spikeout was later utilized in the Dreamcast game ''[[Rent-A-Hero No. 1]]''.{{fileref|DCM_JP 19991001 1999-30.pdf|page=52}}{{fileref|DCM JP 20000609 2000-20.pdf|page=58}} | + | The engine for Spikeout was later utilized in the Dreamcast game ''[[Rent-A-Hero No. 1]]''.{{fileref|DCM_JP 19991001 1999-30.pdf|page=52}}{{fileref|DCM JP 20000609 2000-20.pdf|page=58}} [[Sega Logistics Service]] announced it would end service on ''Spikeout'' arcade machines on March 31, 2017.{{fileref|SegaProductsTerminationAnnouncement 2016-11 JP.pdf}}{{fileref|SegaProductsTerminationAnnouncement 2016-12.pdf}} |
==Production credits== | ==Production credits== | ||
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==Magazine articles== | ==Magazine articles== |
Latest revision as of 02:35, 9 June 2024
Spikeout: Digital Battle Online | |||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Model 3 Step 2.1[1] | |||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega | |||||||||||||||||
Developer: Sega AM11[2] | |||||||||||||||||
Supporting companies: Digital Design Studio | |||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Deith Leisure (UK)[3] | |||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action | |||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1-4 | |||||||||||||||||
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Spikeout: Digital Battle Online (スパイクアウト デジタルバトルオンライン) is a Sega Model 3 Step 2.1 arcade beat-'em-up game, and the first game in the Spikeout series. It has never been ported to home consoles. Spikeout is notable for being the first arcade beat-'em-up whose cabinets could be linked, resulting in a maximum of four players competing on the same level with different screens.
During development the game was known as Spike. It was followed by an update, Spikeout: Final Edition, in 1999.
Contents
Gameplay
Spikeout is a fully-3D beat 'em up which takes place in huge and sprawling stages – split into sections called Areas, further divided into little segments. Progressing through these "segments" are quite simple; beat up every enemy that appears within one of them. Once enough enemies have been defeated, the player then has to quickly "Break the Gate": Locate a flashing barrier/barricade of some sort (i.e. a door) – in the later Final Edition, with the additional help of a red directional arrow (ala Crazy Taxi) – to punch through to progress to the next segment/Area, within 30 seconds (in which doing so quickly enough will give you bonus points). Due to the semi-open nature of the levels, and the inclusion of multiple Gates in certain stages, it very much acts as a "choose-your-path" system.
Each Area usually ends in a face-off with the "Bosses" – signified by the brief, flashing "Here Comes the Boss" overlay – whom, for the most part, act as mini-bosses. You may face up to three of these bosses at the same time; along with the current enemies in the Area. (Note that once one or many boss(es) appear, you will only need to defeat them in order to clear a segment, and not any remaining enemies.) After successfully clearing an Area, the score results will appear, giving you extra bonus points (and health) for the amount of enemies you've defeated in the Area, and how fast you cleared the last 30-second "Break the Gate" in the Area.
Downed enemies can sometimes drop items such as "Life Up" health kits (which replenish your health) and "Special Attack" items which allow you to perform a "Special Attack"; the latter being represented as floating thunderbolt symbols. Many commonplace objects found within each stage can be picked-up and used as weapons – from baseball bats and swords, to chairs and car tires, to name a few. There's a constant time limit which can be replenished by downing a certain number enemies at a time within each stage – once the timer reaches zero, you get an instant game over. The KO counter on the bottom-left corner shows how many enemies you've defeated within each Area. START changes the view of the mini-map on the bottom-right corner.
In addition, Spikeout is also a co-operative multiplayer game; up to four players can join a game, and can do so at anytime. One distinction against other 3D beat 'em up games is that any player in a co-op session can go anywhere within the boundaries of an Area's segment, thereby making it possible for players to stick close to one another and fight together, or to split up and take care of a multitude of foes elsewhere. Friendly fire can also be performed among players if so chosen, and there are also a variety of taunts and commands one can use as means of limited communication with other players.
Playable characters
Spike | |
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A former New York boxer. Height, 185cm/6'0.8"; Age, 27. He is not good with interpersonal relationship, typically being silent and expressionless if he's not in a fight. His intimidating presence makes people fear him, except for White who works in the same factory as him. Spike always carries his 5-year-old son on his back[7].
His boxing history makes Spike good at punching, particularly straight punches, while his kicks and big and flashy. He overwhelms opponents with pure strength. His greatest strength is his charge move, which takes extra long to charge but deals by far the most damage. His weakness is that his attacks easily miss when not facing an enemy head on. | |
White | |
A military man born in New York. Height, 185cm/6'0.8"; Age, 25. He has an optimistic and mischievous personality, always talking in a loud voice. The first person to beat him in a fight was Spike, and White has been keeping tabs on Spike ever since[7].
He uses a punch-centric style like Spike, but with more uppercuts and even bigger kick motions. His attacks come out quick, but have the shortest reach of any character, so he needs to quickly close the gap between himself and enemies. Both White and Spike have good combos against enemies they've knocked in the air. | |
Linda | |
The intelligent daughter of a successful family, she had plans to become a judge in the future. While she is generally calm, she has a strong moral compass and will take action if she believes someone to be in the wrong. She serves as the mediator between White and Tenshin[8].
Her fighting style mainly makes use of kicks, with all sorts of kicking techniques at her disposal. Unlike every other character, B is kick and C is punch. She uses kicks as combo starters which transition into close-quarters finishers. Her fast movements and long reach makes her easy for beginners to use, though still has some advanced combos. | |
Tenshin | |
A 23-year-old Japanese man, he towers over the other 3 characters at 193cm/6'4". He is a well-read, intelligent person who always speaks calmly. Because he chooses his words carefully to not be wasteful, he is the antithesis to White. Tenshin rarely gets angry, but can be the scariest if provoked[8].
His fighting stye is a wild martials arts style consisting of various spinning techniques, back fists and roundhouse kicks. There is an elegant rhythm to his combos that let him overwhelm groups of opponents. His attacks cover a wide berth, but there are brief pauses in-between attacks, making him a bit tricky for beginners to use. Tenshin is suppodely modeled after chief stage designer Daisuke Sato.[9] |
Stages
Diesel Town | |
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Diesel Town is an urban setting where most of the areas are industry-related.
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Astro Mall | |
Astro Mall is a shopping mall. The stage has much fewer terrain-related obstacles and more advanced enemy patterns.
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Imperial Opera | |
Imperial Opera is the mansion home of big bad Mikhael.
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Bosses
History
Development
Spikeout was envisioned by director Toshihiro Nagoshi, while he was still a part of AM2 and sometime after the release of Virtua Fighter 3tb, during which point that arcade games in Japan were slowly beginning to stagnate.
“ | [Spikeout] was my personal rebellion. [laughs] I wanted to develop a game where you could play for a long time on just one coin. It was great for the players, but profits suffered because you have to take the arcade operators into consideration. At that time there was a drought of arcade games and I virtually wanted our new game to “Spike-Out” and reinvigorate the market. The fact that it was a character based action game emphasized that. | „ |
Development began on April 1997[11], with the development team consisting of AM2 team members that worked on Virtua Fighter 3 and Scud Race, with a few from the Fighting Vipers team as well[11]. Special difficulty was reserved for the implementation of the multiplayer network; although the team was already familiar with networking due to their experience with most of AM2's numerous driving games, as Spikeout was a game that featured more "character data" than cars, they endured numerous trials and errors getting it to function properly.
Officially revealed under the working title of "Spike" during a private Japan-only Sega arcade show on May 19th 1998[12], under the AM2 banner, the announced title had two peculiarly ambitious features that were dropped in the final product:
- The game was originally meant to be a 16-player multiplayer game, with the players split into four separate teams in-game – as opposed to the finalized 4-player-only game. Presumably, the number of allowed players was cut down to four due to both the enormous and difficult task of creating sixteen separate, playable characters, as well as performance issues having so many players (and enemies) on-screen.
- Spikeout was meant to have linked machines "self-play" in the absence of other human players – AI-controlled allies would've automatically joined the battle to assist the single human player.[13]
Just before it's release, the game was shown again in playable form at the Amusement Machine Show 1998, still under the AM2 banner.[14][15]
Legacy
A Dreamcast port of the game was being developed, but never saw the light of day outside of a few copies[16]; with Nagoshi himself stating that the main reason the port was never completed was due to the Dreamcast having insufficient hardware capabilities at the time for such a port[17]. (It would take a full seven years before a consumer-based Spikeout title would be released on a console.)
The engine for Spikeout was later utilized in the Dreamcast game Rent-A-Hero No. 1.[18][19] Sega Logistics Service announced it would end service on Spikeout arcade machines on March 31, 2017.[20][21]
Production credits
- Main article: Spikeout: Digital Battle Online/Production credits.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Spikeout: Digital Battle Online/Magazine articles.
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
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100 | |
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Based on 1 review |
Model 3 Step 2.1, World | ||||
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External links
- Sega of Japan's Japanese Spikeout page (archived)
- Sega of Japan's English Singapore Spikeout page (archived)
- Amusement Vision's Spikeout Digital Battle Online and Final Edition page (archived)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/model3.cpp
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sega Arcade History, Enterbrain, page 150
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "August 1998" (UK; 1998-07-15), page 76
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Edge, "January 1999" (UK; 1998-12-23), page 130
- ↑ http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=24455
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Computer & Video Games, "September 1998" (UK; 1998-08-12), page 77
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "1998-02 (1998-11-27)" (JP; 1998-11-13), page 166
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "1998-02 (1998-11-27)" (JP; 1998-11-13), page 167
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "1998-06 (1998-12-25)" (JP; 1998-12-11), page 166
- ↑ 2003 interview with n1ntendo.nl
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Next Generation, "November 1998" (US; 1998-10-20), page 21
- ↑ Gamers' Republic, "August 1998" (US; 1998-07-21), page 8
- ↑ File:CVG_UK_200.pdf, page 11
- ↑ Edge, "August 1998" (UK; 1998-07-17), page 35
- ↑ Edge, "November 1998" (UK; 1998-10-05), page 9
- ↑ http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/news/200401/021.asp
- ↑ http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/sega_av_interview_july04.asp
- ↑ File:DCM_JP 19991001 1999-30.pdf, page 52
- ↑ File:DCM JP 20000609 2000-20.pdf, page 58
- ↑ File:SegaProductsTerminationAnnouncement 2016-11 JP.pdf
- ↑ File:SegaProductsTerminationAnnouncement 2016-12.pdf
- ↑ Arcade, "December 1998" (UK; 1998-11-17), page 150
Spikeout: Digital Battle Online | |
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Main page | Credits | Magazine articles
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Games in the Spikeout series | |
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Spikeout: Digital Battle Online (1998) | Spikeout: Final Edition (1999) | Slashout (2000) | Spikers Battle (2001) | |
Spikeout: Battle Street (2005) | |
Spikeout related media | |
Spikeout Original Soundtrack (1998) | Fantasyscape Slashout: Original Soundtrack (2000) | Spikeout: Battle Street Original Sound Track (2005) | |