Propeller Arena
| Propeller Arena | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sega AM2 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Makoto Osaki |
| Producer(s) | Yu Suzuki |
| Designer(s) | Junichi Yamanaka |
| Programmer(s) | Tetsuya Sugimoto |
| Artist(s) | Shoji Takeuchi |
| Composer(s) | Sachio Ogawa Tomoya Koga |
| Platform(s) | Dreamcast |
| Release | Cancelled |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship was a video game for the Dreamcast console. It was originally titled Propeller Head Online,[1] and was to be released on September 19, 2001.[2] The game was trademarked on August 14, 2001.[3] It was developed and completed by the development team Sega AM2,[4] but the game was never officially released.[5] The release was cancelled[6] just days after the September 11 attacks,[7] citing both similarities in game packaging and design to the events of that day[8][9][10][11] as well as the Dreamcast's declining market share[12] resulting in projected low sales numbers.
The game was on display at E3 on May 19, 2001.[13] After it was postponed, they were working to change the game cover art to remove sensitive images.[14]
Hopes of a port to another console never materialized. However, a disk image of the game was eventually leaked,[15] and became a popular download on many peer-to-peer networks.[16]
Plot
[edit]In 2045, there is an air combat tournament with planes from the World War II era. Several pilots join the tournament, each with their own reasons.[17]
Gameplay
[edit]
Propeller Arena consists of quick dog fight deathmatches in limited areas.[19]
The game has four modes: the main game, Championship, which is a sequence of dogfights; Quick Battle, a single dogfight; Training Arena, a number of training missions and minigames; and Network, the online mode. Beating the game and the training missions unlocks extra characters and levels.
The game features force feedback via support for the Dreamcast Jump Pack.
Soundtrack
[edit]The game's soundtrack, consisting of punk rock, was created by both "branches" of Sega: a Japanese team (Sachio Ogawa and Tomoya Koga) had 13 songs composed and produced in-house, while an American team arranged a deal with the Fat Wreck Chords label[17] to license nine songs from the bands Consumed, Zero Down, No Use for a Name, Mad Caddies, and Rise Against.[20][21] Some of Sega's original songs were remixed as instrumental versions and reused in their 2006 sports game Virtua Tennis 3.[22]
See also
[edit]- List of entertainment affected by the September 11 attacks
- The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, an air combat game with a somewhat similar setting
References
[edit]- ^ "E3 2001: First Look - Yu Suzuki's Propeller Arena". IGN. 2001-05-16. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "News Archive - August 2001". Goodcowfilms.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ Namedavid Ehrlich. "PROPELLER ARENA AVIATION BATTLE CHAMPIONSHIP Trademark - Registration Number 2878236 - Serial Number 76299935". Trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Propeller Arena". IGN. 2001-08-21. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "saturn-digest digest, Volume 07, Issue 258". Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "TGS 2001: Propeller Arena Flies Away For Good". IGN. 2001-10-18. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Sega indefinitely postpones Propeller Arena". GameSpot.com. 2001-09-13. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, October 04, 2001, Page 67". Newspaperarchive.com. 4 October 2001. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Traverse City Record-Eagle - News Story - www.record-eagle.com". New.thedailystar.com. 2001-09-27. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Toy Makers Editing Product Lines". Apnewsarchive.com. 2001-09-27. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Toy makers respond to parental concern by de-emphasizing violence. Category: Election Section from". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Propeller Arena (Preview)". NBrid.net. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "2001 E3 Show". Future Gamez. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "September 18, 2001". Gamebits. 2001-09-18. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Propeller Arena Leaked « The Blog for the Sports Gamer". Sportsgamerblog.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Interview Glenn Wissner | SegaOnline". Segaonline.nl. 2004-05-15. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ a b "Top Guns Of The Arena - Propeller Arena Feature Week 3!". IGN. 2001-07-19. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Propeller Arena - Sega's Lost Dreamcast Title? - Slashdot". Games.slashdot.org. 2003-12-09. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Feature: Propeller Arena Retrospective". The Next Level. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "The Unravelling (CD) - Rise Against - Buy @ SmokeCDs.com music cd store". Smokecds.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "Album Recap". 25 March 2010.
- ^ "Propeller Arena & Virtua Tennis 3 OST Comparison". 2013-12-17. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2014-03-26.