70's Robot Anime Geppy-X

70's Robot Anime Geppy-X is a 1999 Japanese video game released for the Sony PlayStation home console. Developed and published by Aroma it is a side scrolling shooting game (STG) set in a world that is a homage to mecha anime of the 70s.

70's Robot Anime Geppy-X
Developer(s)Aroma
Publisher(s)Aroma
Platform(s)PlayStation
ReleaseJP: 1999
Genre(s)Side Scrolling Shooting game
Mode(s)Single Player

Plot

The game is set in the year 197X.[1] In the game, the protagonists use the Geppy-X giant robot to fight the invading forces of the Space Devil Empire.[2]

Gameplay

70s Robot Anime Geppy-X is a 2D side scrolling shooting game.[1] Stages in the game are presented as if they were episodes of a fictitious episodic anime series named Geppy-X.[1][3] Following the anime episode format, stages play the format of opening theme, Part A, eye catch, Part B, ending theme, and ending on a next episode preview.[2] The stages even include fake commercials and its own theme music.[1] For example, one such commercial in the game promotes a fictitious series which is a parody of Ashita no Joe, and another for merchandise related to the show such as shampoo.[3]

The titular robot, Geppy-X, can transform into three different robot forms, each modeled after famous 70s robots.[3]

The game only has nine actual stages despite taking up four compact discs.[3]

Development

The game was developed by Japanese game developer Aroma, and is an affectionate parody of mecha anime series from the 1970s, such as those created by Go Nagai.[1][3] These include the Go Nagai series Grendizer, Mazinger-Z, and especially Getter Robo (which was actually created by Ken Ishikawa, a manga artist who regularly worked with Go Nagai).[3]

The game's soundtrack features Japanese singers Isao Sasaki, Akira Kushida, Hironobu Kageyama who sing the opening and ending themes songs in the game.[2]

The game takes up a total of four compact discs, and makes heavy use of full motion video, and game music.[1][3] For comparison, the game Final Fantasy VIII also used that many discs.[3] In total, there are 8000 video clips used in the game.[4]

Release

The game was released on May 27, 1999 for the Sony PlayStation and was published by the Aroma Corporation.[4] The game was never released outside of Japan, and it has never been re-released on the PlayStation Network's Game Archives.

Reception

Upon release, four reviewers for Famitsu gave the game a total score of 26/40. Reviewers appreciated the thoroughness of the dedication to recreating a 1970s mecha anime in game form, including even commercials and songs. They said that anyone familiar with those series would find it rather nostalgic.[5] Spanish gaming magazine Superjuegos said the game would be a rather unremarkable shooting game with graphics that looked like it came from the Super Famicom, if it weren't for the replication of a 70s anime series. The presentation was so thorough, that the author spent weeks searching on the internet to see if there was a real Geppy-X anime series. Despite that however, the writer said that there were other better shooting games for the PlayStation.[3]

References
  1. "International Previews: Geppy X". Official US PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 2 no. 12. Ziff Davis. September 1999. p. 86.
  2. "【次世代機／5月27日】今日は『70年代風ロボットアニメ ゲッP-X』＆『エースコンバット3』の発売19周年！". Gamedrive. May 27, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  3. "Manga Zone: 70's Robot Anime: Geppy-X". Superjuegos. No. 88. August 1999.
  4. "'70年代風ロボットアニメ ゲッP−X". Sony PlayStation Official Website Software Catalog. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  5. "'70年代風ロボットアニメ ゲッP-X [PS] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
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