GUNVALKYRIE for Dreamcast

[Lazy8s]

Spotted by turbocozmo (a contributor to a different forum), the following thread has some images possibily from the alternate, unreleased, Dreamcast version of GUNVALKYRIE. Before SEGA went third party, the game was in development by their Smilebit team for DC and was to utilize a control scheme that took advantage of a light-gun and a control pad simultaneously. Smilebit was coming off their DC successes of Jet Set Radio and The Typing of the Dead, and these early screens show they were crafting another unique visual mix of art styles where character modeling appears to blend the standard with a light touch of cartoon cel-shading (if you look closely at all the pics). (Note, the thread incorrectly refers to the game as Agartha - the development name for a separate and unrelated DC game, one which was another unfortunate case because it looked promising but got lost at the third-party switch):

http://vgrebirth.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=412

 

[wazoo]

guvalkyrie on Dc ...

It has already been discussed that this GV presentation on DC was a mistake. Sega Europe did show the trailer at London in september 2000 because they got it from smilebit and thought it would be for DC. Considering the game was not playable, we can argue it was even running on Dc hardware (most likely on PC, considering GV was also be considered for PC before Xbox exclusivity).

At least, it is what I understood 8)

 

[London Geezer]

On topic, i played GV on Xbox and, don't know, it must have been me being crap at it, but the controls and the view were awfully stiff... Especially after ZOE...

 

[Sonic]

Gun Valkyrie is a love-it or hate-it game, most people hate it. The controls are awkward but once you get the hang of it then the game can pick up. The Xbox was a bad decision for this game and it might have fared better on the Gamecube considerign it's somewhat similar to Metroid.

The game was in development and 85% finished for the Dreamcast. It played better than the Xbox version and was very different in level design and other things. It's sad to see it was never released for the Dreamcasst as that version may have proved better for those not getting the hang of controls on the Xbox version. I'll admit I couldn't play it on the Xbox for long because of the awkward controls.

 

[Ozymandis]

On topic, i played GV on Xbox and, don't know, it must have been me being crap at it, but the controls and the view were awfully stiff... Especially after ZOE...

Gotta speak up in defense of one of my favourite Xbox games-

The game was anything but stiff once you learned the controls. You could move with equal fluidity on the ground and in the air. Much better feeling IMO than ZoE, with its floaty mech that wasn't bound by gravity.

Took several straight hours of play for me to master the dual-stick controls, though

 

[notAFanB]

gotta agree with Oz on this one, GV would kick your ass over the for the first couple of weeks, but settled down provided you didn't smashed the case of your Xbox in.

 

[zurich]

Nod, I could never get a handle on the controls, but my buddy did, and christ he had an absolute blast with the game. Watching someone who's mastered the GV controls is really a sight to be seen.

 

[Lazy8s]

Yeah, this game doesn't have a continuous control arch, which is the fundamental misconception most people have about it. The control mechanic is all about short boosts which are to be chained together for unending ground and aerial combos. You can really pull off amazing acrobatics and platform around the levels when you get the scheme down.

I do think Smilebit was looking at the PC for the aforementioned prototype version of the game, but DC must also have been the target as the mention of its light-gun and control pad set-up tips that off. I remember the footage this version was captured from, and I believe it showed Kelly there performing a deadly dance of acrobatic combat maneuvers within environments more "indoors" than the Xbox game ended up using. It seemed a smooth 60 fps and looked like DC to me.

 

[jvd]

what might have been. What might have been if games were still being developed on the dreamcast.

 

[Evil_Cloud]

what might have been. What might have been if games were still being developed on the dreamcast.

Sad fact so many games were cancelled for Dreamcast. (Castlevania? Black & White? Not to forget all these games that were released on PS2, GC and XB instead of Dreamcast, of course all very understandable)

Luckely we'll have a new Dreamcast game soon: Propellar Arena (AM2). Freeware-ish; a few people bought up the disk with the final (retail) build and are ripping it as we speak.

 

[GHost]

what might have been. What might have been if games were still being developed on the dreamcast.

Sad fact so many games were cancelled for Dreamcast. (Castlevania? Black & White? Not to forget all these games that were released on PS2, GC and XB instead of Dreamcast, of course all very understandable)

Luckely we'll have a new Dreamcast game soon: Propellar Arena (AM2). Freeware-ish; a few people bought up the disk with the final (retail) build and are ripping it as we speak.

wow! link? pretty pleaase?

 

[Lazy8s]

I'm not sure it's being distributed yet, but check the topic called "Misc Gaming related thread" about a page back in the index if you want to see an in-depth promo video for Propeller Arena.

 

[Evil_Cloud]

I'm not sure it's being distributed yet, but check the topic called "Misc Gaming related thread" about a page back in the index if you want to see an in-depth promo video for Propeller Arena.

It has Sega Japan playing online against Sega America btw.

 

[Jabjabs]

Personally I think that GV would of been best on PS2 as it is the kind of title you would expect to see on the format. That plus the fact that the bigger user base could of potentially made it a sleeper hit of sorts.

 

[Lazy8s]

GunGrave is probably as decent a litmus test as you'll find for how GUNVALKYRIE might've sold on PS2. GunGrave was released on PS2 around the time GUNVALKYRIE was on Xbox, they're both relatively original shooters (though GunGrave does have the low-key benefit of a niche license), they both received mixed and mediocre reviews, and they both...um...have names starting with 'gun'.

In the US, GUNVALKYRIE on Xbox has been outselling GunGrave on PS2 and has maintained somewhat higher retail pricing too, leading to more revenue. The disparity in lifetime-to-date numbers isn't large, though: GUNVALKYRIE at 92,016 copies, and GunGrave at 74,002 (source NPD).

The critical factor as to why GunGrave was granted a sequel was to take advantage of the license SEGA secured.

 

[Fox5]

There was one game on dreamcast that used a light gun and a control pad.

Personally, I was always waiting for the n64 to have a gun attachment for it's controller, I thought that would have been the perfect combination of a lightgun and controller.

 

[marconelly!]

I thought controls in the game were workable, but unnecessairly overcomplicated and kludged. I think it's not difficult to envision a control scheme that would have worked better for this game, and would put a lot less strain on player's hands and fingers.

 

[Tagrineth]

Those shots aren't from GunValkyrie for DC... they're from an entirely unrelated game. www.segaxtreme.com, check the General forum, there's a thread on it.

 

[jvd]

Still to this day i believe the dreamcast could have easily kept up in the eye candy department . So very ashamed of sega .

 

[Clashman]

Actually, those are from GV. The title they were referring to it as, (Argatha), though, was something completely different. This is Argatha:

http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/agartha/screenindex.html