P-O-X
Encyclopedia
P-O-X is a handheld electronic game
released by Hasbro
in 2001. The game includes both single-player and multi-player modes and a 30-foot (9 m) wireless connection
range.
P-O-X was introduced through a viral marketing
scheme. Hasbro asked boys in Chicago
schools, "playgrounds, skate park
s and video arcades" who they thought the "coolest
kid" was, until they found kids who felt they were "the coolest" themselves, and distributed free copies of the game to them.
P-O-X performed strongly enough in the Chicago market to convince executives major toy retailer Toys R' Us to come on board for a national launch, slated for September 23, 2001, planned to coincide with the start of the Christmas shopping season. Originally, a second phase of the launch had been planned for 9 additional cities in the United States beyond Chicago, but the launch schedule was pushed forward due to the strong support from Hasbro and Toys R' Us executives.
In a case of extreme poor timing, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and subsequent 2001 anthrax attacks
raised considerable doubts in the Toys R' Us executive team about the viability of launching a game that prominently featured Earth being attacked by malicious forces that took the form of bug-like viruses that 'infected' their targets. After some focus groups with parents indicated that they [the parents] were uncomfortable with their children playing a game that featured viruses and 'infection', the game was pulled from the market.
There are three different "types" of the game, each released as a differently colored console: the red Spino, green Cycro, and blue Plasmo.
Spinotm
"Spinoblast Violidae" Abilities: Power/Strength/Force
Scientists first cataloged this species because the virulent and aggressive tendencies were so pronounced that they immediately struck out at every type of active or passive probe directed at them. The neuromuscular response was measured as a total output of all available energy.
The Spinotm infectors all have powerful body parts, which do anything from doubling attack force to defeating an enemy in one blow.
Cycrotm
"Cycrocyte Violidae" Abilities: Speed/Agility/Stealth
This species was harder to classify because its movement is so fast and agile it only appears as a visual smear on the scanners. A pheromone trace program and frame rate adjustment of the scanner allowed scientists to finally see them in detail. The Cycrotm are definitely fast, having some body parts that add extra strikes each battle phase, as well as some that stun another infector to allow for cumlative strikes.
Plasmotm
"Plasmocid Violidae" Abilities: Deception/Defense/Camouflage
The last species was hardest to classify. Originally, there were thought to be only 2 but background disturbances caused by a local battle brought them to our awareness. Natural camouflage adaptations have created a wonderfully complex defensive architecture that includes energy screens and active energy-refracting camouflage. The Plasmotm act more on the defensive line than the offensive, with body parts that generate shields, deflect damage, and even one that cancels an opponent's first attack.
H B T
T B H
H H H,
this would cause the infector to attack the first round with its head, at the opponent's body, and throw up a defensive shield around its tail portion, to attempt to deflect the opponent's attack. The next two rounds consist of a similar structure, and then the whole thing repeats itself every three rounds.
This system proves to be difficult for inexperienced players, but eventually players learn to control their P-O-X and even use that knowledge to their advantage.
Multiplayer gameplay is slightly rigged, Players greatly benefit from effort put into single player, However, as said above Spino infectors have the ability to kill another infector in one blow, It is possible to take out a Spino inferctor, or deflect this attack, however Spino infectors are widely considered "Broken" being over powered, and unbalanced. Thankfully, this OHKO skill is acquired later into the game, and hits less often then most attacks. Cycro infectors are the next most powerful, due to chain attacks, DoT (Damage over time) and stunning, once more, they can be deflected/Taken out before DoT cripples your infector, but if left unattended, they become a major issue, and there is little chance of winning, the weakest of all infectors is Plasmo, high hp, and nice defense, but this is just a slow painful death vs a Cycro, and just enough time for your infector to pray as it's defense is rendered useless by a OHKO from a Spino.
Handheld electronic game
----Handheld electronic games are very small, portable devices for playing interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games. The controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose screen made up of a grid of small pixels, they...
released by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
in 2001. The game includes both single-player and multi-player modes and a 30-foot (9 m) wireless connection
Wireless network
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind. It is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment...
range.
P-O-X was introduced through a viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
scheme. Hasbro asked boys in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
schools, "playgrounds, skate park
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
s and video arcades" who they thought the "coolest
Cool (aesthetic)
Something regarded as cool is an admired aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance and style, influenced by and a product of the Zeitgeist. Because of the varied and changing connotations of cool, as well its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. It has associations of...
kid" was, until they found kids who felt they were "the coolest" themselves, and distributed free copies of the game to them.
P-O-X performed strongly enough in the Chicago market to convince executives major toy retailer Toys R' Us to come on board for a national launch, slated for September 23, 2001, planned to coincide with the start of the Christmas shopping season. Originally, a second phase of the launch had been planned for 9 additional cities in the United States beyond Chicago, but the launch schedule was pushed forward due to the strong support from Hasbro and Toys R' Us executives.
In a case of extreme poor timing, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and subsequent 2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, also known as Amerithrax from its Federal Bureau of Investigation case name, occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on Tuesday, September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 attacks. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to...
raised considerable doubts in the Toys R' Us executive team about the viability of launching a game that prominently featured Earth being attacked by malicious forces that took the form of bug-like viruses that 'infected' their targets. After some focus groups with parents indicated that they [the parents] were uncomfortable with their children playing a game that featured viruses and 'infection', the game was pulled from the market.
There are three different "types" of the game, each released as a differently colored console: the red Spino, green Cycro, and blue Plasmo.
Spinotm
"Spinoblast Violidae" Abilities: Power/Strength/Force
Scientists first cataloged this species because the virulent and aggressive tendencies were so pronounced that they immediately struck out at every type of active or passive probe directed at them. The neuromuscular response was measured as a total output of all available energy.
The Spinotm infectors all have powerful body parts, which do anything from doubling attack force to defeating an enemy in one blow.
Cycrotm
"Cycrocyte Violidae" Abilities: Speed/Agility/Stealth
This species was harder to classify because its movement is so fast and agile it only appears as a visual smear on the scanners. A pheromone trace program and frame rate adjustment of the scanner allowed scientists to finally see them in detail. The Cycrotm are definitely fast, having some body parts that add extra strikes each battle phase, as well as some that stun another infector to allow for cumlative strikes.
Plasmotm
"Plasmocid Violidae" Abilities: Deception/Defense/Camouflage
The last species was hardest to classify. Originally, there were thought to be only 2 but background disturbances caused by a local battle brought them to our awareness. Natural camouflage adaptations have created a wonderfully complex defensive architecture that includes energy screens and active energy-refracting camouflage. The Plasmotm act more on the defensive line than the offensive, with body parts that generate shields, deflect damage, and even one that cancels an opponent's first attack.
W.A.D. Combat Sequence
Standing for "With, At, Defend," this system allows the player to preprogram nine variables for an oncoming fight with another P-O-X infector. Three choices present themselves for each variable: "H" (head), "B" (body), and "T" (tail). So, with a WAD sequence of:H B T
T B H
H H H,
this would cause the infector to attack the first round with its head, at the opponent's body, and throw up a defensive shield around its tail portion, to attempt to deflect the opponent's attack. The next two rounds consist of a similar structure, and then the whole thing repeats itself every three rounds.
This system proves to be difficult for inexperienced players, but eventually players learn to control their P-O-X and even use that knowledge to their advantage.
Gameplay
Playing the game would require players to either use the wireless function to battle those around them, or use the single-player Arena. Arena gameplay consists of traveling around a sort of maze, fighting different P-O-X along the way (although not collecting body parts from them). At the end of every mazelike level was a container with a new body part in it, and guarding that is the boss, called an overspore. Upon victory against the overspore, the player gains possession of the body part. However, the overspore has as much HP for each bodypart as the player's infector has in its "healthiest" bodypart, making the battle difficult. Each level was named for the bodypart it contained at its end.Multiplayer gameplay is slightly rigged, Players greatly benefit from effort put into single player, However, as said above Spino infectors have the ability to kill another infector in one blow, It is possible to take out a Spino inferctor, or deflect this attack, however Spino infectors are widely considered "Broken" being over powered, and unbalanced. Thankfully, this OHKO skill is acquired later into the game, and hits less often then most attacks. Cycro infectors are the next most powerful, due to chain attacks, DoT (Damage over time) and stunning, once more, they can be deflected/Taken out before DoT cripples your infector, but if left unattended, they become a major issue, and there is little chance of winning, the weakest of all infectors is Plasmo, high hp, and nice defense, but this is just a slow painful death vs a Cycro, and just enough time for your infector to pray as it's defense is rendered useless by a OHKO from a Spino.