GNP: Propeller Arena

Propeller Arena for the Dreamcast was supposed to be released late last year. Unfortunately, after the tragic events of September 11th, Sega decided it would be best to cancel the game. Propeller Arena was to be similar to Quake 3 Arena, except the combatants would be in planes. It’s a shame the game never saw release; it would’ve been the last great online Dreamcast title.

Much like Quake, there was no real story to Propeller Arena. One just hopped in a jet and killed anything that moved. If the player happened to be shot down, he’d simply respawn elsewhere in the arena. Whoever had the most kills when time ran out was declared the winner. Five different planes were to be included, all from the World War II era. Each plane featured a different speed, strength, and armor. In addition to selecting a plane, one would select a pilot. With names like “Pizza Fat,” “8-Bit Bear,” and “Hex Candy,” it would’ve been hard to choose just one! Pilots featured different steering styles, and an individual set of tricks.

Besides looking cool, tricks would serve as an escape from danger. Also, if done properly, some tricks could get the player directly into place behind the enemy. A wide range of tricks was to be included, with everything from barrel rolls to loop-the-loops. Almost like a special move in a fighting game, tricks would require a series of motions on the analog stick before being performed. Each plane had a different sized trick meter; once the meter ran dry, tricks would no longer work. Given time, or the correct power up, the trick meter would refill.

Almost a dozen different power ups would have been available. Randomly strewn about the skies, power up crates would first need to be shot open. Once opened, one of three colors would be revealed. Green indicated basic things like repair kits, speed boosts, or extra armor. Far more interesting were the yellow power ups. These devices messed up the enemy in diabolical ways. By reversing enemy controls, or even worse, freezing them altogether, yellow power ups would have made for some easy kills. The most dangerous, however, would be the red ones. Simply put, nothing beats a nuke. Besides nukes, red power ups also included homing missiles, air mines, bombs, and increased rate of fire.

The Dreamcast was a powerful machine, and Propeller Arena would have been a nice showcase title. While there were only eight arenas, all of them were nicely detailed and featured a long draw distance. The arenas were quite varied, too. Players could’ve battled over busy airports, in and around an old castle, above a rushing river, near an active volcano, amid icy mountain peaks, or even in the clouds. The element that probably resulted in the game’s cancellation however, was one particular arena that took place within a major city. Players would’ve been able to zip in between and over buildings while dodging missiles and gunfire.

While the single player mode might have been merely okay, this game was built from the ground up for multiplayer. Thanks to the Dreamcast‘s handy internal modem, Propeller Arena would have been online. Up to six players could have duked it out in the cyber skies, or up to four players via split screen. Propeller Arena would also have supported the much under-used broadband adapter.

The coolest feature of all, however, would have been the real-time voice chat. Much like Alien Front Online, Propeller Arena was going to ship with a microphone. Once plugged into the controller, this device actually lets you communicate, in real-time, with your opponents. Having spent considering time with Alien Front Online, the first console game to feature real-time voice chat, I know first hand how cool the feature really is. While it only allowed one person to speak at a time, the voices were quite intelligible, even on a 56k connection. The quality was quite low, of course; It reminded me of a really cheap set of walkie-talkies. Still, the ability to taunt opponents and plan with the team was incredible.

It’s a damn shame that Propeller Arena was canceled, although I suppose I can see why Sega chose to do it. After playing Alien Front Online with real-time voice chat, I’m anxious to play with the feature again. It obviously won’t happen on the Dreamcast, but perhaps on another system in the near future. What do you say, Sega?

Feature by Joe Mackie