Silpheed
Encyclopedia
is a video game series developed
by Game Arts
and designed by the late Takeshi Miyaji
. It made its debut on the Japanese PC-8801
in 1986, and was ported to the Fujitsu FM-7 and MS-DOS
formats soon after. It was later remade for the Mega-CD and has a sequel
called Silpheed: The Lost Planet
for the PlayStation 2
.
Silpheed is the name of the spacecraft
that the player
controls. Like many shooter game
s, the story involves using the Silpheed as Earth
's last effort to save itself from destruction by a powerful enemy invasion
. The game was notable for its early use of real-time 3D polygonal graphics
and a tilted third-person
perspective.
in 1986. Another version for the FM-7 was released in 1988. In the same year, the game was brought to the United States for the first time by Sierra On-Line
who ported the game to PCs
and other platforms. Despite the rather limited hardware used, the game featured real-time 3D polygonal graphics
and a tilted third-person
perspective.
ships over a pre-rendered
video background; this method is also seen in other video game titles, such as Namco's StarBlade in 1991, Sony Imagesoft
's Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, and Micronet
's A/X-101
in 1994 for the Sega CD.
Because of its polygon graphics and advertising
based on it, the game is often compared to Nintendo
's Star Fox for the Super NES
, which came about the same time, and both games were perceived as competitors. However, Silpheed made less of an impact than Star Fox. Many gamers felt unimpressed of Silpheeds "traditional" vertical shooter, against Star Fox 's more involved arcade sim shooter, which was uncommon for the time in a console.
The game's story concerns a space war campaign when terrorists - led by a man named Zakarite - hack into the mother computer of Earth, granting them control over all the space weaponry of the solar system. The Earth's only hope is a small fleet outside the computer's reach, provided with a squadron of SA-77 Silpheed dogfighters (referred to as "prototypes" in the manual for the PC version). In the ending credits sequence of this version there are cinematic animations of scenes depicting the fighters flying through stages in the game.
for the Xbox 360
titled Project Sylpheed
. It is not directly tied into the Silpheed storyline, but was instead billed as a spiritual successor.
#151 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Computer Gaming World
gave the same version a positive review, praising the original music for the game.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Game Arts
Game Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
and designed by the late Takeshi Miyaji
Takeshi Miyaji
was a Japanese video game developer who founded the developent companies Game Arts and G-Mode. He was best known as the creator of the Silpheed, GunGriffon and Grandia video game series. His work on the Lunar and Grandia series in particular had a major influence on the development of role-playing...
. It made its debut on the Japanese PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
in 1986, and was ported to the Fujitsu FM-7 and MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
formats soon after. It was later remade for the Mega-CD and has a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
called Silpheed: The Lost Planet
Silpheed: The Lost Planet
Silpheed: The Lost Planet is an enhanced remake of the original Silpheed on the Sega CD. It was developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and Game Arts, and was published in North America by Working Designs...
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...
.
Silpheed is the name of the spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
that the player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
controls. Like many shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
s, the story involves using the Silpheed as Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's last effort to save itself from destruction by a powerful enemy invasion
Alien invasion
The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial life invades Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial system, harvest humans for food, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether.The...
. The game was notable for its early use of real-time 3D polygonal graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
and a tilted third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
perspective.
Computer versions
The original Silpheed game was created for the PC-8801NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
in 1986. Another version for the FM-7 was released in 1988. In the same year, the game was brought to the United States for the first time by Sierra On-Line
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
who ported the game to PCs
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
and other platforms. Despite the rather limited hardware used, the game featured real-time 3D polygonal graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
and a tilted third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
perspective.
Mega-CD version
The Mega-CD port of Silpheed features polygonPolygon (computer graphics)
Polygons are used in computer graphics to compose images that are three-dimensional in appearance. Usually triangular, polygons arise when an object's surface is modeled, vertices are selected, and the object is rendered in a wire frame model. This is quicker to display than a shaded model; thus...
ships over a pre-rendered
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
video background; this method is also seen in other video game titles, such as Namco's StarBlade in 1991, Sony Imagesoft
Sony Imagesoft
Sony Imagesoft was a video game publisher that operated from 1989 to 1995 and was located in California. It was established in January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, as a subsidiary of the Japan-based CBS/Sony Group and initially named CSG Imagesoft Inc. Focus at the beginning was on marketing...
's Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, and Micronet
Micronet co., Ltd.
Micronet co. Ltd. is a software development company with its head office set in Hokkaido Sapporo, Japan. Previously specializing in 2D and 3D video games, the company has since focused on graphical website production as well as founding the 3D CG Soft System, 3D Atelier.-History:First established...
's A/X-101
A/X-101
A/X-101 is a 1994 space/FMV video game for the Sega CD.-Story:In the future date of 2500, mankind has reached its zenith in space travel and peace. However, after making contact with alien life for the first time, Earth is soon attacked and nearly conquered by a war-driven alien race called the...
in 1994 for the Sega CD.
Because of its polygon graphics and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
based on it, the game is often compared to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Star Fox for the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, which came about the same time, and both games were perceived as competitors. However, Silpheed made less of an impact than Star Fox. Many gamers felt unimpressed of Silpheeds "traditional" vertical shooter, against Star Fox 's more involved arcade sim shooter, which was uncommon for the time in a console.
The game's story concerns a space war campaign when terrorists - led by a man named Zakarite - hack into the mother computer of Earth, granting them control over all the space weaponry of the solar system. The Earth's only hope is a small fleet outside the computer's reach, provided with a squadron of SA-77 Silpheed dogfighters (referred to as "prototypes" in the manual for the PC version). In the ending credits sequence of this version there are cinematic animations of scenes depicting the fighters flying through stages in the game.
Project Sylpheed
A game was released by Square EnixSquare Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
for the 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...
titled Project Sylpheed
Project Sylpheed
, also known as Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception in North America, is a space simulation game for the Xbox 360 console. It was developed by SETA and published by Square Enix and Microsoft...
. It is not directly tied into the Silpheed storyline, but was instead billed as a spiritual successor.
Reception
The PC/MS-DOS version of the game was reviewed in 1989 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#151 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
gave the same version a positive review, praising the original music for the game.