ChuChu Rocket!

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ChuChu Rocket!
Developer(s)	Sonic Team
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	Dreamcast, GBA
Release date	JP November 11, 1999 NA March 8, 2000
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone
Media	GD-ROM, GBA cartridge

ChuChu Rocket! (チューチューロケット, Chūchū Roketto^?) is a puzzle game developed by Sonic Team. Originally written for the Dreamcast, it was later ported to the Game Boy Advance. The "chu" in the title is an onomatopoeia in the Japanese language for the sound a mouse makes.

ChuChu Rocket! was the first popular online game for any major video game console.^[1] The game was later given away free with every Dreamcast as a demonstration of its online abilities. The game was also given away free to European console owners, who could order a copy by connecting to the Dreamarena online service with the Dreamcast browser. [1]

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Game Boy Advance port 3 Reception 4 References

[edit] Gameplay

The object of the game is to guide one or more mice ("ChuChus") around a board into one or more goals while avoiding cats ("KapuKapus") roaming the board. The mice and cats all move in predictable paths by always turning right when hitting a wall head on or by following corners.

ChuChu Rocket!'s multiplayer mode revolves around up to four players placing arrows on the level at once, trying to direct mice into their own rockets and cats into other players' rockets. Each player can only have three arrows on-screen at a time and cannot place them on other players' arrows or their own arrows. Although a simple concept, this quickly becomes frenetic with the relentless speed of the mice and four players fighting over them.

While billed primarily as a multiplayer game, the single-player puzzle mode of ChuChu Rocket! had a strong online following. In this mode, players are presented with levels with mice and cats on it and are tasked with placing arrows in order to get all the mice into the rockets and keep all the cats out without further guidance after setting the level in motion. A level editor allows players to create their own puzzle levels to share with others, and thousands of levels were uploaded to Sega's online service during the game's lifetime.

A less-featured Stage Challenge mode challenges players to get mice into rockets, guide a cat to eat all the mice, put cats into a computer-guarded rocket, and other tasks, all within a specified time limit. One or two players can work together to solve the 25 available levels.

[edit] Game Boy Advance port

The Game Boy Advance release of ChuChu Rocket! featured the same gameplay as the original Dreamcast release, complete with single-cartridge multiplayer gameplay across multiple GBAs. The original 100 puzzle levels were included, as well as 2,500 user-submitted levels from the online service. This version's level editor is capable of creating levels for the stage challenge and multiplayer modes. Numerous new features and effects were added to the GBA version as well, some taking advantage of each player having his or her own screen.

[edit] Reception

The Dreamcast version has an aggregate score of 86% on Game Rankings.^[2] One of the most common complaints about the game was the lag time on the online play.^[1][3][4] The online interface was also criticized as well for being very basic and immature, though reviewers noted that it was Sega's first online game. IGN complained that the lobby system was poorly conceived.^[4] GameSpot said that the network mode "could have been the crowning moment" of the game.^[3] Gamespy reported problems with getting the settings to connect to the Internet correctly.^[1]

The Game Boy Advance version has an aggregate score of 83% on Game Rankings.^[5]

[edit] References