User:Solaris2019/sandbox Emissary
| Emissary | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Rail shooter, shoot 'em up, action-adventure |
| Developer(s) |
Nintendo Entertainment Development (1993-1997; 2005-present) Argonaut Software (1993-1997) Rare Factor 5 Intelligent Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Creator(s) | Hirofumi Tezuka |
| Platforms | |
| First release |
Emissary 21 February 1993 |
| Latest release |
Emissary Online 29 September 2019 |
| Spin-offs | F-Zero Revolution (crossover with F-Zero) |
Emissary (Japanese: 宇宙傭兵団エミサリ Hepburn: Uchū Yōhei-dan Emisari?, Space Mercenary Unit Emissary) is a video game series created by Hirofumi Tezuka, produced and published by Nintendo. The series follows the mercenary team Emissary, comprised of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagonist James McCloud. Gameplay involves many adventures involving a variety of vehicles and mecha, most notably, the Try-Wing fighter aircraft. The original Emissary (1993) is a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter, but later games add more variety and directional freedom.
The first game in the series, co-developed with Argonaut Software, made use of the Super FX chip to create 3D graphics, the first of its kind on a home console. The Super FX Chip is a math co-processor built into the cartridge to help the Super NGS render graphics; it was used in other games for increased processing speed. The next game Emissary 2000, is the first Nintendo 2000 game with DualShock support.
Games
| 1993 | Emissary |
|---|---|
| 1994 | |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | |
| 1997 | Emissary 2000 |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Dinosaur Planet |
| 2003 | |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Emissary Armada |
| 2006 | Emissary Tactics |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | Emissary 2000 3D |
| Emissary Crisis | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | Emissary Fighter |
| Emissary 2[1] | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Emissary Online |
Main series
Emissary
The first game, released for the Super Nintendo Gaming System in 1993. Designed by Nintendo and programmed by Argonaut Software, it used the Super FX chip to create 3D graphics during a period of mostly 2D games. James McCloud and his team Tod Smithy, Patty O'Hara, and Fletch Rambaldi take on the forces of Dr. Andro, who wishes to conquer the fictional Canar System. The concept was inspired by a variety of sources, from the works of Gerry Anderson, to a local shrine to the deity the Japanese fox deity Inari Ōkami.
Emissary 2000
Emissary 2000 introduced fully voiced dialogue, off-the-rails movement, new vehicles and characters, and multiplayer with rudimentary on-foot gameplay. It was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 2000, and was the first game compatible with the DualShock controller, a new a controller with force feedback. 2000 retells the story of the original Emissary, with new characters and plot points, most notably the Scavenger space pirate team. The multiplayer modes include free-for-all, battle royale, and time trials.
Dinosaur Planet
Dinosaur Planet: An Emissary Adventure was released in 2002 for GameCube. Developed by Rare, it is predominantly an action-adventure game in which James is armed with a sword, traditional space shooting takes a backseat. Dinosaur Planet was originally intended as a new IP, before being reworked into an Emissary game. It introduced new characters, most notably Krystal. Taking place eight years after the events of Emissary 2000, the main enemy is the SharpClaw dinosaur tribe, led by General Scales.
Emissary Armada
Emissary Armada was released in 2005 for the GameCube, and developed by Factor 5 under supervision from Nintendo ED. Space combat returned, though with on foot segments not to dissimilar to Dinosaur Planet. Armada takes place one year after Dinosaur Planet, with a hive of cybernetic insects called the Insectrons invading the Canar system. The Emissary Team is tasked with stopping their attempt to infect everyone in the system.
Emissary Tactics
Emissary Tactics was developed by Intelligent Systems for the Doublet, and was released in 2006. It is the first Emissary game for a handheld console and the first to offer online multiplayer. Tactics utilizes a new system of gameplay, incorporating strategy and abandoning its "fly-by-rail" roots. Using the Doublet's touch screen, Players plot flight paths and engage enemies in a open arena-styled dogfights. Tactics takes place before, during, and shortly after the events of 2000, expanding on the game's events.
Emissary Crisis
Emissary Crisis was developed by Factor 5 for the Nintendo Revolution, and released in 2011. The game expands upon the gameplay of the series by allowing the player to pick a main pilot and a wingman for missions, to select any level in any order (which had minor but noticeable effects on the storyline), and giving each character has a unique ship with different abilities. For instance, Fletch's ship is faster then James's, but less durable. The game's plot takes place 3 years after after the events of Emissary Armada, in which a new force emerges from beneath the depths of Miasma to once again invade the Canar System.
Emissary 2000 3D
Emissary 2000 3D is a remake of Emissary 2000 for the Nintendo Triplet, released in 2011. With a few exceptions, the gameplay in 3D is similar to the originals, mapped to the controls of the system. A new multiplayer "Battle Mode" allows up to 4-player LAN multiplayer (via Download Play), or to battle against CPU opponents. During battles, each player's face appears on opponents' screens in a live reaction feed from the console's internal camera.
Emissary Fighter
Emissary Fighter was developed by Factor 5 for the Nintendo Revolution Next, and released in 2016. Essentially an expanded version of the previous Emissary Crisis, Fighter offers new vehicles and equipment. Taking place five years after Crisis, the story focuses on the final missions of the second incarnation of Emissary, as they grow older. Fighter was made with the intention of wrapping up the characters' stories, while leaving the door open for a new generation of characters.
Emissary 2
Emissary 2 was originally cancelled even though it was completely finished. Many of its new ideas were implemented for the then-forthcoming Emissary 2000, such as the rival team Scavenger, all-range mode, charge shot, and a multiplayer mode (though Emissary 2's multiplayer mode was no longer featured in the final beta). Other elements such as choosing characters, map pointing, and multiple ship variations were later implemented in Emissary Crisis. A beta version of the Ground Trailer tank (the Walker) also makes an appearance as an Try-Wing with leglike attachments. The game was officially released as part of the Super NGS Classic.
Emissary Online
Emissary Online is a MMO centered around the Emissary Universe. The player can create their own avatar, interact with major characters from the series, and fly in iconic vehicles. The series takes place after the disbandment of Emissary, and centers around the birth of a new generation of pilots, and enemies to the Canar system. The game is being activly developed by Nintendo and Factor 5, and new expansions are on the way.
Other media
Corocoro manga
A manga adaptation of the first game ran in CoroCoro Comic, an English translation was published in Nintendo Power. It followed the same basic outline as the source, with the addition of new characters not seen anywhere else. The story follows Emissary as they battle their way to the planet Miasma, the capital of Andro's armada. The manga expanded on the characters and their relationships with each other.
Club Nintendo comic
The official Club Nintendo magazine in Germany released an Emissary 2000 comic drawn manga-style to retell the game's storyline; an English translation would be printed in PIC's TV Century Twenty One comic (Not to be confused with the older TV Century 21. The comic shows some scenes that were not present in the game.
2004 anime
Emissary is a 2004 television anime produced and animated by Sunrise for TV Tokyo. It aired in 2004, and ran for 52 episodes, in the time slot once held by Ashi Production's F-Zero: The Future of Racing. The show's storyline takes place between Dinosaur Planet and Armada, though it also includes flashback episodes to Dinosaur Planet and 2000, and was preceded by a hour long television special: Mission 0: The First Emissary (作戦No. 0:原傭兵団 Sakusen Nanbā Zero: Gen-yōhei-dan?), a prequel to the entire storyline. The storyline follows the rise of a terrorist organization dubbed The Neo Andro Army, and their attempts to conquer the Canar System.
2019 podcast
In 2019, Picture Perfect Productions released a podcast series taking place in the original Emissary timeline. It features many of the original UK based cast members from Emissary 2000, including Mark Sessions as James McCloud, and focuses on the final end of Dr. Andro and his army.
Recurring Elements
Try-Wing
The Try-Wing (超高性能戦闘機トライウィング Chō Kōseinō Sentōki Torai-Wingu?) is the main craft of the Emissary team, and it has appeared, in one form or another, in all Emissary games to date. The Try-wing has had varying designs, though all versions of it retain a basic shape: a central fuselage, two crested streamlined pods attached at the sides, known as Gravity Diffusers, or G Diffusers, and wings mounted on the side pods. From Emissary onwards, the two side pods are a distinctive blue color. The name "Try-Wing" comes from the triangular shape of the fighter's design.
Ground Trailer
The Ground Trailer (超高性能地対空戦車グラウンドトレーラー Chō Kōseinō Chitaikū Sensha Guraundo Torērā?) is a surface to air tank and a mainstay of the series since 2000, appearing in two of the game's missions and one of the game's multiplayer maps. The Ground Trailer has evolved over the course of the series, most notably gaining tires. It is James McCloud's Super Attack in the Rumble Royale series.
Wolvar
The Wolvar (超高性能戦闘機ヴォルファー Chō Kōseinō Sentōki Vorufā?, pronounced Volfar) is the main craft of the Scavenger team. This ship would have first appeared in 'Emissary 2, but was instead first seen in Emissary 2000 on the planet Guysberg. Taking the hard path to Miasma enables the player to fight Wolvar II's, an upgraded model able to outperform the Try Wing.
Reception
| Game | Video Ranker | Game Center E | Personal Critic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissary | 85/100 | 87% | N/A |
| Emissary 2000 | 91/100 | 89% | 9/10 |
| Dinosaur Planet | 82/100 | 80% | 7/10 |
| Emissary Armada | 83/100 | 81% | 7/10 |
| Emissary Tactics | 67/100 | 65% | 6/10 |
| Emissary 2000 3D | 85/100 | 87% | 8/10 |
| Emissary Crisis | 86/100 | 85% | 8/10 |
| Emissary Fighter | 90/100 | 89% | 9/10 |
| Emissary Online | 89/100 | 89% | 8/10 |
The Emissary series has had mostly positive reviews, the most acclaimed being Emissary 2000.
References
- ↑ Originally intended to be released in 1996.
| Emissary | |
| 宇宙傭兵団エミサリ (Uchū Yōhei-dan Emisari) | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Science fiction action |
| Anime television film | |
| Mission 0: The First Emissary 作戦No. 0:原傭兵団 | |
| Directed by | Isao Hashimoto |
| Produced by |
Mamoru Shibata (TV Tokyo) Joji Suzuki (Sunrise) Hiroshi Yamagata (Sotsu) |
| Written by | Ichirou Matsudaira |
| Music by | Akihiko Yoshida |
| Studio | Sunrise (Studio 1) |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TX Network (TV Tokyo) |
| Released | October 1, 2004 |
| Runtime | 62 minutes |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Isao Hashimoto |
| Produced by |
Mamoru Shibata (TV Tokyo) Joji Suzuki (Sunrise) Hiroshi Yamagata (Sotsu) |
| Written by | Tatsuo Nishida |
| Music by | Akihiko Yoshida |
| Studio | Sunrise (Studio 1) |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TX Network (TV Tokyo) |
| Original run | October 5, 2004 – September 27, 2005 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Emissary (Japanese: 宇宙傭兵団エミサリ Hepburn: Uchū Yōhei-dan Emisari?, Space Mercenary Unit Emissary), is a 2004 anime adaptation of the video game series of the same name, produced by TV Tokyo, Sotsu Agency and Sunrise; it was supervised by Hirofumi Tezuka. It debuted on TV Tokyo, and other TX Network stations, on October 5, 2004, and the final episode aired on September 27, 2005.
6 months after the events of Dinosaur Planet, a terrorist organization calling themselves the "Neo-Andro Army" take over a space station orbiting the planet Magma. Claiming to be the successors of Dr Andro, their aim is the complete conquest of the Canar System; beginning a new era of interplanetary warfare. The Emissary mercenary team, lead by James McCloud, rise up to the challenge. However, a clash with rival mercenary group Scavenger forces one of their own into retirement, and they need to find a replacement if they want to beat the Neo Andro Army.
Plot
Songs
Opening themes
- "Emissary's Theme (OG Version)" (宇宙傭兵団エミサリの歌 （OG版） Uchū Yohei-dan Emisari no Uta (ōjii-ban)?)
- Composition: Kōji Kondō (近藤 浩治?)
- Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文?)
- Performance: Isao Sasaki (ささき いさお?)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episode: Special
- "Energy of a Supernova" (超新星の力 Chōshinsei no Enerugī?)
- Composition and Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Keiichi Kuwabara (桑原 慶一?) (Japanese), Lenny Hall (English)
- Performance: Shin'ichi Ishihara (石原 慎一?) (Japanese), Jack Leonards (English)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episodes: 1-26
- "Take Off Fighters" (発進せよ戦闘機 Hasshin seyo Faitā?)
- Composition and Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Keiichi Kuwabara (桑原 慶一?) (Japanese), Lenny Hall (English)
- Performance: Shin'ichi Ishihara (石原 慎一?) (Japanese), Jack Leonards (English)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episodes: 27-52
Ending themes
- "Victory of Emissary" (エミサリの勝利（04版） Emisari no Shōri (Zero-Yon-ban)?)
- Composition: Kōji Kondō (近藤 浩治?)
- Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文?)
- Performance: Isao Sasaki (ささき いさお?)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episode: Special
- Black Hole Blues (ブラックホール・ブルース Burakku Hōru Burūsu?)
- Stand Up! Emissary (立ち上がる！エミサリ Tachiagare! Emisari?)
- Composition and Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Keiichi Kuwabara (桑原 慶一?) (Japanese), Lenny Hall (English)
- Performance: Takayuki Miyauchi (宮内 タカユキ?) (Japanese), Neal Blum (English)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episodes: 27-52
Mecha themes
- "The Fury of Inari" (怒りのイナリ Ikari no Inari?)
- Composition and Arrangement: Akihiko Yoshida (吉田 聡彦?)
- Lyrics: Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文?)
- Performance: Kentarou Hayami (速水 けんたろう?)
- Label: Nippon Columbia (日本コロムビア?)
- Episodes: 2, 13-17, 26, 51
Episodes
- All Aicraft Report (全機報告せよ Zenki Hōkoku seyo?)
Broadcast
| Broadcast area | Station | Network | Timeslot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto Region | TV Tokyo 12/6 | TX Network | Tuesday 6:30pm | Production station |
Cast
Japanese
- James McCloud: Kenji Satō (佐藤 健二?)
- Fletch Rambaldi: Ryūnosuke Hashimoto (橋本 竜ノ介?)
- Tod Smithy: Norio Sasaki (ささき ノリオ?)
- Patty O'Hara: Toshio Andō (安東 トシオ?)
- Hunter O'Roy: Hiroshi Takeda (武田 ヒロシ?)
Mission Complete! (作戦完了! Sakusen Kanryō!?)
—Victory quote in Rumble Royale
| James McCloud | |
|---|---|
| Emissary character | |
 James McCloud, as he appears in Rumble Royale V. | |
| First game | Emissary (1993) |
| Created by | Hirofumi Tezuka |
| Designed by | Takaya Imamura |
| Portrayed by |
|
| Voiced by |
|
| Information | |
| Species | Fox |
| Gender | Male |
| Family |
James McCloud Sr. (father) Victoria Renard (mother) |
| Home | Planet Ghetty |