Cosmic Carnage
Encyclopedia
Cosmic Carnage, known in Japan
as , is a 1994 2-D fighting game
released for the Sega 32X
add-on for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis developed by Givro
and published by Sega
. It was one of the few original titles created for the add-on during its short life span.
After days of drifting, the criminals realise their only hope is to hijack another ship and use their distress signal to bring a military ship to their aid, a ship they then ram their own ship into. The impact however badly damages the both and destroys all but one of the escape pods, as well as killing all but four from each ship (eight in total) the few survivors fight for the final escape pod and a chance of survival.
. Also like Eternal Champions, Cosmic Carnage is very difficult to compete against the CPU characters using the standard three button controller. With the six button controller you are given two buttons to kick, two buttons to punch and two to ‘provoke’ (taunt) with the ‘provoke’ attack differing depending on how fast you press the button.
Four of the characters use armor to assist them in battle, you may choose one of the two options (‘light’ or ‘heavy’) for each of the three armors (body armor, leg armor and arm armor) each providing the character with its own special move. For instance Zena-Lan can perform a whirlwind kick in light armor and an electric ground pound attack with the heavy armor. The armor can be torn off however, removing these attacks, a game play feature Sega would later use in the decade for their Fighting Vipers
games.
A ‘Fatality’ can be achieved by using special moves to win a battle in the final round of each fight (special throws will not perform a fatality), something that Sega had already used in Eternal Champions and was created and popularized by Midway Games
’ Mortal Kombat series
. In Cosmic Carnage either the opponents head will explode, their arms will be cut off or they will be cut in half at the waist. Also included is a ‘zoom feature’ similar to the one used in SNK
’s Art of Fighting
and Samurai Showdown games that amongst other things, highlights faults with the game’s sprites.
Achieving a ‘good ending’ for a fighter is time based, so depending on how fast you kill your opponents, the more time there is left to escape to the life pod and to drift far enough away from the crashed ships, so the explosion won't hit you.
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...
as , is a 1994 2-D fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
released for the Sega 32X
Sega 32X
The Sega 32X, codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console by Sega. Its aim was to increase the lifespan of the aging Mega Drive/Genesis system, which was facing stiff competition from the SNES...
add-on for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis developed by Givro
Givro
was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan by former employees of Technos Japan. The company was originally established under the name , which it operated under for five years before changing its corporate name in 1995...
and published by 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...
. It was one of the few original titles created for the add-on during its short life span.
Story
In an uncharted star system, a group of prisoners en route to a celestial space mine overpower the ship’s guards and take control of the ship, but during their breakout most of the ship’s controls are damaged.After days of drifting, the criminals realise their only hope is to hijack another ship and use their distress signal to bring a military ship to their aid, a ship they then ram their own ship into. The impact however badly damages the both and destroys all but one of the escape pods, as well as killing all but four from each ship (eight in total) the few survivors fight for the final escape pod and a chance of survival.
Gameplay
The game was designed to use the Mega Drive’s six-button controller, along with Eternal ChampionsEternal Champions
Eternal Champions is a 2D fighting game originally conceived by Scott Berfield, produced by Mike Latham for Sega of America and was developed by the Sega Interactive Development Division....
. Also like Eternal Champions, Cosmic Carnage is very difficult to compete against the CPU characters using the standard three button controller. With the six button controller you are given two buttons to kick, two buttons to punch and two to ‘provoke’ (taunt) with the ‘provoke’ attack differing depending on how fast you press the button.
Four of the characters use armor to assist them in battle, you may choose one of the two options (‘light’ or ‘heavy’) for each of the three armors (body armor, leg armor and arm armor) each providing the character with its own special move. For instance Zena-Lan can perform a whirlwind kick in light armor and an electric ground pound attack with the heavy armor. The armor can be torn off however, removing these attacks, a game play feature Sega would later use in the decade for their Fighting Vipers
Fighting Vipers
Fighting Vipers is a 3D fighting game developed by Sega AM2.The game was first released in the arcade in 1995 using the Sega Model 2 hardware and ported the same year to the Sega Saturn with significantly reduced graphics.-Gameplay:...
games.
A ‘Fatality’ can be achieved by using special moves to win a battle in the final round of each fight (special throws will not perform a fatality), something that Sega had already used in Eternal Champions and was created and popularized by Midway Games
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
’ Mortal Kombat series
Mortal Kombat (series)
Mortal Kombat, commonly abbreviated MK, is a science fantasy series of fighting games created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The first four renditions and their updates were developed by Midway Games and initially released on arcade machines. The arcade titles were later picked up by Acclaim...
. In Cosmic Carnage either the opponents head will explode, their arms will be cut off or they will be cut in half at the waist. Also included is a ‘zoom feature’ similar to the one used in SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
’s Art of Fighting
Art of Fighting
is a trilogy of competitive fighting game titles that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the Fatal Fury series and is set in the same fictional universe...
and Samurai Showdown games that amongst other things, highlights faults with the game’s sprites.
Achieving a ‘good ending’ for a fighter is time based, so depending on how fast you kill your opponents, the more time there is left to escape to the life pod and to drift far enough away from the crashed ships, so the explosion won't hit you.
Soldiers
All soldiers use Light Armour and can be equipped with Heavy Armour before fights.- Cylic – An anthropomorphic red ant that is very fast and agile and uses a number of projectile attacks. His Light Armour special attacks are Energy Smasher, Gravitation Crush and Energy Blast, his Heavy Armour special attacks Machine Gun Knuckle, Energy Thunder and Grenade Attack and Double Needle Kick and Neck Throw can be used in both armours. In the Japanese version, he is a brown-haired soldier name .
- Zena-Lan–a female soldier who’s head is constantly on fire just like the Human TorchHuman TorchThe Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
from the Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
or a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z because of the flame-like hair, wears a military uniform and has electric attacks as well as good speed and agility. Her special attacks in Light Armour are Fury Punch, Bloody Spiral and Riding Crusher, in Heavy Armour they are Lightning Ring, Knee Blast and Blazing Charge and both armour styles, Flying Lariat. In the Japanese version, she is a blond-haired soldier name . Her name is very likely meant to be a play on or derivate of the name of the homeworld of Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Silver SurferSilver SurferThe Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, which is called Zenn-LaZenn-LaZenn-La is a fictional planet in the Marvel Universe, located in the Deneb System in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 3,000 light years from Earth. It is best known as the homeworld of the Silver Surfer...
. – Again, Naruto’s portrait is that of a simple shadow being such as DC Comic’s Shadow Thief or ObsidianObsidian (comics)Obsidian is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. According to an Infinity, Inc...
yet his in-game sprites dress him in colourful armour with elbow blades and a sword, his forte is martial arts and aerial moves. In Light Armour Naruto has the special attacks Naruto Slice, Spinning Kick and Whirlwind Kick, in Heavy Armour Spinning Double Slice, Whirlwind Blast Kick and Double Hammer Blast and both Dash and Drop Throw regardless of which armour he wears. In Japan, he is a brown-haired boy. - Tyr (known in Japan as ) – Tyr’s character portrait makes him look identical to Jack KirbyJack KirbyJack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
’s drawings of the Silver SurferSilver SurferThe Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
however his in-game sprites are of a man wearing samurai like armour bearing more of a resemblance to the TurricanTurricanTurrican is a 1989 video game programmed and designed by Manfred Trenz. It was first developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, but was ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz personally programmed Turrican on the Commodore 64...
design. Presumably his character portrait is how he looks nude. His special attacks in light armour are Atomic Hammer, Dash Hurdle and Breast Charger and in Heavy Armour Mega Buster Drop, Mega Cyclone Wrecker and Mega Cannon, plus he has three special attacks regardless of which armour is chosen; Super Press, Tornado and Super Whip.
Fugitives
None of the fugitives may use armour.- Talmac (known in Japan as ) – a tall, dark sinister figure with a skull-like face, spiked red hair and sharp claws. Apparently no one is sure if he wears a mask or not, because no one has gotten close enough to find out. He resembles Megabyte from ReBootReBootReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
and his character portrait is similar to the Terminator in the film of the same name. His special attacks are Gale Wall, Gale Wave, Pile Dragon and Gale Arrow. - Yug (known in Japan as ) – A gorilla-like humanoid who slightly bears a resemblance to Apelinq from the Transformers Beast MachinesBeast MachinesBeast Machines is an animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Hasbro has the full distribution rights to the show as of 2011. It was a direct sequel to Beast Wars taking place within the continuity of the original Transformers series...
comic books and toys, possibly a robot who relies almost entirely on his powerful arms for his attacks (punch attacks and throws) His special attacks are Spinning Double Strike, Blaze Hold and Strangle Hold. - Naja (known in Japan as ) – A female serpent-shaped siren, with a cobra’s head and a long tail, instead of legs, that she uses as a battering ram. Her design is derived from the typically evil NāgaNagaNaga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
deity of HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. These beings were often depicted as having humanoid torsos in sculptures and drawn art. Her very name "Naja" is an obvious play on the word "Naga" thus denoting the inspiration for her character. Her special attacks are Back Whip, Winder Rush and Tail Squeeze.
- Deamon (known in Japan as ) – a vicious alien who bears resemblance to the extraterrestrials of the AlienAlien (franchise)The Alien film series is a science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her battle with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien"...
series of films with large talon-like claws and a scorpion-like stinger attached to the back of his head. His special attacks are Whirling Thrasher, Hammerhead Whip and Rolling Claw.