If any of you have seen the classic film “Running man” starring Arnold Schwarzenneger then you know what to expect from this game. For those of you who do not know, it is very simple. The film is about a TV show which is filmed within a huge arena (stadium or what have you) and the contestants (which are actually deemed criminals) have to fight their way through against the dangers that are in place to kill them.
The contestants were given no weapon what so ever and they would have to defend themselves using their bare hands and brute strength---that is if they had it. Unleashed within the arena, there were special warriors who were armed weapons---and pretty nasty ones too---to hunt down all of the contestants and kill them.
It was the fact that this was all a TV show that made it a great film. The host, a classical grey haired American man, would charm the audiences with his musical voice and present the show to the millions that tuned in to watch it. There were even audiences sat around the arena to watch it personally if they had the stomach for it. There were also special events that would take place or occur at the crowd’s commands.
Yes ok so there is no Schwarzenneger and no, the contestants in this game are not armed with just their bare hands. However, there are many elements that are similar.
Speedgun Stadium sets the player in the middle of a violent futuristic TV sport show. However, they are armed with a force field and a firearm. This seems very meagre to start off with but it is better than having to battle it out without a weapon at all---so be thankful for it. The contestants taking part, whether it is by free will or a forced situation like in the Running Man, have to battle it out against each other in different styled arenas. These huge stadiums are riddled with maze like twists and turns to keep the player confused and make the TV show a lot more enjoyable to watch for the audience. The main aim for the player is to get the highest kill count.
With every TV show, as said above, there is a cheesy American host. Speedgun Stadium is hosted by Bill Sunday and is constantly watched in millions of homes throughout the world. It has even knocked off the top spot of Who Wants to be a Millionaire! Bill comments on the game events and the cheer of the bloodthirsty audience is played through the speakers in the stadiums to race the blood of the contestants themselves and quicken their adrenaline rush. This is one of the elements that differentiate Speedgun Stadium from any other normal First Person Shooter. If you are successful in the game and go off on a mad killing spree, then the crowds will cheer for your victory, whistle and shake the stadium with their deafening cheering of approval. However, if you are being beaten and are wounded from many bullet holes or just general beaten up, then the crowd will boo and hiss at you, shouting abuse and cursing you until you drop down dead!
This is not where it stops. The cheering of the crowd is also fundamental to the way that the entire game is played and whether or not you will be able to make it through alive! The matches in Speedgun Stadium are played in three rounds of three minutes each. However, they are occasionally interrupted by Match Events. These special events occur depending on the way that the crowd reacts to how you are playing the game. Depending on whether they are chanting for your glory or cursing for your death, Bill will add a little more spice to the game by making special weapons available, disable player force fields or letting loose killer robots---to name a few.
From the few, very few, screenshots that have been released of the game, it looks stunning. The Gizmondo does boast of a 64bit graphics capability with an inbuilt nvidia graphics chip. It looks as though they have used this to the full and created a splendorous 3D game with detailed looking character models and stadiums. The stadiums look to be in the same sort of style of those in the Unreal Tournament series. For a handheld device, the game looks as though it is impossible to be run on it but believe it, because it is real and spectacular.
Speedgun Stadium does seem to have many elements from the Running Man film and it could well have been their inspiration for creating the game. It is a very good base for a game, especially with First Person Shooters being a very popular genre of late. The film itself was a great seller and is still a classic today. This game looks to make the same impact on the gaming industry. It is a new way of gaming and it fits in perfectly with the theme of the Gizmondo itself---to create what the player wants and bring them the futuristic and advance way of play that should have been introduced years ago.
All in all, Speedgun Stadium looks to be an amazing game and very advanced for that of a handheld console. Being created by a company who have a long time experience in the field, this title is sure to please many people and satisfy their thirst for blood and the love of TV at the same time!
TR
