10,000 Bullets,known in Japan asTsukiyo ni Saraba(ツキヨニサラバ,lit."Moonlit Farewell" ),is athird-person shootervideo gamedeveloped byBlue Moon Studiowith Metro Corporation and published byTaitofor thePlayStation 2console. It was released in Japan in2005,and distributed in Europe by505 GameStreetlater that year.10,000 Bulletsfollows an elite hitman named Crow, who works for an Italian mob family and has the innate power of the "gunslinger", allowing him to manipulate the flow of time in battle. The gameplay of10,000 Bulletsfocuses on this ability, in which the player mustslow down the actionin order to avoid the waves of enemy assaults and other hazards.
| 10,000 Bullets | |
|---|---|
 European cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Blue Moon Studio Metro Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Taito |
| Director(s) | Yoshitaka Murayama[2] |
| Artist(s) | Ryōji Minagawa[2] |
| Composer(s) | Yasunori Mitsuda[2] Miki Higashino[2] |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
10,000 Bulletswas directed bySuikodenfranchise creatorYoshitaka Murayama,who leftKonamiin 2002 and started his own development firm, Blue Moon Studio, shortly thereafter. Accompanied bySprigganillustratorRyōji Minagawaand composersYasunori MitsudaandMiki Higashino,Murayama began producing10,000 Bulletsabout a half a year after founding the new company. Murayama had wanted to create an action-shooter even before theSuikodenseries.10,000 Bulletswas met with poor sales in Japan and a mediocre response from import reviewers. Critics found the game to be unoriginal and notedcameraproblems, but enjoyed the action sequences.
Plot
edit10,000 Bulletsfollows Crow, a hitman living in Ireland who works for theRome-based crime syndicate known as the Tonio Family.[3][4]Crow possesses the special "gunslinger" ability, which allows him toslow down time.He inherited this trait from his late mother, a powerfulfortune tellerwho was murdered when Crow was very young. After being taken in by mob boss Papa Tonio, Crow is taught to optimize his abilities by a fellow hitman named Judas, a fugitive from France. Crow hopes to one day exact revenge on the person responsible for his mother's death.[2][5]The protagonist is partnered with the young Alice, an Englishwoman of German descent fleeing custody after the death of her military officer grandfather.[3]
Gameplay
edit
10,000 Bulletsis anaction/third-person shooterin which the gun-wielding player character battles numerous enemies andbossesin different environments. Styled similar tocinematographyfound inThe Wachowskis'The Matrixfilm franchise and gameplay mechanics in games such asDead to RightsandMax Payne,the player is given an ability toslow down timeand thus dodge multitudes of flying bullets and other obstacles.[6][7][8]The first level, "Enhancement", slows down all action, including the player character. The second level, "Blitz", slows down only the enemies, allowing the player to move around at normal speed. The third level, "Frozen Time", halts everything around the player, who again maintains normal speed.[8]By pressing the shoulder buttons, the player can lock-onto and switch aim at the various enemies. Successfully dispatching several foes in a row earns the player bonus points, which can be used at the end of a stage to purchase upgrades like morehealth,as well as special attacks and acrobatic evasion skills that can be mapped to certaincontrollerbuttons.[8]The game features four playable characters (Crow, Alice, Dragon, and Boris), each of which has their own unique set of abilities.[4]Between the action sequences, the player must advance the plot through agraphic adventure-style interface, where certain characters must be spoken to in order to continue.[8]
Development
edit10,000 Bulletswas produced bySuikodenseries creatorYoshitaka Murayamaunder his own Blue Moon Studio, with game development handled by Metro Corporation and published byTaito.[2]It is the first game that Murayama has created sinceSuikoden IIIand his departure fromKonamiin 2002. The project began about half a year after starting up his own development company.[5][7]Before signing on to create therole-playingfranchise, Murayama had been wanting to make ashoot 'em up,citing his preference for arcade action titles such as Taito'sMetal Black.[9]When the game was first revealed, the new detail revealed that the player could die from a single gunshot wound. Murayama explained in an interview toDengeki Playstation:"I've been thinking for a while if there were any ways of bringing movie-style gunplay action scenes into video games, but the difficult thing was that it wouldn't be much of a game if you died instantly with one quick shot. And the solution to that was slow motion and motion stopping. I realized that the game's visuals didn't have to be quick to convey the thrills of gun battles and getting killed with a single shot... When you think about having to dodge enemy shots and shooting back at them,Tsukiyo ni Sarabais kind of close to a shooting game ".[5]Development on10,000 Bulletstook nearly three years to complete.[7]The game's characters were designed byRyōji Minagawa,the artist for themangaseriesSpriggan.[2][5]
Music
editThe music for the game was co-composed by Konami veteranMiki HigashinoandYasunori Mitsuda,famous for his work onSquareproperties such asChrono TriggerandXenogears.[2][5]After her contribution to the 2001 releaseGensō Suikogaiden Vol. 2,Higashino retired fromvideo game scoringto focus on her family.[10]She returned to work on10,000 Bulletsafter an invitation from her former boss Murayama. Higashino chosejazzfor her contributions to the score and wanted to integratebeboporacid jazz,but found she lacked the time to do so while caring for a new baby. Higashino felt that she "probably caused a good deal of trouble for my family, my client, and Mitsuda-san" and took yet another hiatus from composing.[10]The game's soundtrack,Moonlit Shadow,was published in Japan by Mitsuda's Procyon studio the day before the game's Japanese launch.[11]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tsukiyo Ni Saraba ~ Opening Theme ~" | Yasunori Mitsuda | 1:38 | |
| 2. | "The Maximum High Speed" | Miki Higashino | 2:47 | |
| 3. | "Smooth Blues" | Higashino | 4:34 | |
| 4. | "D.O.L.L" | Mitsuda | 3:19 | |
| 5. | "Cool Sky" | Mitsuda | 3:03 | |
| 6. | "Joni Scott Club" | Higashino | 2:21 | |
| 7. | "An Illegal Messenger" | Higashino | 3:24 | |
| 8. | "Red Shot" | Higashino | 2:20 | |
| 9. | "Urban Fantasy" | Mitsuda | 2:06 | |
| 10. | "Hit Man" | Mitsuda | 3:59 | |
| 11. | "Striking Distance" | Mitsuda | 1:39 | |
| 12. | "Junk! Junk! Junk!" | Higashino | 3:34 | |
| 13. | "Target" | Mitsuda | 3:05 | |
| 14. | "One Note Blues" | Higashino | 3:18 | |
| 15. | "Jungle City" | Mitsuda | 3:46 | |
| 16. | "Asian Kung-Fu Foundation" | Higashino | 4:15 | |
| 17. | "Blue Moon" | Mitsuda | 3:16 | |
| 18. | "Au Revoir Dans la Nuit de Clair de Lune" | Higashino | 2:49 | |
| 19. | "Maria" | Yoshitaka Murayama | Mitsuda | 1:16 |
| 20. | "Lullaby" | Higashino | Higashino, Akira Ishii | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 60:30 | |||
Release
edit10,000 Bulletswas first announced via the Japanese magazineDengeki PlayStationin September 2004.[2][5]The game was subsequently showcased at theTokyo Game Show(TGS) later that month.[6][12]10,000 Bulletswas officially released in Japan on February 24, 2005.[1]A launch event was held at three locations nearShinjuku Station;Atsuko Enomoto,the Japanese voice actress for the character Alice, held autograph sessions for those who purchased the game.[13]Taito published the game in Europe later that year with distribution by505 GameStreet.The game was translated by the Japanese firm Soli Consultants and features English voice acting and in-game text with multiple language options including English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish.[4][14]The game was re-released in Japan on November 2, 2006 under the "Taito Best" label.[15]
Reception
edit10,000 Bulletsreceived mediocre scores from Japanese publications including a 27 out of 40 fromWeekly Famitsuand a 270 out of 400 fromDengeki PlayStation.Spencer of Siliconera found the Japanese version of10,000 Bulletsto be a cheap imitation of more successful action games that use bullet-time. He noticed a faultycameraand lock-on system issues, bland environments, a tedious adventure mode, and a musical score that does not match the game's overall theme. The reviewer did, however, enjoy the action sequences.[8]Ed Lewis ofIGN,who previewed the incomplete TGS version of the game, noted similar problems with the camera, but was likewise impressed with the action, stating that the game "packs in lots of action and uses the time manipulation in a way that almost feels like a 3D version ofViewtiful Joe".[6]10,000 Bulletswas met coldy by the editors ofOfficial UK PlayStation 2 Magazine,who summarized it as "dull action-adventure which combines sub-standard bullet-time combat, badly synched cut-scenes, and a waif-like plot" and stated that "not even hardcore masochists should touch it".[16]
10,000 Bulletssold poorly in Japan.[8]According toMedia Createsales information, the game ranked 500th on the top 500 best-selling games in Japan for 2005 at just 15,244 copies.[17]Taito had previously developed a third-person action gameBujingai.However, as of 2010, the company has expressed no interest in re-entering the genre.[18]
References
edit- ^abIGN staff (March 1, 2005)."Now Playing in Japan".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2012.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^abcdefghiTanaka, John (September 8, 2004)."New Action Title FromSuikodenDirector ".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on June 14, 2006.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^abSmith, David (September 17, 2004)."Taito Announces Tsukiyo Ni Saraba".1UP.com.Ziff Davis.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-20.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^abc505 Games staff (2005)."10,000 Bullets".505 Games.Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-02.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^abcdefGameSpot staff (September 8, 2004)."Suikodendirector creating new game at Taito ".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^abcLewis, Ed (September 24, 2004)."TGS 2004:Tsukiyo ni Saraba- First Look ".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2005.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^abcGame Watch staff (September 17, 2004)."タイトー, PS2 “ツキヨニサラバ” インタビュー ブルームーン・スタジオ đại biểu / xí họa ・シナリオ thôn sơn cát long thị "[Taito, PS2Tsukiyo ni Sarabainterview: scenario planning / Blue Moon Studios representative Mr. Yoshitaka Murayama] (in Japanese). Game Watch.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2013.RetrievedMay 5,2012.
- ^abcdefYip, Spencer (September 28, 2005)."Tsukiyo ni Saraba".Siliconera. Archived fromthe originalon August 11, 2016.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Nowakowski, Kasper & Kudo, Takashi (August 2009). "I goda vänners lag" [In good company].LeveL(41).
- ^abGreening, Chris & Schweitzer, Ben (January 2012)."Interview with Miki Higashino".Square Enix Music Online. Archived fromthe originalon February 29, 2012.RetrievedMarch 2,2012.
- ^Famitsustaff (December 28, 2004)."『ツキヨニサラバ』オリジナルサウンドトラックCDが phát mại!"[Tsukiyo ni SarabaOriginal Soundtrack CD released].Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2008.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Famitsustaff (September 26, 2004).【イベント】 thôn sơn cát long thị が nhiệt く ngữ る! 『ツキヨニサラバ』ステージが khai thôi![[Event] Mr. Yoshitaka Murayama introduces "Tsukiyo ni Saraba"on-stage!].Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2014.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Famitsustaff (February 21, 2005).『ツキヨニサラバ』 điếm đầu イベント khai thôi! Giả bổn ôn tử がゲスト xuất diễn![Events held over-the-counterTsukiyo ni Saraba!Guest appearance by Atsuko Enomoto!].Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2014.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Spencer (November 6, 2007)."Could a second PSP title from Irem come to North America too?".Siliconera.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2014.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Sony staff.ツキヨニサラバ タイトーベスト[Taito BestTsukiyo ni Saraba] (in Japanese).Sony Computer Entertainment.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2014.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazinestaff (August 2006). "Reviews:10,000 Bullets".Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine.Future plc:99.ISSN1472-3123.
{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"2005 niên テレビゲームソフト mại り thượng げTOP500"[2005Weekly FamitsuTop 500] (in Japanese). Geimin.net. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-27.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
- ^Sheffield, Brandon (January 11, 2010)."Bonus Feature: Time For Taito: FromSpace InvadersToCooking Mama".Gamasutra.UBM plc.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2012.RetrievedMay 4,2012.