Seicross by Nichibutsu, released to arcades wayyyy back in 1984 (and some 4 years later on the NES). So - this is one of those classic Japanese arcade games from the tail end of the Golden Age, released relatively under-the-radar which I assume didn't make much of a splash in the States. Still, I remember seeing ads for it plastered over several comic books, when it ported to Nintendo's 8-bit machine. What was this game all about?
Seicross was not so much a racing game, as it was a survival game. Just keep driving, don't get caught behind an obstacle or smashed by an opponent. Run over fuel cells to replenish your gasoline, and pick up hitchhikers for Bonus Points. Simple enough-
The NES version, shown here, mkay be long on looks but at the time it was enjoyable for what it was. Much more impressive was the arcade on which it was based. Perhaps not terribly visually impressive in it's own sprite work, though it did feature a very nifty "line scroll function" unique to this developer's games which really added to a sense of simulated perspective 3-D. Remember the way the ground warped in Street Fighter II? This game pioneered that subtle technique and built a whole game showcasing it. Even now it still looks weird and cool - if I saw this when I was kid, I think I would have been very impressed!
I like how the game has this whole "Tron aesthetic" going on, it almost feels like the developers were inspired by that whole world in the design and roughly the presentation of this world. I wish they pushed it further! Sadly, there's not too much else to go on about Seicross - it's a very simple game from a time when this was about all the depth that could be expected from a title like this. That said, with it's simplicity it is still a fun little game and one that can be picked up and played with to this day, would be interesting to riff on it with a modern engine, for certain!
Looking for an intern? Or Protege?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Christopher Truman and I am a computer science student at Azusa Pacific University in southern California. I have been developing iPhone apps since last november and am the head of the iPhone development and club at my university.
I absolutely love Headcase games and am a faithful follower of your blog. My ultimate desire is to learn more and more about iPhone/mobile game programming. I am basically emailing to ask if you need an intern or tester or any kind of assistance where I could be beneficial to your team's game design and development.
My first completed game, Bear Beware, is on the iPhone store and was developed using the Chipmunk physics engine and the Cocos2d iPhone game library.
See it on the store here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=327129841&mt=8
I have also developed an app that reads and parses my university's cafeteria menu and shows it to the user based on meal time and location. If you need any other info I will be happy to provide it.
Hope to work with you!
1(310) 347-9814
Christopher Truman
trumandesigns.com