Demolition Man (video game)
Encyclopedia
Demolition Man is a multiplatform action
video game based on the film
of the same name with running and gunning elements. The player controls the main character, John Spartan as he attempts to find and defeat his arch-nemesis, Simon Phoenix. Even though he is the final boss of the game, the player has to fight him in short-lived "teaser" battles before defeating him for good at the cryo-prison.
type in side view, and include jumping and climbing, while other stages take an overhead top-down shooter
view; in all stages the player character can fire in eight directions. Stages are filled with many enemies, mostly gunmen. Enemy characters and the player character can take a number of hits before dying. Power ups can be found around the stages that increase the characters health or ammunition. The game gives the player limited continues and very few lives. The first stage is set in 1996 and all stages after in 2032, following a simplified plot of the movie. In the two overhead view stages the player must find and rescue hostages in order to unlock further into the level.
Weapons include the basic police-issue handgun
, the basic rifle
, rapid-fire machine gun
, hand grenade
s, among others. Losing a life can occur through being shot to death, being crushed to death, being thrown off the train, accidentally getting frozen by Simon Phoenix's cryogenic gun, and falling into a pit of lava.
rail shooter segments, although some levels are not on rails and are similar to Doom. Fighting is depicted similar to Mortal Kombat, as it is viewed from a 2D side perspective. There is also a driving segment near the end of the game. Because of the capabilities of the 3DO at the time, there is a great level of detail which can be noticed even in the menu screen. Due to the advanced 3DO sound engine, the soundtrack
is ripped directly from the movie, and Full Motion Video (FMV) both from the movie and exclusive to the game are also included.
." Hardcore fans of the movie would eventually find out that the "talking computer" can only utter MDK
repeatedly in the game. Even with this limitation in mind, the game can keep track of the player's score and how many people he has killed. Due to the game's Kids-to-Adults rating, there is no adult language as seen in the movie. When players see the machines that gave out fines for "violating the verbal morality stature" in the movie, they are considered to be mere decorations in the video game.
All references to Taco Bell
have been eliminated because the Taco Bell restaurant is part of a side story involving Raymond Cocteau, Lenina Huxley, and John Spartan; it has nothing to do with the main quest of apprehending Simon Phoenix. The gunmen in the game are assumed to belong to Edgar Friendly; the movie mentions about a resistance army in the sewers rebelling against Raymond Cocteau's control of San Angeles
. Simon Phoenix does not gather an army of his own until late in the movie and Edgar Friendly is the only one who has the charisma to recruit a mass number of gunmen from the start of the 2032 (future) segment of the film. There is also another stage that was never in the movie; the maglev train level. In this level, John Spartan must navigate through a futuristic train. He must try to avoid either getting killed by the thugs or the devices controlled by the train's central processing unit
. The object of that level was to stop the train before it went uncontrollably fast. The futuristic parking lot level introduced a robotic villain that was never seen in the film; a renegade car crusher that attacked the player with automobiles.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
video game based on the film
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
of the same name with running and gunning elements. The player controls the main character, John Spartan as he attempts to find and defeat his arch-nemesis, Simon Phoenix. Even though he is the final boss of the game, the player has to fight him in short-lived "teaser" battles before defeating him for good at the cryo-prison.
SNES, SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive and Sega CD
Two different views are used within the game. Some stages are platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
type in side view, and include jumping and climbing, while other stages take an overhead top-down shooter
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
view; in all stages the player character can fire in eight directions. Stages are filled with many enemies, mostly gunmen. Enemy characters and the player character can take a number of hits before dying. Power ups can be found around the stages that increase the characters health or ammunition. The game gives the player limited continues and very few lives. The first stage is set in 1996 and all stages after in 2032, following a simplified plot of the movie. In the two overhead view stages the player must find and rescue hostages in order to unlock further into the level.
Weapons include the basic police-issue handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, the basic rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, rapid-fire machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, among others. Losing a life can occur through being shot to death, being crushed to death, being thrown off the train, accidentally getting frozen by Simon Phoenix's cryogenic gun, and falling into a pit of lava.
3DO
There are three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and hard. The game is broken up into levels, which divides up the gameplay style as not all the levels are played the same. Levels mostly comprise of first personFirst person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
rail shooter segments, although some levels are not on rails and are similar to Doom. Fighting is depicted similar to Mortal Kombat, as it is viewed from a 2D side perspective. There is also a driving segment near the end of the game. Because of the capabilities of the 3DO at the time, there is a great level of detail which can be noticed even in the menu screen. Due to the advanced 3DO sound engine, the soundtrack
Demolition Man (soundtrack)
-Crew/Credit:*Music Composed by Elliot Goldenthal*Music Produced by Matthias Gohl*Orchestrated by Elliot Goldenthal and Robert Elhai*Conducted by Jonathan Sheffer / Additional: Artie Kane*Recorded by Steve McLaughlin and Bobby Fernandez...
is ripped directly from the movie, and Full Motion Video (FMV) both from the movie and exclusive to the game are also included.
Comparisons between video game and the movie
This emasculation of the movie eliminates all of the comedic elements and turns the game into a straight action game with minor witty comments that appeared on the SNES and the Sega Genesis versions of the game. Examples of these minor witty comments included statements like "you look great today" and "avoid fatty foodsTrans fat
Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid. Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated....
." Hardcore fans of the movie would eventually find out that the "talking computer" can only utter MDK
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
repeatedly in the game. Even with this limitation in mind, the game can keep track of the player's score and how many people he has killed. Due to the game's Kids-to-Adults rating, there is no adult language as seen in the movie. When players see the machines that gave out fines for "violating the verbal morality stature" in the movie, they are considered to be mere decorations in the video game.
All references to Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
have been eliminated because the Taco Bell restaurant is part of a side story involving Raymond Cocteau, Lenina Huxley, and John Spartan; it has nothing to do with the main quest of apprehending Simon Phoenix. The gunmen in the game are assumed to belong to Edgar Friendly; the movie mentions about a resistance army in the sewers rebelling against Raymond Cocteau's control of San Angeles
San Angeles
San Angeles is a fictional futuristic concept of Southern California, United States, typically configured by commentators and films producers to include the areas of Los Angeles to San Diego and sometimes even San Bernardino to Riverside...
. Simon Phoenix does not gather an army of his own until late in the movie and Edgar Friendly is the only one who has the charisma to recruit a mass number of gunmen from the start of the 2032 (future) segment of the film. There is also another stage that was never in the movie; the maglev train level. In this level, John Spartan must navigate through a futuristic train. He must try to avoid either getting killed by the thugs or the devices controlled by the train's central processing unit
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
. The object of that level was to stop the train before it went uncontrollably fast. The futuristic parking lot level introduced a robotic villain that was never seen in the film; a renegade car crusher that attacked the player with automobiles.