Dropship: United Peace Force
Encyclopedia
Dropship: United Peace Force is a flight simulator
combat game for the PlayStation 2
, released in 2002. The player assumes the role of a pilot in the United Peace Force, a fictional multinational military organisation charged with combating terrorism and organized crime across the world. The game itself is set in 2050.
Unlike many science fiction flight simulator games, Dropship is set in the near future, and the vehicles and weapons, although futuristic, are grounded in reality, and bear many recognizable traits of modern military aircraft. The game has missions where the player must fly low not to be spotted, protect vulnerable craft and deliver/pick up valuable cargo. Another feature of the game is the VTOL ability of most of the game's aircraft, allowing the player to switch to a hover mode and land the aircraft manually.
, many developers had expressed an interest in creating the experience within a videogame. Joe Money and Nick Ryan were able to get their take on this choice concept green-lighted at SCEE
's Camden studio.
division, SCEA
, opted to not publish the title. It was instead picked by a smaller publisher, BAM! Entertainment
.
Though the game was critically acclaimed, it was a commercial flop.
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
combat game for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, released in 2002. The player assumes the role of a pilot in the United Peace Force, a fictional multinational military organisation charged with combating terrorism and organized crime across the world. The game itself is set in 2050.
Gameplay
The game features a number of futuristic aircraft, including agile fighters, and slower transport aircraft. The game also features levels in which the player drives military vehicles such as armored personnel carriers.Unlike many science fiction flight simulator games, Dropship is set in the near future, and the vehicles and weapons, although futuristic, are grounded in reality, and bear many recognizable traits of modern military aircraft. The game has missions where the player must fly low not to be spotted, protect vulnerable craft and deliver/pick up valuable cargo. Another feature of the game is the VTOL ability of most of the game's aircraft, allowing the player to switch to a hover mode and land the aircraft manually.
Origins
After seeing the sci-fi concept of a military dropship being launched from a space platform; for delivering troops and vehicles to any part of a planet so well realised in the movie AliensAliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
, many developers had expressed an interest in creating the experience within a videogame. Joe Money and Nick Ryan were able to get their take on this choice concept green-lighted at SCEE
SCEE
SCEE can refer to:*Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, a subsidiary of Sony*School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a constituent college of the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan...
's Camden studio.
Scaling down the project
The project was first made public in April 2000, along with a host of other PlayStation 2 titles from SCEE's various studios. From the offset, the title promised a chance to pilot a dropship from planetary orbit, straight down to a combat zone. Pre-rendered images released at the time pointed to just such an experience.http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/014/014437/img_1231571.html The mock ups also show craft that are far closer to sci-fi spaceships than the designs that would later appear.http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/014/014437/img_1231467.htmlNorth American Release
The US PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
division, SCEA
SCEA
SCEA can refer to:* Sun Certified Enterprise Architect, a professional certification* Sony Computer Entertainment of America, the American division of Sony Computer Entertainment* Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis* Single Choice Early Action...
, opted to not publish the title. It was instead picked by a smaller publisher, BAM! Entertainment
BAM! Entertainment
BAM! Entertainment is a dormant video game publisher that published such titles as Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, and various video game console adaptations of Cartoon Network programs. Threatened as early as 2002, NASDAQ eventually delisted their...
.
Though the game was critically acclaimed, it was a commercial flop.
External links
- Official Website
- Behind-the-scenes feature on the game's development Quicktime: 4min Dur