Gain Ground
Encyclopedia
Gain Ground is a 1988 action
-strategy
arcade game
with real-time strategy
elements, later ported
to the Sega Master System
, Mega Drive/Genesis, and PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16
). In 2004, it was re-released in Radica Games
' TVPlay Legends Vol. II TV Games compilation. It was remade in the PlayStation 2
title Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 9: Gain Ground, which was released only in Japan
. The Mega Drive/Genesis version was made available on the European and Australian Virtual Console
on February 2, 2007, and was made available in North America on February 5, 2007. The game has also appeared on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
. The game has also appeared on the Sega Genesis Collection
on the PlayStation 2
and the PSP
. On June 1, 2010 the game became available on Steam
as part of the 'Sega Mega Drive Classics Pack'.
Littered across the level are captive characters, which can be rescued by walking over, then escorting the controlled character to the exit point. If a player controlled character is killed, that character turns into a captive, except that they will disappear if the next active player controlled character dies, exits the level without them, or the player has no characters left in their party.
The game is over when all controlled characters in the party are killed without any reaching the exit. However, there are three continues which allow a player to restart the level with their original three characters.
There are 40 levels in the arcade version of the game. The Master System and the Genesis/Mega Drive have 50 levels in the game.
in Gain Ground, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has a minor, weak weapon which can be fired in any direction, and a special weapon which has different capabilities from the normal attack and which vary between characters.
The characters in Gain Ground also vary in which hand they hold their weapons. This was originally done purely for cosmetic purposes, but it was very soon discovered that this feature made it easier for some characters to shoot around certain walls and obstacles than others. When selecting a character for a situation, one must consider the character's speed, weapon type and range, and with which hands they hold their weapons.
in 1988, Gain Ground ran on the Sega System 24 architecture. It supported up to three players at once. Each player had an 8-direction controller and two buttons.
Gain Ground was ported to the Sega Master System
in 1990 and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. Renovation Products
released the Genesis version in the United States. Both coversions were handled by SIMS. In 1992, a PC Engine Super CD-ROM² version (Gain Ground SX) was released by NEC Avenue. In 2004, the game was remade for a modern audience on the PlayStation 2 as part of Sega
's Sega Ages 2500
series. It's now been ported onto the Wii
's Virtual Console
for download. In 2006, the game was re-released as part of the Sega Genesis Collection
.
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...
-strategy
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
with real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
elements, later ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, Mega Drive/Genesis, and PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
). In 2004, it was re-released in Radica Games
Radica Games
Radica Games Limited is a company that produces electronic games. On October 3, 2006, Mattel, Inc. announced the completion of their acquisition of Radica. Radica was originally founded in 1983. It began by producing electronic souvenir games for casinos. In the late 1990s, it became famous for...
' TVPlay Legends Vol. II TV Games compilation. It was remade in 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...
title Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 9: Gain Ground, which was released only in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Mega Drive/Genesis version was made available on the European and Australian Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on February 2, 2007, and was made available in North America on February 5, 2007. The game has also appeared on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for 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...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The game has also appeared on the Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
on 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...
and the PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. On June 1, 2010 the game became available on Steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
as part of the 'Sega Mega Drive Classics Pack'.
Gameplay
In Gain Ground, players control one of a set of characters at a time. There are twenty characters, each with different weapons. To beat a level, players must reach the exit point with at least one character or destroy all enemies on the level before time runs out.Littered across the level are captive characters, which can be rescued by walking over, then escorting the controlled character to the exit point. If a player controlled character is killed, that character turns into a captive, except that they will disappear if the next active player controlled character dies, exits the level without them, or the player has no characters left in their party.
The game is over when all controlled characters in the party are killed without any reaching the exit. However, there are three continues which allow a player to restart the level with their original three characters.
There are 40 levels in the arcade version of the game. The Master System and the Genesis/Mega Drive have 50 levels in the game.
Characters
There are twenty playable charactersPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
in Gain Ground, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has a minor, weak weapon which can be fired in any direction, and a special weapon which has different capabilities from the normal attack and which vary between characters.
The characters in Gain Ground also vary in which hand they hold their weapons. This was originally done purely for cosmetic purposes, but it was very soon discovered that this feature made it easier for some characters to shoot around certain walls and obstacles than others. When selecting a character for a situation, one must consider the character's speed, weapon type and range, and with which hands they hold their weapons.
| Name | Hand, walking speed | Normal weapon | Special weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athra (アスラ Asura) |
Right-handed, quick | Spear, short range | Arcing spear, short range All directions |
| Betty (ベティ Beti) |
Ambidextrous, average | Pistol, short range (left hand) | Grenade, short range North only (right hand) |
| Cyber (サイバー Saibaa) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range (right hand) | Spread missiles, long range North only (left hand) |
| Fire Knight (ファイアーナイト Faiaanaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Fireball, short range North only |
| Gascon (ガスコン Gasucon) |
Right-handed, quick | Spear, short range | Arcing spear, short range North only |
| General (ジェネラル Jeneraru) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range (right hand) |
Flamethrower, short range All directions (left hand) |
| Glow Knight (グロウナイト Guronaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Orbiting balls of light |
| Honey (ハニー Hanii) |
Ambidextrous, average | Pistol, medium range (left hand) |
Grenades, short range All directions (right hand) |
| Johnny (ジョニー Jonii) |
Right-handed, quick | Rifle, medium range | Rifle, medium range North only |
| Kid (キッド Kiddo) |
Left-handed, average | SMG, medium range | SMG, medium range East/West simultaneously |
| Kou (コウ Kou) |
Left-handed, average | SMG, medium range | SMG, medium range North only |
| Mam (マム Mamu) |
Ambidextrous, quick | Pistol, medium range (left hand) |
Boomerang, medium range North only (right hand) |
| Mars (マース Maasu) |
Right-handed, quick | Arrow, medium range | Arcing arrow, medium range North only |
| Mud Puppy (マッドパピー Maddopapii) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range (right hand) |
Laser cannon, long range North only (left hand) |
| Professor (教授 Kyoju) |
Left-handed, quick | Rifle, long range | Rifle, long range East/West simultaneously |
| Robby (ロビー Robii) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range (right hand) |
SAM Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles... , long range All directions (left hand) |
| Valkyrie (バルキリー Barukirii) |
Ambidextrous, quick | Pistol, medium range (left hand) |
Boomerang, medium range All directions (right hand) |
| Verbal (バーバル Baabaru) |
Right-handed, quick | Arrow, medium range | Arcing arrow, medium range All directions |
| Water Knight (ウォーターナイト Wootaanaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Water spout, short range All directions (stuns enemies) |
| Zaemon (ザエモン Zaemon) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Tornado, short range (Spirals outward, bounces off enemies & walls) |
- "Cyber" seems to be directly inspired by the title character of the RoboCopRoboCopRoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
film series, only colored red instead of silver. - Mars' appearance and use of a bow and arrow have drawn comparisons with the title character of the RamboRamboRambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare...
film series. - "Robby the Robot" is a subtle reference to the character from the vintage TV show, Lost in SpaceLost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
. - The "General" has been noted by players to bear more than a passing resemblance to Street Fighter series villain, M. BisonM. BisonM. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street...
, although the character didn't appear until 1992 after this game's release. Players have nicknamed the character "Bison" due to the name, General, being rather generic.
History
Gain Ground started off as an arcade game. Released in Japan and AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1988, Gain Ground ran on the Sega System 24 architecture. It supported up to three players at once. Each player had an 8-direction controller and two buttons.
Gain Ground was ported to the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
in 1990 and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. Renovation Products
Renovation Products
Renovation Products Inc. was the North American subsidiary for Telenet Japan. They published and localized many of the games from Telenet Japan and its subsidiaries for North America, but they never actually developed any games...
released the Genesis version in the United States. Both coversions were handled by SIMS. In 1992, a PC Engine Super CD-ROM² version (Gain Ground SX) was released by NEC Avenue. In 2004, the game was remade for a modern audience on the PlayStation 2 as part of Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Sega Ages 2500
Sega Ages
Sega Ages refers to a number of compilations or re-releases of classic video games from developer and publisher Sega.-Saturn version:Sega-AM2 released several Sega Ages games for the Sega Saturn in Japan:...
series. It's now been ported onto the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
for download. In 2006, the game was re-released as part of the Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
.
Storyline
From a Gain Ground flyer:A long period of peace has deprived the earthlings of their instinct to wage war. The Federated Government, greatly concerned regarding this ever increasing dangerous situation, developed a Gain Ground simulation system in the year 2348 in an effort to instigate their ever waning fighting spirit. However, suddenly without warning, the Supercomputer went berserk and took many of the citizens as hostages. In order to rescue the POWs, three of the bravest warriors were urgently dispatched to go forth into the deadly Gain Ground.
External links
- Translation of an interview with Yoshiki Ohka, one of the programmers for Gain Ground, via the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.