Deathrow (game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deathrow
Developer(s)	Southend Interactive
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft Entertainment
Release date(s)	October 22, 2002
Genre(s)	Action Sport
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer, System Link
Rating(s)	ESRB: M (Mature)
Platform(s)	Xbox

Deathrow is a sports video game for the Xbox that was released on October 22, 2002, about 1 year after the release of the Xbox. The game was developed by Swedish developer Southend Interactive and produced by Ubisoft Entertainment. Although the game’s sales were unspectacular, it won awards and reviewers applauded the game's uniqueness and character [1].

Despite the game's title, the fictional sport it simulates is called Blitz. The game's uniqueness comes from its creation of a whole new sport. Blitz is a futuristic extreme sport set in 2219 A.D that combines many elements of different sports such as hockey, frisbee and fighting. At the time of its release, Deathrow’s graphics used advanced techniques such as bump mapped surfaces and sophisticated lighting effects. Deathrow is also one of the first Xbox games to include a custom soundtrack. Players can load music from the Xbox console into the game to have it accompany their playing.

Deathrow is geared toward a mature audience. Throughout the game, many of the characters' taunts toward the other team use vulgar language and many of the fighting moves made characters bleed and bruise. One of the members of Southend Interactive stated about the game’s mature rating: “We wanted to do games we would like to play ourselves. Most of the team members just don't like kiddie games. Then Ubisoft and Microsoft wanted to spice up the game with more blood, brutality and of course swearing.”

1 Story
2 Gameplay
3 Popularity
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Story

2197: In Los Angeles, Blitz - an extremely violent illegal sport - makes its first appearance. It is said to be a way for gangs to recruit new members.

2218: Prime Network takes up the sport. It sets the rules and creates the BDA: the Blitz Disc Association. Exhibition matches, with big prize money, are held. The show becomes a big hit throughout the solar system.

2219: The 1st official Blitz competition. After a bloody pre-selection process, 14 teams are still in the running. They were picked for their drive in combat and their sheer brutality. The cybernetic, genetic and chemical modifications made to the participants promise levels of violence never before seen on TV. The credo of this new game is as simple as pie:

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Primary Teams

[edit] Blitzers

The official BDA team. They are rumoured to come from forced training camps set up by the network. They are cyber-modified and drugged up to the eyeballs - all at the TV channel's expense - and they'll put on a show to slay all those TV junkies out there.

[edit] Sea Cats

A team consisting entirely of genetically altered women. Their legendary speed and precision shooting give them a clear advantage in the arena.

[edit] Nukeheads

Hailing from the lowest areas of Los Angeles this team has made a name playing illegal street Blitz. They are rough, tough and extremely vulgar. They appear to be a very popular team and have gained many sponsers.

[edit] First Blitzers

The ultimate team, they are powerful, fast and work well as a team. They disappeared for some years but have recently returned better than before. They have to be unlocked to play in single match mode and cannot be used in conquest mode.

[edit] Game Modes

Tutorial: Helps players learn the controls and game rules in a match against the training droids. The game pauses itself frequently for players to become familiar with moves and techniques.

Single Match: Play a single game. Players have the option to choose from different teams, arenas, rules and round times.

Conquest: In this mode players take control of a team and take it from the rookie leagues all the way to the championship, acquiring and training new athletes along the way. This mode is similar to "franchise" modes in other sports games.

Network: This is a network-enabled version of "Single Match" mode. Up to 8 players may participate at the same time.

[edit] Winning

There are two primary ways of winning a match in Blitz. One is by having a higher score than your opponent once time is up. Scoring is accomplished by throwing the disc through the opponent’s goal. Another method of achieving victory is by knocking out the other team in any given round. Players can knock out the entire team through relentless fighting. There is no overtime, so ties are possible, although in "Conquest" mode players must beat the opposing team in order to advance to the next stage.

[edit] Popularity

Despite receiving solid reviews from Game Rankings,[2] and multiple awards from IGN, [3] the sales for Deathrow were modest. The game was not well publicized, receiving only a single page advertisement in the Official Xbox Magazine for 3 issues. The game's minimal publicity came from word of mouth, and web forums. TeamXbox had to deal with so many threads about Deathrow that they added a whole message board devoted to the game. A few of the game designers also came onto the forum to talk to the fans and promote their game.