Thrill Kill
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| Thrill Kill | |
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| Developer(s) | Paradox Development |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive |
| Release date(s) | Cancelled |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Arcade, Versus, Practice |
| Rating(s) | Uncensored: ESRB: AO Censored: ESRB: M |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Media | CD-ROM |
Thrill Kill was a fighting game being developed for the PlayStation by Paradox Development. It was cancelled by Electronic Arts a few weeks before shipping after EA acquired the original publisher, Virgin Interactive. In a release, EA stated that they didn't want to "publish such a senselessly violent game", as they felt that it would harm their image. They also stated that they deemed the game so offensive that they would not even attempt to sell the game to be released by another publisher either. Later, former employees that had worked on the game released the full game onto the internet, and along with various beta versions. All are still widely available through filesharing.
Gameplay consisted of a closed 3D room where up to four opponents would fight to the death, and proceed to finish each other off with Thrill Kills, much like the fatalities of Mortal Kombat. Instead of the usual life bar, characters built up a power bar. Once a player's bar was full, that player's character could activate a Thrill Kill move to brutally slay an opponent.
Thrill Kill was considered a technical feat for the PlayStation for allowing four players to fight simultaneously in the same room. The content included amputated and handicapped characters, and extremely violent and sexual moves with names such as "Bitch Slap", "Swallow This", and "Head Muncher."
The Thrill Kill engine was later used to make Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style (released on October 31, 1999 by Activision) a game based on the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. While violent, Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style had less objectionable content than Thrill Kill, and was poorly received.
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[edit] Game Story
Eight fighters, eight souls. Each has died and descended into Hell - except it’s not the classical Dante’s Hell. It’s a modern day Hell based on the real world of today’s deviants. The characters are the physical manifestations of their mental illnesses or vices on earth. Marukka, the God of Secrets, is bored and decided that it would be fun to pit them all against each other with the prize being rebirth. Each character is battling for nothing more than self-preservation and the hope to be born again.
[edit] Characters
Belladonna - Belladonna is the epitome of the 'femme fatale' - alluring and exotic, but deadly in every way, as evidenced by her cattle prod and latex-clad body. Don’t let the maid’s uniform fool you - Belladonna serves no one. To even get close to her is to tempt death, for there is nothing she enjoys more than the intimacy of driving a six-inch stiletto heel into the groin of a would-be suitor. Formerly a prim, proper wife and librarian, her interests changed for the worse when she found her husband cheating on her with her sister. Neither survived her wrath.
Cleetus - If Cleetus, a backwoods homosexual cannibal, ever invites you to come over for a bite, you’d best pass. His appetite for pain and suffering have taken him to a new place in the food chain. Not content with simply defeating his foes, Cleetus prefers to devour them. He is a glutton for fresh meat, the rarer the better. No one has escaped his appetite, except for one who managed to only lose a leg, which Cleetus carries around for good luck.
Dr. Faustus - Dr. Faustus is not your average doctor, but a depraved combination of bloodthirsty fiend and surgical steel. His surgical skills allow him to delicately remove a vital organ with a single pass of his scalpel, or rend his victims to a bloody pulp like a razor-toothed pit bull. As Hell’s surgeon, Dr. Faustus loves his work, and his overzealous nature often causes him to lose all restraint while operating. After mutilating himself by installing a form of 'bear trap' to replace his mandible, he decided that his beauty treatments shouldn’t be hogged all to himself. His victims felt otherwise.
The Imp - Bad things can come in small packages, as evidenced by the three-foot-terror that is The Imp. His diminutive size is his sorest spot, suffering from a Napoleon complex to end-all. In order to measure up to his fellow minions, he has rigged makeshift stilts and permanently grafted them to his legs. An angry, tortured sole, The Imp thinks of nothing but causing pain to those that dare to look down on him.
Mammoth - Postal workers unite! The pure embodiment of primitive rage and brutality, Mammoth is a nightmare to behold. His gargantuan size and strength make him capable of crushing a man into a pulpy red meatball, or snap his opponent’s spine with the flick of a finger. But behind the blank, glassy stare of this beast lies a raging soul in anguish at his lost humanity. After being fired from his counter position at the local postal office, Mammoth went into an unmatched rage and took out his aggression on co-workers and customers alike.
Oddball - Raymond Raystack began his FBI career noble enough. Years of tracking serial killers proved costly to Raymond as he finally went over the edge and actually began to admire the very predators he was pledged to track down. Behind the wild eyes of this psychotic denizen of hell lies the embodiment of lunacy and inhuman rage. Like most sociopaths, Oddball is extremely intelligent, cunning, and without remorse. Pity, sympathy, and compassion have no meaning to him. Although his arms are bound in his cozy little straight jacket, he has learned to adapt, as any good predator should.
Tormentor - Inquisitor and executioner in one, the Tormentor is a medieval nightmare of leather and chains. Born to bring ultimate pain and suffering, Tormentor believes that he is an angel of mercy sent to cleanse the souls of the immoral. In every case, his victims are guilty until proven innocent, and the sentence is always death. In life, The Tormentor spent years sitting on the bench as a judge purposely acquitting known felons so that he could bring them down into his personal torture chamber and dish out the kind of punishment he felt they deserved.
Violet - Violet, a traveling circus contortionist is the embodiment of insanity, twisting her own body to match the twisted reality of Hell. Although she is barely more than a skeleton, she is a wiry, ruthless opponent capable of contorting and twisting herself out of any situation. Like a slender serpent, she is fast, agile, and deadly to anyone that crosses her path. Her hatred for men began after being attacked in her dressing room after one of her performances.
[edit] Sub-Bosses
Cain - Cain has no official story. Cain is the first sub boss you will encounter in Thrill Kill. You will face off against him along with two other opponents, just like previous matches in arcade mode. To unlock Cain as a playable character, you must complete the game on medium difficulty.
Judas - Judas has no official story. Judas is the second sub boss you will encounter in Thrill Kill. However, unlike Cain, you square off against Judas in a 1-on-1 match. To unlock Judas as a playable character, you must complete the game on hard difficulty.
[edit] Final Boss
Marukka - Marukka has no official story. All that's know about her is what's mentioned in the game's storyline:
Marukka, the God of Secrets, is bored and decided that it would be fun to pit them all against each other with the prize being rebirth.
To unlock Marukka as a playable character, you must complete the game on very hard difficulty.
[edit] Dungeons
The fighting arenas in Thrill Kill are referred to as "Dungeons."
- Chamber of Anguish
- The Crematorium
- Homicide Avenue
- Insane Asylum
- The Lavatory
- Sewer of Styx
- Sinner's Cell
- Slaughterhouse of Flesh
- Sacrificial Ruins(unlockable)
- Dante's Cage(unlockable)
- Practice Mode Arena(unlockable)
[edit] Cheats/Secrets
Unlock Cain: Finish the game on the normal setting.
Unlock Judas: Finish the game on the hard setting.
Unlock Marukka: Finish the game on the very hard setting.
(There seems to be some conflict on how to unlock the three boss characters. Most game sites will say you only need to beat arcade mode on normal difficulty, however, in my version, I needed to do the above to unlock all three bosses. It may depend on what version you have. Since most people probably have a beta version and not a complete version, sites tell you to only beat arcade on normal.)
Secret Costumes: Complete practice mode with a character to unlock their fifth costume. When choosing your character, hold L1 and L2 and press X.
The Gimp (practice mode only): Complete practice mode with all eleven characters. Enter practice mode, when choosing the computer player, hold all four shoulder buttons and press X.
Unlock Practice Mode Arena: Complete practice mode with all eleven characters. When choosing your arena, hold the L1 and L2 buttons and press X.
Unlock Sacrificial Ruins: Finish the game on the hard setting.
Unlock Dante's Cage: Finish the game on very hard setting.
[edit] Versions
Thrill Kill was never officially released to the public. Several versions, however, leaked onto the internet. Here are the four most common versions circulating, and some attributes to help you determine which version you have.
NTSC Beta:
- File Named: Slus_123.45
- Virgin and Paradox FMV's only, no character endings
- Five music tracks
PAL Beta:
- File Named: Slus_013.37
- Virgin and Paradox FMV's, most character endings (some incomplete)
NTSC Full Censored Version:
- File Named: Slus_007.52
- Full Opening FMV, all character endings
- 13 music tracks
- At the beginning of a round, when Cleetus bites into the leg he carries, there is no blood and Cleetus says "yummy"
- When beginning a round with Belladonna, she will rub herself and laugh.
- Belladonna is missing her famous 3rd Thrill Kill
NTSC Full Uncensored Version:
- File Named: Slus_007.52
- Full Opening FMV, all character endings
- 13 music tracks
- At the beginning of a round, when Cleetus bites into the leg he carries, blood squirts out and you hear the sound of ripping flesh
- When beginning a round with Belladonna, she will rub herself and moan as if she's having an orgasm
- Belladonna has her famous 3rd Thrill Kill
- Some minor nudity in costumes
[edit] Trivia
Aaron Celta, one of Thrill Kill's programmers, said in a Chatterbox Video Game Radio interview that: [1]
- Thrill Kill was in development for four years. During the first half of its development, it was a two-on-two Mayan basketball game.
- He and the development team learned about the game's cancellation through a news posting in IGN.com.
- The ESRB's complaints had Paradox change some of the game's content. For example: "The Imp" character name was supposedly changed from "Senator Lieberman" (a direct spoof of the US senator of the same name). Characters wore briefs instead of g-strings. Belladona's suggestive wail at the start of a match was toned down.
- Even though the game was completed, Electronic Arts did not pay Paradox their final milestone payments, letting them keep the development hardware instead.
