Metro-Cross
Encyclopedia
Metro-Cross is an arcade game
, released by Namco
in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land
hardware (but with a video system like that used in Dragon Buster
), modified to support a 2048-color palette
. It uses a 6809 microprocessor, a 63701 microprocessor, and a Namco 8-channel waveform PSG for sounds.
where the player must run through 32 futuristic levels. He is given a time limit to run through each one while avoiding obstacles and collecting items. The actual running happens automatically, the job of the player is to dodge obstacles and collect items by moving the character sideways and adjusting the speed.
If the character finishes the race within the time limit, the remaining time is converted into bonus points and he moves on to the next track. Every fourth track is a special track, which uses the time left over from the previous three as additional time. However, if the character hasn't reached the finish line when the time limit is up, the game is over.
Obstacles along the way include glass
panels, which break under the character's weight and drop him to a hole, and steam jets which shoot steam at the character. Landing on a glass panel and pushing forward on the joystick, however, creates an extra long jump. Later tracks also feature ball
s that bounce along the track and must be avoided. Colliding with an obstacle results in a penalty of a few seconds. Later levels include frogs that attempt to jump on you and slow you down. If 3 frogs jump on you at the same time, you are reduced to a very slow speed.
Also along the track are springboard
s, which can be used to propel the character forward at a great speed. Some tracks have a special layout of springboards, where it is possible to use a springboard to land directly on another one. Some tracks also have skateboard
s which speed the character up and make him immune to some obstacles. There are two colours of cans found along the track. Kicking the cans gains bonus points, but jumping on them and knocking them over activates a special effect. Jumping on a blue can stops the timer for a few seconds, and jumping on a green can gives an extra burst of speed.
The game was successfully converted to various home formats, including the Commodore 64
, Atari ST
, Amstrad CPC
, NES
and the ZX Spectrum
. It appears on Namco Museum
Volume 5 for PlayStation
and Namco Museum Virtual Arcade for Xbox 360
. A new high definition version ("Aero-Cross") is being developed for Xbox Live Arcade
and PlayStation Network as part of the new Namco Generations
line.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land
Namco Pac-Land
The Namco 8-bit Pac-Land arcade system board was first used in 1984.-Namco Pac-Land specifications:*Main CPU : M6809*Sound/Controls CPU : HD63701*Sound Chip : Custom 8 channel programmable 4-bit WSG*Video resolution : 288x224...
hardware (but with a video system like that used in Dragon Buster
Dragon Buster
is a dungeon crawl action role-playing platform arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware, modified to support vertical scrolling. In Japan, the game was ported to the MSX and Famicom; the latter version was later released for the Virtual Console in the same...
), modified to support a 2048-color palette
Palette
Palette may refer to:* Cosmetic palette, an archaeological form* Palette , a wooden board used for mixing colors for a painting* Palette , in computer graphics, a selection of colors...
. It uses a 6809 microprocessor, a 63701 microprocessor, and a Namco 8-channel waveform PSG for sounds.
Gameplay
Metro-Cross is a platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
where the player must run through 32 futuristic levels. He is given a time limit to run through each one while avoiding obstacles and collecting items. The actual running happens automatically, the job of the player is to dodge obstacles and collect items by moving the character sideways and adjusting the speed.
If the character finishes the race within the time limit, the remaining time is converted into bonus points and he moves on to the next track. Every fourth track is a special track, which uses the time left over from the previous three as additional time. However, if the character hasn't reached the finish line when the time limit is up, the game is over.
Obstacles along the way include glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
panels, which break under the character's weight and drop him to a hole, and steam jets which shoot steam at the character. Landing on a glass panel and pushing forward on the joystick, however, creates an extra long jump. Later tracks also feature ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
s that bounce along the track and must be avoided. Colliding with an obstacle results in a penalty of a few seconds. Later levels include frogs that attempt to jump on you and slow you down. If 3 frogs jump on you at the same time, you are reduced to a very slow speed.
Also along the track are springboard
Springboard
A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type....
s, which can be used to propel the character forward at a great speed. Some tracks have a special layout of springboards, where it is possible to use a springboard to land directly on another one. Some tracks also have skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
s which speed the character up and make him immune to some obstacles. There are two colours of cans found along the track. Kicking the cans gains bonus points, but jumping on them and knocking them over activates a special effect. Jumping on a blue can stops the timer for a few seconds, and jumping on a green can gives an extra burst of speed.
Ports
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. It appears on Namco Museum
Namco Museum
Namco Museum refers to the series of video game compilations released by Namco for various 32-bit and above consoles, containing releases of their games from the 1980s and early 1990s...
Volume 5 for PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Namco Museum Virtual Arcade for 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...
. A new high definition version ("Aero-Cross") is being developed for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PlayStation Network as part of the new Namco Generations
Namco Generations
Namco Generations is a brand of downloadable Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network games that consist of modernized revisions of Namco's classic arcade games...
line.