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Deathrow (game)
Encyclopedia
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 Deathrow (game)#External links. Deathrow is backwards compatible with the Xbox 360
.
Despite the game's title, the fictional sport it simulates is called Blitz. Blitz is a futuristic extreme sport set in 2219 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 support the custom soundtrack feature. 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.”
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!
sentenced to death for the most abominable acts. The penitentiary governors
lured them on with the promise that victory would lead to freedom, but it's
mostly out of sheer bloodlust that they enter the arena. For these guys, it's
victory or death."
Beverly Hills - have chosen their finest guards for this prestige team. Their
sophisticated equipment makes them highly mobile in the arena. They're
dazzlingly victorious. They strike first, and they strike hard."
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.
, http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/560434.asp and multiple awards from IGN
, (game)#External links the sales for Deathrow were modest. The game was not well advertised, receiving only a single page advertisement in the Official Xbox Magazine
for 3 issues. The game's publicity however was excellent and generated significant print and online coverage which generated a lot of word of mouth, and web forum posts. 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.
Game Rankings: Deathrow
Awards
IGN Best of 2002: Action Runner-Up
IGN Best of 2002: Game Nobody Played
IGN Editors Choice
TeamXbox Breakthrough Game of the Year
Cheats
Misc.
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
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
SouthEnd Interactive
SouthEnd Interactive is a game development studio based in Malmö,Sweden. SouthEnd works on game productions from various genres that run from various clients, such as Ubisoft and Sierra Online...
and produced by Ubisoft Entertainment. Although the game’s sales were unspectacular, it won awards and reviewers applauded the game's uniqueness and character Deathrow (game)#External links. Deathrow is backwards compatible with the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Despite the game's title, the fictional sport it simulates is called Blitz. Blitz is a futuristic extreme sport set in 2219 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 support the custom soundtrack feature. 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.”
Story
2197: In Los Angeles, Blitz - an extremely violent illegal sport - makes itsfirst 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!
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 will put on a show to slay all those TV junkies out there.Convicts
"Convicts are the worst scum of the galaxy - the most hardened criminals,sentenced to death for the most abominable acts. The penitentiary governors
lured them on with the promise that victory would lead to freedom, but it's
mostly out of sheer bloodlust that they enter the arena. For these guys, it's
victory or death."
Protectors
"The Protectors - a private militia, much prized by the celebrities of NewBeverly Hills - have chosen their finest guards for this prestige team. Their
sophisticated equipment makes them highly mobile in the arena. They're
dazzlingly victorious. They strike first, and they strike hard."
Sea Cats
A team consisting entirely of genetically altered women. Their legendary speed and precision shooting give them a clear advantage in the arena.Secondary teams
- Black Dragons
- Crushers
- Marines
- Disciples
- Nukeheads
- Sandraiders
- Demons
- Mercs
- Angels
- Slashers
- Sentinels
- Titans
- Training Droids
First Blitzers
The ultimate team, they are powerful, fast, and cohesive as a team. They disappeared for some years but have recently returned, even more dominant than before. They have to be unlocked to play in single match mode and cannot be used in conquest mode.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.
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.Popularity
Despite receiving solid reviews from Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/560434.asp and multiple awards from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, (game)#External links the sales for Deathrow were modest. The game was not well advertised, receiving only a single page advertisement in the Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
for 3 issues. The game's publicity however was excellent and generated significant print and online coverage which generated a lot of word of mouth, and web forum posts. TeamXbox
TeamXbox
TeamXbox is a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. While the majority of content is Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covers general technology and other video game news....
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.
External links
ReviewsGame Rankings: Deathrow
- http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/560434.asp
Awards
IGN Best of 2002: Action Runner-Up
- http://xbox.ign.com/articles/382/382669p1.html
IGN Best of 2002: Game Nobody Played
- http://xbox.ign.com/articles/383/383047p1.html
IGN Editors Choice
- http://xbox.ign.com/index/choice.html
TeamXbox Breakthrough Game of the Year
- http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/488/TXB-Games-of-the-Year-2002-Awards/p1/
Cheats
- http://cheats.ign.com/ob2/068/480/480121.html
Misc.
- http://www.southend.se/
- http://www.ubi.com/US/