Software:Centipede (1998 video game)

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Short description: 1998 video game
Centipede
Centipede 1998 Cover.jpg
North American PC cover art
Developer(s)Leaping Lizard Software
Publisher(s)Hasbro Interactive
MacSoft (Macintosh)
Designer(s)Richard Rouse III
Mark Bullock
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Macintosh
ReleaseWindows
PlayStation
  • NA: June 1, 1999
  • EU: 1999
Game.com
1999
Dreamcast
Macintosh
May 2001
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Centipede is a 3D remake of the 1981 Centipede arcade game from Atari, the original of which was and designed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey. It was published by Hasbro Interactive in 1998 under the Atari Interactive brand name.

Gameplay consists of a series of rounds that are completed once the player eliminates the centipede(s) that wind down the playing field. Obstacles such as spiders, fleas, and scorpions complicate the game. At the same time, a population of mushrooms grows between the player and each centipede. Optionally, the player is tasked with rescuing villagers and bystanders and preventing damage to key structures; although ignoring these tasks does not prevent the player from being able to complete the round regardless.

Gameplay

Screenshots of the original version (bottom) and the 1998 sequel (top).

The game can be played in two game modes: "Arcade" and "Adventure" — the latter marking a departure from the original version. Arcade mode allows the player to experience a ported version of the original arcade Centipede, with some enhancements.

In the adventure campaign, one completes a series of levels linked by a storyline. Here, the player encounters both the original enemies (centipede, spider, flea, scorpion, poisonous mushroom) and a new array as well (dragonfly, butterfly, firebug, icebug, killer mushroom, etc.), some of which are capable of throwing projectiles to destroy the shooter, and others capable of altering mushrooms. If an enemy or projectile contacts the shooter, the player loses a life.

Campaign story

Even though the graphics were 3D, they consisted of simple geometrical si shapes. There is the hexagonal head of the scorpion, as seen in the game.

The story centers around a collective of villages known as "Weedom" and a prophecy that foretells their imminent destruction. Each century, an army of large insects invades Weedom at the hands of their leader, the Queen Pede. The player assumes the role of Wally Gudmunzsun, who is tasked with the destruction of the invading insect army, while piloting a craft known simply as "The Shooter".

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastMacintoshPCPS
AllGame2/5 stars[6]N/AN/AN/A
CGSPN/AN/A4.5/5 stars[8]N/A
CGWN/AN/A3.5/5 stars[9]N/A
EGM4.625/10[10][lower-alpha 1]N/AN/A3.875/10[11][lower-alpha 2]
Game InformerN/AN/AN/A7/10[12]
GameFanN/AN/AN/A58%[15][lower-alpha 3]
GameRevolutionN/AN/AB[13]D[14]
GameSpot5.5/10[16]N/A6.9/10[17]5.3/10[18]
GameSpy3.5/10[19]N/AN/AN/A
IGN2.9/10[20]N/A7.6/10[21]5.5/10[22]
Next Generation3/5 stars[24]N/AN/A3/5 stars[25]
OPM (US)N/AN/AN/A1/5 stars[26]
The Cincinnati EnquirerN/AN/A1/4 stars[27]N/A
Aggregate score
GameRankings54%[3]N/A64%[4]59%[5]

The game received mixed reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3][4][5] Chris Charla of NextGen said of the PlayStation version in its September 1999 issue, "A solid 3D shooter with a nice, if young, story makes this a great game for your little brother, but don't be surprised if you find yourself playing a few games, too."[25] Five issues later, Adam Pavlacka said that the Dreamcast version "may look good in 3D, but the classic version of the game is still more fun."[24] GamePro said of the same Dreamcast version: "Who will dig on Centipede, and who will bag on it? Old schoolers will feel the pull of sentimentality, and may find themselves caught up in the newer, fiercer version of Centipede contained within. Twitch[y] gamers will also enjoy Centipede, but anyone not in those two classes may find the game tiresome and repetitive. Give Centipede a chance, you might just catch the bug."[28][lower-alpha 4]

The PC version won Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1998 "Classic Game of the Year" award. The staff praised the graphics, addictive gameplay and the game's enhancements.[29]

Notes

  1. Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Dreamcast version each a score of 4/10, one gave it 4.5/10, and the other gave it 6/10.
  2. In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the PlayStation version, one critic gave it a score of 2.5/10, another gave it 6/10, and the rest gave it each a score of 3.5/10.
  3. In GameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, three critics gave it each a score of 65, 62, and 48.
  4. GamePro gave the Dreamcast version 4.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, and two 4/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References

  1. GameSpot staff (October 23, 1998). "New Releases". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-releases/1100-2465296/. 
  2. Justice, Brandon (October 29, 1999). "Centipede Squiggles Past Original Release Date". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/30/centipede-squiggles-past-original-release-date. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Centipede for Dreamcast". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/196892-centipede/index.html. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Centipede for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/56670-centipede/index.html. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Centipede for PlayStation". https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196894-centipede/index.html. 
  6. Thorpe, Damien. "Centipede (DC) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20119&tab=review. 
  7. D'Aprile, Jason (June 25, 1999). "Centipede (PS)". CNET. http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Centipede/. 
  8. D'Aprile, Jason (November 26, 1998). "Centipede". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/160/centipede_review.html. 
  9. Jepsen, Dawn (March 1999). "A Bug's Death (Centipede Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (176): 157. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_176.pdf. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  10. Johnston, Chris; Boyer, Crispin; Chou, Che; Hager, Dean (January 2000). "Centipede". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (126): 221. https://archive.org/details/electronicgamingmonthlyvol126january2000600dpi/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Vol.%20126%20%5BJanuary%202000%5D%20%28Searchable%29/page/n217/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  11. Johnston, Chris; Chou, Che; Hager, Dean; Smith, Shawn (July 1999). "Centipede (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (120): 128. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f8/EGM_US_120.pdf. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  12. Fitzloff, Jay (July 1999). "Centipede (PS) [author mislabeled as "Paul Anderson""]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (75): 62. http://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=3389. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  13. Johnny B. (January 1999). "Centipede 3D [sic Review (PC)"]. CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32678-centipede-3d-review. 
  14. Liu, Johnny (June 1999). "Centipede Review (PS)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33989-centipede-review. 
  15. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (July 1999). "Centipede (PS)". GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (7): 12. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_07/page/n13/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  16. Stahl, Ben (December 3, 1999). "Centipede Review (DC)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/centipede-review/1900-2540204/. 
  17. Shamma, Tahsin (December 16, 1998). "Centipede Review (PC)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/centipede-review/1900-2538389/. 
  18. Stahl, Ben (June 1, 1999). "Centipede Review (PS)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/centipede-review/1900-2546992/. 
  19. BenT (January 4, 2000). "Centipede". IGN Entertainment. http://www.planetdreamcast.com/games/reviews/centipede/. 
  20. Gantayat, Anoop (November 22, 1999). "Centipede (DC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/23/centipede-2. 
  21. Blevins, Tal (November 16, 1998). "Centipede (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/17/centipede-5. 
  22. Harris, Craig (June 1, 1999). "Centipede (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/02/centipede-8. 
  23. Sammis, Ian (September 2001). "Centipede". MacADDICT (Imagine Media) (61): 48. https://archive.org/details/MacAddict-061-200109/page/n49/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  24. 24.0 24.1 Pavlacka, Adam (February 2000). "Centipede (DC)". NextGen (Imagine Media) (62): 92. https://archive.org/details/NextGen62Feb2000/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  25. 25.0 25.1 Charla, Chris (September 1999). "Centipede (PS)". NextGen (Imagine Media) (57): 87. https://archive.org/details/NextGen57Sep1999/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  26. Kujawa, Kraig (July 1999). "Centipede". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (10): 61. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_10_1999-07_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n61/mode/2up. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  27. Bottorff, James (1998). "'Centipede' should stay in arcade". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). http://cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/centipede.html. 
  28. Scary Larry (December 18, 1999). "Centipede Review for Dreamcast on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG). http://www.gamepro.com/sega/dreamcast/games/reviews/3718.shtml. Retrieved July 8, 2023. 
  29. CGSP staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998 (Classic Game of the Year)". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/017/163/classic_of_year.html. 

External links