(Nov - Dec)
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Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship
Propeller Arena's basic premise is simple: Pick a mode, pick a plane, go to an arena, and blow up your three opponents as many times as you can. The game offers a total of four modes to zip around in, some of which offer some variations on the above theme. Championship puts you in a series of 10 battles, and in order to progress to the next battle, you must rack up enough kills to place in the top three at the end of each fight. Quick battle allows you to hop right into a duel in any of the available arenas. Power-ups ranging from air mines, homing missiles, speed bursts, or bombs that set off huge nuclear-style explosions can be used in the championship and quick battle modes. The power-ups are housed in colored crates that you must destroy in order to acquire them. The training area allows you to hone your piloting skills by offering timed runs through arenas that challenge you to perform specific aerial feats for points. Finally, the network mode allows you to go online and take on three other opponents.
Making use of real- time voice chat technology that was used in Alien Front Online, Propeller Arena would have shipped with a Dreamcast microphone and allow you to chat with your opponents during network battles. Online stat tracking will also keep tabs on your performance and allow you to see who might be worthy of taking you on. Another welcome technological perk will be the game's apparent support of the Dreamcast's broadband adapter. While it seems the game didn't officially support it, the much-underused Sega peripheral was apparently going to work with the game.
To give the game some personality, AM2 has provided a motley crew of characters to represent each team. A preview build of the game featured eight selectable characters, each representing a "team" and piloting a unique plane. Sporting such unique names as Eagle Jam, Shameless Cats, Muscle Brothers, Pizza Fat, Pengo Jets, 8-Bit Beat, Hex Candy, and Golden Knife, the cast is a very interesting bunch. The planes flown by the different teams offer some variation in performance, allowing you to find a team whose plane best suits your play style.
But why was it cancelled:
Like many games at the time like Grand Thief Auto 3, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers caused many of the violent game to be released after 9/11 to be put on hold. Because Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship featured a level in New York city in which you could crash into the buildings it was put on hold. The company also made plans to re-do the box art for the game, which originally depicted fighter planes flying near high-rise buildings. No revised release date was announced. Plus the idea that people from other countries could use its online voice chat feature while playing to plan and coordinate future attacks made Sega of America pushed the title under the rug. Here is Sega's official statement:
"Sega Corporation was greatly saddened to learn of the terrorist attacks on the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of those injured or who lost their lives in the horrific events. At this time, we have decided to postpone shipment of Propeller Arena for the Dreamcast. Although the game content does not deal with terrorism in any way, it is possible for a determined individual to deliberately play the game in a manner that generates images similar to those we have seen on the news. We want to avoid causing any additional grief to those involved in this week's tragedy and feel this is an appropriate action."
This is a real reason for not releasing it but an easy solution would have been to take the level out of the game. The game un-like Half Life hasn't been leaked on the net and may never. Rumors have been floating around that Sega of America will be selling this game (in some form) this coming Holiday season (03'). We contacted Sega of America, and there is no truth to this.
The following are pictures from the game:
