Bangai-O

From Sega Retro

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Bangai-O
System(s): Sega Dreamcast
Publisher: Treasure/ESP (JP), Crave Entertainment (US), Swing! Entertainment (EU)
Developer:
Distributor: Virgin Interactive (EU)
Peripherals supported: Jump Pack, Dreamcast Modem, Visual Memory Unit
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Dreamcast
JP 		¥5,8005,800 T-38702M
Sega Dreamcast
US 		T-40217N
Sega Dreamcast
EU 		T-7011D-50

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Bangai-O, known as Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh (爆裂無敵 バンガイオー) in Japan, is a shoot-'em-up video game developed by Treasure for Japanese Nintendo 64 consoles in September 1999. With assistance from Conspiracy Entertainment it was brought to the Sega Dreamcast three months later, where it eventually saw a worldwide release.

There is also a Collector's Edition of the game that was given out as part of a contest in Japan. Only five copies were ever made making it extremely rare.

The European version was published by Swing! Entertainment, but it was however released under Virgin Interactive, the European distributor of the game's T-Series code.

Gameplay

Bangai-O is a shoot-'em-up game in which the player, piloting a mechanoid, can fly in one of eight directions across the screen shooting a constant stream of projectiles at enemies and obstacles. Taking cues from the "bullet hell" sub-genre of shooters, Bangai-O is populated with sometimes hundreds of enemies which can fire at a rapid pace. The object of the game is to clear the level of enemies within a given time limit.

The Dreamcast version makes several tweaks over its Nintendo 64 counterpart, changing rules on super moves and adding more content (as well as refining pre-existing assets such as graphics and music).

History

Development

Bangai-O was originally intended to be a remake of the 1985 PC-8801 and Sharp X1 game, Hover Attack, but inevitably became its own independent game. The mechanics in Bangai-O are very similar to those found in Hover Attacks, however the pace of play is a great deal faster and enemies are more plentiful. It also, as expected, offers superior graphics and sound. Vehicles found in Hover Attack are missing in Bangai-O, presumably as their use had been depreciated.

Legacy

Despite critical acclaim, limited marketing kept the Dreamcast version of Bangai-O from becoming a huge success in the west. This is particularly noticable in PAL regions, where its late release of March 2001 has made led Bangai-O to retain its value over a decade after going on sale.

Nevertheless, Bangai-O was followed by the Nintendo DS game Bangai-O Spirits in 2008 and Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury for Xbox Live Arcade in 2011.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Bangai-O Bangai-O
English (US) Bangai-O Bangai-O
Japanese 爆裂無敵バンガイオー Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh

Magazine articles

Main article: Bangai-O/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
60 [1]
83 [3]
87 [4]
65 [5]
68 №574, p31
Sega Dreamcast
 73
Based on
5 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL
50
[1]
Dreamcast Monthly (UK) NTSC-J
70
[6]
Dreamcast Monthly (UK) PAL
80
[7]
Dreamcast: Le Magazine Officiel (FR) PAL
60
[8]
Dreamcast Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
83
[3]
Dreamcast Magazine (UK) NTSC-J
65
[5]
Dreamcast Magazine (UK) PAL
69
[9]
Dorimaga (JP) NTSC-J
87
[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
75
[10]
Fun Generation (DE) NTSC-J
30
[11]
GameFan (US) NTSC-J
85
[12]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
65
[13]
Gamers' Republic (US) NTSC-J
100
[14]
Gamers' Republic (US) NTSC-U
100
[15]
Joypad (FR) PAL
50
[16]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
61
[17]
Neo Plus (PL)
80
[18]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-U
75
[19]
Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK) PAL
70
[20]
Playmag (FR) PAL
70
[21]
Sega Magazin (DE) PAL
31
[2]
Strana Igr (RU)
65
[22]
Video Games (DE) PAL
68
[23]
Sega Dreamcast
 69
Based on
23 reviews

Bangai-O

Dreamcast, US
BangaiO DC US Box Back.jpgBangaiO DC US Box Front.jpg
Cover
BangaiO DC US Disc.jpg
Disc
Bangaio dc us manual.pdf
Manual
Bangaio dc us inlay.jpg
Inlay
Dreamcast, EU
Bangaio dc eu backcover.jpgBangaio dc eu frontcover.jpg
Cover
Bangaio dc eu disc.jpg
Disc
Dreamcast, JP
BangaiO DC JP Box Back.pngBangaiO DC JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
BangaiO DC JP Disc.png
Disc
Bangaio dc jp manual.pdf
Manual

External links

  • Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Dreamcast

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Computer & Video Games, "February 2001" (UK; 2001-01-17), page 107
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sega Magazin, "November 2000" (DE; 2000-10-02), page 21
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "1999-39 (1999-12-17,24)" (JP; 1999-12-03), page 21
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dorimaga, "2002-18 (2002-10-11)" (JP; 2002-09-27), page 34
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 5" (UK; 2000-01-27), page 78
  6. ↑ Dreamcast Monthly, "March 2000" (UK; 2000-02-17), page 94
  7. ↑ Dreamcast Monthly, "December 2000" (UK; 2000-10-26), page 70
  8. ↑ Dreamcast: Le Magazine Officiel, "Septembre/Octobre 2000" (FR; 2000-0x-xx), page 72
  9. ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 14" (UK; 2000-10-05), page 56
  10. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 2001" (US; 2001-02-06), page 113
  11. ↑ Fun Generation, "02/2000" (DE; 2000-01-19), page 96
  12. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 8, Issue 3: March 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 13
  13. ↑ GamePro, "May 2001" (US; 2001-0x-xx), page 80
  14. ↑ Gamers' Republic, "January 2000" (US; 1999-12-19), page 112
  15. ↑ Gamers' Republic, "December 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 87
  16. ↑ Joypad, "Septembre 2000" (FR; 2000-xx-xx), page 156
  17. ↑ MAN!AC, "12/2000" (DE; 2000-11-02), page 71
  18. ↑ Neo Plus, "Maj 2001" (PL; 2001-xx-xx), page 56
  19. ↑ Next Generation, "May 2001" (US; 2001-04-17), page 85
  20. ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "December 2000" (UK; 2000-11-02), page 86
  21. ↑ Playmag, "Octobre 2000" (FR; 2000-xx-xx), page 128
  22. ↑ Strana Igr, "Sentyabr 2000 2/2" (RU; 2000-xx-xx), page 18
  23. ↑ Video Games, "12/2000" (DE; 2000-11-02), page 123
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