Darxide

n/a

Darxide

System(s): Sega 32X

Publisher: Sega

Genre: Simulation

Number of players: 1

Release	Date	RRP	Code
EU	1996-01^[1]		84580-50

ELSPA

Darxide is a Sega 32X shoot-'em-up game developed by Frontier Developments and published by Sega in early 1996. It is notable for being one of two 32X games only to be released in Europe, and the only one which is region locked.

Darxide was developed with the canceled Sega Neptune Sega Mega Drive/Sega 32X hybrid console in mind (with the aim of becoming a launch title), but delays in production and the subsequent halting of the Neptune project meant it premiered as the very last 32X game in Europe (with North America seeing theirs, Spider-Man: Web of Fire in early 1996). Darxide was once set for release in North America but the plans fell through for unknown reasons.

Gameplay

The game is a 3D shooter, similar to Asteroids but with an extra dimension. The player's task is to eliminate all asteroids and alien ships within a certain time limit, and is said to be extremely difficult as a result. It is one of the few 32X games to make use of textured polygons and basic lighting, setting it aside from most other 32X games which stuck with two dimensions. The entire game is in fact rendered by the 32X hardware, unlike most other 32X titles which share responsibilities with the Mega Drive components.

During gameplay, Darxide usually runs between 10FPS and 20FPS, depending on how active the screen is at any one time. However, the game can drop to single digit frame rates when presented with polygons being rendered close to the camera. All textured polygons are handled in software, and as no perspective correction is used, textures "warp" when viewed from oblique angles (something more commonly seen on the original PlayStation).

History

Legacy

Despite receiving mixed reviews from the press at the time, in recent years Darxide has become one of the rarest (or at least, most sought-after) 32X games, with copies being known to sell for $700-$1000 USD second-hand. Frontier released a sequel (or partial remake), Darxide EMP for Pocket PCs and the Nokia Series 60 in 2003/2004.

Production credits

Designed by: Peter Irvin, David Braben
Programmed by: Peter Irvin
Assisted by: Chris Mullender
Produced by: Duncan Kershaw
Music and Sound Effects by: Adam Salkeld
3D Shapes by: Aggy Finn
2D Graphics by: Aggy Finn, Chris Mullender, Reece Millidge
Additional Thanks to: James Dixon, Jonathan Roach

Magazine articles

Main article: Darxide/Magazine articles.

Artwork

North American prototype cover

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

Hobby Consolas (ES)

PAL

87

^[6]

MAN!AC (DE)

PAL

36

^[2]

Mega Fun (DE)

PAL

63

^[3]

Mean Machines Sega (UK)

PAL

79

^[1]

Sega Magazin (DE)

PAL

82

^[4]

Sega News (CZ)

PAL

80

^[7]

Sega Power (UK)

PAL

59

^[8]

Sega Pro (UK)

PAL

85

^[9]

Video Games (DE)

PAL

72

^[5]

	71
Based on 9 reviews

Darxide

32X, EU
Cover
Cart

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf, page 72 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf_p72" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 File:MAN!AC DE 1996-04.pdf, page 67 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MAN!AC DE 1996-04.pdf_p67" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 File:MegaFun DE 1996-03.pdf, page 87 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MegaFun DE 1996-03.pdf_p87" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 File:SegaMagazin DE 28.pdf, page 16 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SegaMagazin DE 28.pdf_p16" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 File:VideoGames DE 1996-02.pdf, page 84 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:VideoGames DE 1996-02.pdf_p84" defined multiple times with different content
↑ Hobby Consolas, "Enero 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 74
↑ Sega News, "Listopad 1996" (CZ; 1996-1x-xx), page 29
↑ Sega Power, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-18), page 38
↑ Sega Pro, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-25), page 58

[:File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf_p72-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf, page 72 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf_p72" defined multiple times with different content

[:File:MAN.21AC_DE_1996-04.pdf_p67-2] 2.0 ^2.1 File:MAN!AC DE 1996-04.pdf, page 67 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MAN!AC DE 1996-04.pdf_p67" defined multiple times with different content

[:File:MegaFun_DE_1996-03.pdf_p87-3] 3.0 ^3.1 File:MegaFun DE 1996-03.pdf, page 87 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MegaFun DE 1996-03.pdf_p87" defined multiple times with different content

[:File:SegaMagazin_DE_28.pdf_p16-4] 4.0 ^4.1 File:SegaMagazin DE 28.pdf, page 16 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SegaMagazin DE 28.pdf_p16" defined multiple times with different content

[:File:VideoGames_DE_1996-02.pdf_p84-5] 5.0 ^5.1 File:VideoGames DE 1996-02.pdf, page 84 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:VideoGames DE 1996-02.pdf_p84" defined multiple times with different content

[:File:HobbyConsolas_ES_052.pdf_p74-6] Hobby Consolas, "Enero 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 74

[:File:Sega_News_2_CZ.pdf_p29-7] Sega News, "Listopad 1996" (CZ; 1996-1x-xx), page 29

[:File:SegaPower_UK_76.pdf_p38-8] Sega Power, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-18), page 38

[:File:SegaPro_UK_55.pdf_p58-9] Sega Pro, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-25), page 58

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Darxide

From Sega Retro

Contents

Gameplay

History

Legacy

Production credits

Magazine articles

Artwork

Physical scans

References