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Onslaught (2009 video game)
Encyclopedia
Onslaught is a first-person shooter
for WiiWare
by Hudson Soft
. It was released in Europe on February 13, 2009, in North America on February 23, 2009, and in Japan on March 3, 2009.
insects, which the player must destroy and ultimately uncover what happened to the colony. The game features 13 levels grouped into tiers, with the player needing to pass all stages in a tier and defeat a boss
in order to progress to the next one.
Like other Wii games in the genre, Onslaught uses the pointer function of the Wii Remote
to aim and the Nunchuk to move. Motion controls are also utilized with a throwing motion of the Nunchuk used to toss grenades and waggling of the Remote to reload. Motion controls are also used to wield a laser whip, and to wipe off insect blood which can blind and damage the player. Players can also issue simple orders to two squad mates who provide additional support, while some levels give the player the chance to pilot a heavily armed vehicle.
The game also features online score-based competitive and co-operative multiplayer for up to 4 players through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
.
mode from the game is the consequence of Hudson’s core design philosophy which prohibits explicit violence between people playing a game. Another design decision was the focus on attaining high scores and rankings compared to simply completing objectives as with other games in the genre.
GamesRadar
gave it a 6/10, praising the solid controls but also noted the game's dull presentation and generic narrative. IGN
, which also gave it 6/10, ultimately summed it up as a "a huge mess of different quality standards", citing poor localization and slow and repetitive gameplay, but thought the game was still somewhat fun "in an odd, disjointed, Earth Defense Force
kind of way".
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
for WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
. It was released in Europe on February 13, 2009, in North America on February 23, 2009, and in Japan on March 3, 2009.
Gameplay
Onslaught sees the player as a member of a military team sent to a research colony on a distant planet after contact is lost. Upon arrival the team is attacked by swarms of cyborgCyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
insects, which the player must destroy and ultimately uncover what happened to the colony. The game features 13 levels grouped into tiers, with the player needing to pass all stages in a tier and defeat a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
in order to progress to the next one.
Like other Wii games in the genre, Onslaught uses the pointer function of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
to aim and the Nunchuk to move. Motion controls are also utilized with a throwing motion of the Nunchuk used to toss grenades and waggling of the Remote to reload. Motion controls are also used to wield a laser whip, and to wipe off insect blood which can blind and damage the player. Players can also issue simple orders to two squad mates who provide additional support, while some levels give the player the chance to pilot a heavily armed vehicle.
The game also features online score-based competitive and co-operative multiplayer for up to 4 players through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
.
Development
Despite featuring a score-based competitive multiplayer mode, the exclusion of a deathmatchDeathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
mode from the game is the consequence of Hudson’s core design philosophy which prohibits explicit violence between people playing a game. Another design decision was the focus on attaining high scores and rankings compared to simply completing objectives as with other games in the genre.
Reception
WiiWare World scored Onslaught a 9/10, praising the online multiplayer and the replay value of the single player campaign. Official Nintendo Magazine gave it 79%, also praising the multiplayer but believing the story mode to be "extremely dull with a plodding pace".GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
gave it a 6/10, praising the solid controls but also noted the game's dull presentation and generic narrative. 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...
, which also gave it 6/10, ultimately summed it up as a "a huge mess of different quality standards", citing poor localization and slow and repetitive gameplay, but thought the game was still somewhat fun "in an odd, disjointed, Earth Defense Force
Earth Defense Force 2017
Earth Defense Force 2017, known in Japan as is a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot, and published by D3 Publisher, for the Xbox 360. It is the follow-up to Global Defence Force, and is the first game in the series to be released to North America...
kind of way".