Space Station Silicon Valley
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| Space Station Silicon Valley | |
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| Developer(s) | DMA Design |
| Publisher(s) | Take-Two Interactive |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Game Boy Color |
| Release date(s) | October 1, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | 3D Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Media | 64-megabit |
Space Station Silicon Valley is a platform game released in October 1998 by Scottish developer DMA Design (now known as Rockstar North, creator of the Grand Theft Auto series). It was initially released for the Nintendo 64, and later in a version for the Game Boy Color. Several glitches were present within the game, but this did not prevent it from attaining considerable critical acclaim.[1] It was ported in the Summer of 2000 in Europe to the PlayStation under the title of Evo's Space Adventures.
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[edit] Storyline
The game's storyline revolves around a space station, home to numerous animals (the station was intended by the designer to be a "technologically advanced amusement park"), which was launched and subsequently lost in the year 2001. Thought to have disappeared forever, it reappears in the year 3000, and its designer, Professor Cheese, mysteriously vanishes upon an excursion to the station. Following this, A duo of "Heroes for Hire", namely Danger Dan and his partner Evo, are dispatched to the station in order to investigate this disappearance. They arrive to find that over 1000 years, the animal cargo had evolved and merged with technology; examples including an electronically-powered fox with motorized wheels and a steam-powered hippopotamus. Throughout the course of the game, the space station is on a collision course with Earth, and it is the player's mission to save all of humanity.
[edit] Gameplay
Within the game, the player controls Evo, a robot who is reduced to no more than a microchip during the crash into the station (caused by a fight the heroes were having over which radio station to listen) and must enter the bodies of the animals therein (who each possess their own abilities), in order to solve puzzles and defeat enemies in each level. As this progresses, Dan is trapped in the team's destroyed spaceship and does nothing but assign Evo his missions and watch the player's actions.
As the player progresses through the 5 distinct sections of the space station (including the 4 'environment' based areas and the control centre), he/she collects the scattered remains of Evo's robotic body, eventually re-assembling him for the final battle
[edit] Critical reception
Space Station Silicon Valley was largely well received due to its intuitive mechanics, innovative level design, and comical concepts, obtaining a cumulative score of 83 on Metacritic. [2]
[edit] Bugs and glitches
The game has also been known to freeze up, but it is a rare occurrence. Freezes are more common when using the Expansion Pak. In some cases it is impossible to get past the first few start up screens if the Expansion Pak is present.
Another bug (pictured right) makes the player walk through the level bonus souvenir, preventing the player from collecting all the souvenirs in the game. Since this bug occurs, it is impossible for the player to complete the game and witness the proper ending for the game.
[edit] Trivia
- Scenes from this game are featured in the music video for Mouse On Mars' song "Twift Shoeblade". [3]
- The 'victory theme' heard after completing a level can be heard occasionally on one of the radio stations in DMA's 1999 game, Grand Theft Auto 2.
- In a recent interview[when?], Jimmy Chamberlin stated that this was one of his favorite games he had ever played[citation needed].
