Bangai-O
From Sega Retro
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| Bangai-O | |||||
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| System(s): Sega Dreamcast | |||||
| Publisher: Crave Entertainment (US), Virgin Interactive (EU), Treasure/ESP (JP) | |||||
| Developer: Treasure, Conspiracy Entertainment | |||||
| Genre: Shoot-'em-Up | |||||
| Number of players: 1 | |||||
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Bangai-O, known as Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh (爆裂無敵 バンガイオー) in Japan, is a shoot-'em-up video game developed by Treasure for Japanese Nintendo 64 consoles in September 1999. With assistance from Conspiracy Entertainment it was brought to the Sega Dreamcast three months later, where it eventually saw a worldwide release.
Gameplay
Bangai-O is a shoot-'em-up game in which the player, piloting a mechanoid, can fly in one of eight directions across the screen shooting a constant stream of projectiles at enemies and obstacles. Taking cues from the "bullet hell" sub-genre of shooters, Bangai-O is populated with sometimes hundreds of enemies which can fire at a rapid pace. The object of the game is to clear the level of enemies within a given time limit.
The Dreamcast version makes several tweaks over its Nintendo 64 counterpart, changing rules on super moves and adding more content (as well as refining pre-existing assets such as graphics and music).
History
Development
Bangai-O was originally intended to be a remake of the 1985 NEC PC-8801 and Sharp X1 game, Hover Attack, but inevitably became its own independent game. The mechanics in Bangai-O are very similar to those found in Hover Attacks, however the pace of play is a great deal faster and enemies are more plentiful. It also, as expected, offers superior graphics and sound. Vehicles found in Hover Attack are missing in Bangai-O, presumably as their use had been depreciated.
Legacy
Despite critical acclaim, limited marketing kept the Dreamcast version of Bangai-O from becoming a huge success in the west. This is particularly noticable in PAL regions, where its late release of March 2001 has made led Bangai-O to retain its value over a decade after going on sale.
Nevertheless, Bangai-O was followed by the Nintendo DS game Bangai-O Spirits in 2008 and Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury for Xbox Live Arcade in 2011.
Physical Scans
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70 |
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| Based on 24 reviews | |
| Dreamcast, US |
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| Dreamcast, EU |
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| Dreamcast, JP |
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- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "February 2001" (UK; 2001-01-17), page 107
- ↑ Dreamcast Monthly, "March 2000" (UK; 2000-02-17), page 94
- ↑ Dreamcast Monthly, "December 2000" (UK; 2000-10-26), page 70
- ↑ Dreamcast: Le Magazine Officiel, "Septembre/Octobre 2000" (FR; 2000-0x-xx), page 72
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "1999-39 (1999-12-17,24)" (JP; 1999-12-03), page 21
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 5" (UK; 2000-01-27), page 78
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 14" (UK; 2000-10-05), page 56
- ↑ Dorimaga, "2002-18 (2002-10-11)" (JP; 2002-09-27), page 34
- ↑ Dreamzone, "Février 2000" (FR; 2000-01-xx), page 106
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 2001" (US; 2001-02-06), page 113
- ↑ Fun Generation, "02/2000" (DE; 2000-01-19), page 96
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 8, Issue 3: March 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 13
- ↑ GamePro, "May 2001" (US; 2001-0x-xx), page 80
- ↑ Gamers' Republic, "January 2000" (US; 1999-12-19), page 112
- ↑ Gamers' Republic, "December 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 87
- ↑ Joypad, "Septembre 2000" (FR; 2000-xx-xx), page 156
- ↑ MAN!AC, "12/2000" (DE; 2000-11-02), page 71
- ↑ Neo Plus, "Maj 2001" (PL; 2001-xx-xx), page 56
- ↑ Next Generation, "May 2001" (US; 2001-04-17), page 85
- ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "December 2000" (UK; 2000-11-02), page 86
- ↑ Playmag, "Octobre 2000" (FR; 2000-xx-xx), page 128
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "November 2000" (DE; 2000-10-02), page 21
- ↑ Strana Igr, "Sentyabr 2000 2/2" (RU; 2000-xx-xx), page 18
- ↑ Video Games, "12/2000" (DE; 2000-11-02), page 123