ninjahmos
Smash Lord
Hello!
Welcome to my new thread about the classic SEGA series, Altered Beast. Here I'll tell you a little bit about the franchise's history (some things may or may not be inaccurate) and how I think it should be brought back. But first things.
What is Altered Beast?
Altered Beast (Juoki in Japan) is a beat 'em up arcade game created by SEGA in 1988. The game has an Ancient Greek setting, where Zeus summons you, a Centurion, from the dead to rescue his daughter Athena from Neff, the evil, demonic ruler of the underworld. The player character can transform into various beasts (wolf, dragon, bear, tiger, and golden wolf) with magical powers, via the use of power-ups. The game was ported to numerous home consoles and computers. It was even the pack-in game for the SEGA Mega Drive when the system launched in Japan in 1988 and in 1989 in North America as the SEGA Genesis. The game was designed and developed by Makoto Uchida, and it was his first project as a lead developer for Team Shinobi (now SEGA AM1), a division of SEGA.
The arcade version and its different ports have all gotten mixed reviews, mainly towards the game's gameplay and its graphics.
A sequel for the Game Boy Advance, Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms, was released in 2002 and it was developed by the now-defunct 3d6 Games and published by THQ (now THQNordic) in association with SEGA and their division WOW Entertainment (SEGA WOW) (now SEGA AM1). It was made in the style of the original game, and featured new power-ups, new beast forms, and destructible environments. The game was pretty well-received. Then, after that was when things started to go downhill for Altered Beast.
In 2002 or 2003, SEGA hired a new development team from China called SEGA Shanghai (currently trading as SEGA of China), and decided to begin development on an entirely different take on Altered Beast. It was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. In Japan, it was called Juoki: Project Altered Beast, and in Europe it was just called Altered Beast. A North American release for the game was either cancelled or banned. Anyway, the game seems to be more commonly referred to as Project Altered Beast. It was meant to be a remake of Altered Beast, and like the original game, it has the player character transform into various beasts. Unlike the original game, however, the game has a more modern-day setting, different characters and a different story that have nothing to do with previous installments, which took place in Ancient Greece, so I would call this less of a remake and more of a re-imagining. In this game you play as Luke Custer, a kind-hearted and honest soldier who is what is known as a "Genome-Cyborg", a human whose DNA and other genetics have been artificially altered by micro-chips called "Genome Chips". Genome Chips contain the genetics of various animals that can transform Luke into different anthropomorphic beasts, with each beast containing their own elemental powers. Luke is unfortunately amnesiac, so he has to learn the truth about himself and the military-funded experiment that was put on him. The premise is a bit cliche although half-decent, but the story centered around it could have been a little more intricate and cohesive. There, I said it.
Anyway, the Genome Chips you acquire for each beast throughout the game's story are Werewolf (Element of Light), Merman (Element of Water), Wendigo (Element of Ice), Garuda (Element of Wind), Minotaur (Element of Fire), and Dragon (Element of Thunder). The chips you get after you beat the game are Grizzly (Element of Earth), U.W.H. (Unidentified Weightless Human) (Element of Gravity), and Weretiger (Element of Darkness). The pre-rendered CGI transformations are very gory and painful. Don't believe me? See for yourself.
www.youtube.com
Project Altered Beast got mostly mixed to negative reviews, probably because the teams behind the game were inexperienced and weren't given enough time or resources to finish the game. That, and the game may have been trying too hard to be dark and edgy. But I'm sure they went on to make much better games. Due to that, the franchise never carried on. I think I know how we can bring back Altered Beast...
How?
We need SEGA to remake Project Altered Beast, and if possible, make a sequel! I even made a petition for it, in case you're interested. Here it is:
Now, I know what you're thinking...
...Why?
Good question. I know that this is HIGHLY unlikely to happen, but I think, that with more experienced teams from SEGA, and hopefully more time and resources, it could turn out to be a better game and a new beginning for Altered Beast. Here's how I think this remake could work:
- The announcement/teaser trailer should be a cinematic recreation of this trailer:
- Updated story with more fleshed-out characters.
- Fixed controls.
- It should be co-developed by SEGA AM1 and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
- It should be rated M for Mature. I think you know why.
- They should remake the music, compose new music, and make new arrangements of music from the original Altered Beast, and other SEGA arcade games, like Space Harrier, Hang-On, Out Run, After Burner, Super Hang-On, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Alien Storm, The House of the Dead, and Dynamite Deka.
- It could be open world, where you can roam freely around the city, talk to people, do missions and play minigames and SEGA arcade games, including the original Altered Beast.
- They should rename Foret City to Forest City.
- When you play as Luke Custer (as Human), you could walk, run, jump, punch and kick, dodge-roll, interact with objects and people, use weapons (guns, close combat weapons, etc.), drive vehicles, and swim. You could enter the transformation menu anytime you wanted, on the ground, in the air, even within a vehicle (you automatically jump out of the vehicle or the vehicle gets destroyed in the process). The same goes for reverting back to Human.
- Make the cutscenes (and the transformations) JUST as cinematic as the announcement/teaser trailer.
- Keep the gory CGI transformations, but maybe don’t have them play EVERY SINGLE TIME you transform, at least not during heated affairs with enemies and bosses. And make new transformation scenes for Weretiger.
- Make Luke's Health, Spirit Energy (Beast Form), attacks and combos, and other Human abilities upgradable.
- The player should be able to lock on to enemies and bosses.
- Garuda, Dragon, and U.W.H. (Unidentified Weightless Human) could be able to fly freely in the sky.
- Werewolf, Wendigo, Grizzly, and Weretiger could be able to climb buildings. Werewolf and Weretiger would be faster, and Wendigo and Grizzly would be slower but more difficult to get knocked or shot off the wall.
- Werewolf and Weretiger could make huge jumps to get from one building to another.
- Wendigo would be much bigger and be able to lift cars, trucks, and other large objects.
- Merman could be used underwater, as well as on land, but his attacks would be more effective in water.
- When used for transformations, your Spirit Energy would slowly decrease while in Beast Form. But it could slowly recharge over time, and you can get it back by getting to a Save Point.
- All beasts should be able to jump.
- Attacks and combos should be quicker and easier to perform. Each attack and combo should be able to register the player's button mashing.
- Cool locations. (Temples, snowy and rocky mountains, jungles, forests, swamps, cities, towns, villages, ocean, islands, deserts, caves, laboratories, power stations, space, etc.)
- Awesome (but hopefully balanced) enemies and bosses (Evil Genome-Cyborgs, mutants, undead (zombies, skeletons, etc.), demons, mythical creatures, aliens, etc.)
- Co-op multiplayer. (Online and offline)
(Spoiler warning for this next one)
- Make DLC storylines for the Centurion from the original Altered Beast as a playable character.
- An arcade mode that's similar to the original Altered Beast.
- A combat mode where you can choose a Beast Form and an arena, and fight each other like in Virtua Fighter.
- New Beasts and new transformations.
And here's how I think the opening sequence for the sequel should go:
Two years after the events of Project Altered Beast:
The middle of a battle field, in a destroyed city. Masked soldiers everywhere. Lots of gunfire. Then, the two armies have a stand-off. Suddenly, one of the soldiers steps out, throws his gun away as if he was suicidal, and starts to charge at the enemies. They fire at him as the soldier rips off his clothing, becoming a werewolf. He slashes right into the hordes of enemies, killing one by one as his comrades follow suit, revealing themselves as Genome-Cyborgs. After a bit of a fight, the first werewolf starts to change back, revealing himself as Luke, while his allies take out the last few standing opponents.
I hope that someday we can convince SEGA to bring back Altered Beast, and other classic SEGA franchises, like Shinobi, Golden Axe, and even Alien Storm. Maybe then they might get some representation in the next Smash game, if there's going to BE a next Smash game.
Welcome to my new thread about the classic SEGA series, Altered Beast. Here I'll tell you a little bit about the franchise's history (some things may or may not be inaccurate) and how I think it should be brought back. But first things.
What is Altered Beast?
Altered Beast (Juoki in Japan) is a beat 'em up arcade game created by SEGA in 1988. The game has an Ancient Greek setting, where Zeus summons you, a Centurion, from the dead to rescue his daughter Athena from Neff, the evil, demonic ruler of the underworld. The player character can transform into various beasts (wolf, dragon, bear, tiger, and golden wolf) with magical powers, via the use of power-ups. The game was ported to numerous home consoles and computers. It was even the pack-in game for the SEGA Mega Drive when the system launched in Japan in 1988 and in 1989 in North America as the SEGA Genesis. The game was designed and developed by Makoto Uchida, and it was his first project as a lead developer for Team Shinobi (now SEGA AM1), a division of SEGA.
The ending in the arcade version of Altered Beast revealed that the whole thing was just a film shoot. The characters were actors in costumes, including the Centurion's transformations.
www.youtube.com
Altered Beast Arcade Final Boss and Ending || Altered Beast (Arcade)
The ending to the (US) Arcade version of Altered Beast. This also includes the final fight with Van Vader, Neff's final form he takes in the game. Yes, this ...
www.youtube.com
The arcade version and its different ports have all gotten mixed reviews, mainly towards the game's gameplay and its graphics.
A sequel for the Game Boy Advance, Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms, was released in 2002 and it was developed by the now-defunct 3d6 Games and published by THQ (now THQNordic) in association with SEGA and their division WOW Entertainment (SEGA WOW) (now SEGA AM1). It was made in the style of the original game, and featured new power-ups, new beast forms, and destructible environments. The game was pretty well-received. Then, after that was when things started to go downhill for Altered Beast.
In 2002 or 2003, SEGA hired a new development team from China called SEGA Shanghai (currently trading as SEGA of China), and decided to begin development on an entirely different take on Altered Beast. It was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. In Japan, it was called Juoki: Project Altered Beast, and in Europe it was just called Altered Beast. A North American release for the game was either cancelled or banned. Anyway, the game seems to be more commonly referred to as Project Altered Beast. It was meant to be a remake of Altered Beast, and like the original game, it has the player character transform into various beasts. Unlike the original game, however, the game has a more modern-day setting, different characters and a different story that have nothing to do with previous installments, which took place in Ancient Greece, so I would call this less of a remake and more of a re-imagining. In this game you play as Luke Custer, a kind-hearted and honest soldier who is what is known as a "Genome-Cyborg", a human whose DNA and other genetics have been artificially altered by micro-chips called "Genome Chips". Genome Chips contain the genetics of various animals that can transform Luke into different anthropomorphic beasts, with each beast containing their own elemental powers. Luke is unfortunately amnesiac, so he has to learn the truth about himself and the military-funded experiment that was put on him. The premise is a bit cliche although half-decent, but the story centered around it could have been a little more intricate and cohesive. There, I said it.
Anyway, the Genome Chips you acquire for each beast throughout the game's story are Werewolf (Element of Light), Merman (Element of Water), Wendigo (Element of Ice), Garuda (Element of Wind), Minotaur (Element of Fire), and Dragon (Element of Thunder). The chips you get after you beat the game are Grizzly (Element of Earth), U.W.H. (Unidentified Weightless Human) (Element of Gravity), and Weretiger (Element of Darkness). The pre-rendered CGI transformations are very gory and painful. Don't believe me? See for yourself.
Altered Beast PS2 All Transformations HD
These are all of the transformations from Altered Beast PS2. All captured and curated by me, emulation and from other sites. Sadly since this video was made ...
www.youtube.com
Project Altered Beast got mostly mixed to negative reviews, probably because the teams behind the game were inexperienced and weren't given enough time or resources to finish the game. That, and the game may have been trying too hard to be dark and edgy. But I'm sure they went on to make much better games. Due to that, the franchise never carried on. I think I know how we can bring back Altered Beast...
How?
We need SEGA to remake Project Altered Beast, and if possible, make a sequel! I even made a petition for it, in case you're interested. Here it is:
Now, I know what you're thinking...
...Why?
Good question. I know that this is HIGHLY unlikely to happen, but I think, that with more experienced teams from SEGA, and hopefully more time and resources, it could turn out to be a better game and a new beginning for Altered Beast. Here's how I think this remake could work:
- The announcement/teaser trailer should be a cinematic recreation of this trailer:
- Updated story with more fleshed-out characters.
- Fixed controls.
- It should be co-developed by SEGA AM1 and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
- It should be rated M for Mature. I think you know why.
- They should remake the music, compose new music, and make new arrangements of music from the original Altered Beast, and other SEGA arcade games, like Space Harrier, Hang-On, Out Run, After Burner, Super Hang-On, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Alien Storm, The House of the Dead, and Dynamite Deka.
- It could be open world, where you can roam freely around the city, talk to people, do missions and play minigames and SEGA arcade games, including the original Altered Beast.
- They should rename Foret City to Forest City.
- When you play as Luke Custer (as Human), you could walk, run, jump, punch and kick, dodge-roll, interact with objects and people, use weapons (guns, close combat weapons, etc.), drive vehicles, and swim. You could enter the transformation menu anytime you wanted, on the ground, in the air, even within a vehicle (you automatically jump out of the vehicle or the vehicle gets destroyed in the process). The same goes for reverting back to Human.
- Make the cutscenes (and the transformations) JUST as cinematic as the announcement/teaser trailer.
- Keep the gory CGI transformations, but maybe don’t have them play EVERY SINGLE TIME you transform, at least not during heated affairs with enemies and bosses. And make new transformation scenes for Weretiger.
- Make Luke's Health, Spirit Energy (Beast Form), attacks and combos, and other Human abilities upgradable.
- The player should be able to lock on to enemies and bosses.
- Garuda, Dragon, and U.W.H. (Unidentified Weightless Human) could be able to fly freely in the sky.
- Werewolf, Wendigo, Grizzly, and Weretiger could be able to climb buildings. Werewolf and Weretiger would be faster, and Wendigo and Grizzly would be slower but more difficult to get knocked or shot off the wall.
- Werewolf and Weretiger could make huge jumps to get from one building to another.
- Wendigo would be much bigger and be able to lift cars, trucks, and other large objects.
- Merman could be used underwater, as well as on land, but his attacks would be more effective in water.
- When used for transformations, your Spirit Energy would slowly decrease while in Beast Form. But it could slowly recharge over time, and you can get it back by getting to a Save Point.
- All beasts should be able to jump.
- Attacks and combos should be quicker and easier to perform. Each attack and combo should be able to register the player's button mashing.
- Cool locations. (Temples, snowy and rocky mountains, jungles, forests, swamps, cities, towns, villages, ocean, islands, deserts, caves, laboratories, power stations, space, etc.)
- Awesome (but hopefully balanced) enemies and bosses (Evil Genome-Cyborgs, mutants, undead (zombies, skeletons, etc.), demons, mythical creatures, aliens, etc.)
- Co-op multiplayer. (Online and offline)
(Spoiler warning for this next one)
- Have Luke repay Brad for giving him the scar on his chest.
- Make DLC storylines for the Centurion from the original Altered Beast as a playable character.
- An arcade mode that's similar to the original Altered Beast.
- A combat mode where you can choose a Beast Form and an arena, and fight each other like in Virtua Fighter.
- New Beasts and new transformations.
And here's how I think the opening sequence for the sequel should go:
Two years after the events of Project Altered Beast:
The middle of a battle field, in a destroyed city. Masked soldiers everywhere. Lots of gunfire. Then, the two armies have a stand-off. Suddenly, one of the soldiers steps out, throws his gun away as if he was suicidal, and starts to charge at the enemies. They fire at him as the soldier rips off his clothing, becoming a werewolf. He slashes right into the hordes of enemies, killing one by one as his comrades follow suit, revealing themselves as Genome-Cyborgs. After a bit of a fight, the first werewolf starts to change back, revealing himself as Luke, while his allies take out the last few standing opponents.
I hope that someday we can convince SEGA to bring back Altered Beast, and other classic SEGA franchises, like Shinobi, Golden Axe, and even Alien Storm. Maybe then they might get some representation in the next Smash game, if there's going to BE a next Smash game.
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