3-D Mechanical Simulator!
BattleCorps is a 1994 first-person mecha developed by Core Design for the Sega CD.
In 2085, set on Planet Mandelbrot, an infected AI system had taken over all life on it's surface. You're an expert pilot in control of a B.A.M, or Bipedal Attack Machine, sent to clean up the robot infestation in a series of levels.
Plot-wise, like most old Sega CD outputs there isn't much of a backstory to justify it's Excuse Plot. You could select between three different player characters - Special Forces Soldier Jack, kickboxer Becky, and token Cyborg Dika, each having different stats when piloting their respective B.A.Ms.
=BattleCorps contain examples of:
- Abandoned Mine: One of the stages is set in the mining tunnels of Planet Mandelbrot, with the minecart's rails visible in the center. Alongside robot enemies shooting from behind stalagmites.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: According to the backstory, at least, it turns out the reasons behind all the hostile robot enemies you spend the whole game battling is caused by a faulty AI who had taken over a whole planet's surface.
- Airborne Mooks: Some of the robotic drones are airborne and flies circles around the B.A.M. They're expectedly harder to hit than the ground-based enemies.
- All There in the Manual: The gameplay and (single-frame) cutscenes doesn't really explain what the hell's going on in the backstory, or why is the player fighting other machines. All those are available only in supplementary materials.
- Chicken Walker: Although you don't really see it while piloting (because everything is in first-person view), but the B.A.M you pilot is one of these. It's displayed nicely in briefing scenes and on the cover art though.
- Cut and Paste Environments: The whole game runs on recycled graphics, with differences in lighting from time of day, to enemy placement. Then again it is a rather old game.
- Enemy-Detecting Radar: The B.A.M have one on it's upper-right corner, that displays the area's map as well.
- Excuse Plot: Hostile AI, bad robots, you need to kill them all, any questions?
- Flying Face: The AI who took over Planet Mandelbrot manifests as a gigantic robotic face as the last stage's boss.
- Fun with Acronyms: You pilot a B.A.M or Bipedal Attack Machine to kick ass. There's also the Mad AI, Multi Organic Synergistic Energized System or M.O.S.E.S.
- Grenade Launcher: The B.A.M can be equipped with a multi grenade-spewing turret, whose projectiles have the desired explosive effects.
- Have a Nice Death: There's one on the "Game Over" screen, from your commander that bashes you through the skull if you lose:You really fragged it, sweetheart. I should've sent in a battalion of girl-guides - they'd have done better than you...
- Homing Projectile: The Heat-Seeking Rockets can home in on the closest targets.
- I Warned You: Over-abusing the B.A.M's weapon systems and the screen will actually display a "Don't Say I Didn't Warn You!" notification.
- Land Mine Goes "Click!": Landmines are a minor obstacle in a few stages, which are visible and you can destroy from a distance. However you might trigger them by accident while avoiding enemy attacks. The B.A.M even has a radar to warn you, "Landmine Detected!"
- Overheating: Repeatedly firing the B.A.M's turrets without allowing it to cool down will lead to the gun system overheating and it's firing rate decreasing, with the game letting out a "HEAT WARNING!" alert.
- Sentry Gun: A few areas contains fixed turrets, either at ground level or on ceilings.
- Token Robot: The third player character, Dika Jang, is the token Cyborg, though on the character select screen he looks more like a complete robot due to absence of organic features.
- Under the Sea: One stage takes place entirely underwater, but luckily the B.A.M have sealable air-vents preventing water from entering and the ability to function under high water pressure. Enemies can still explode when killed, which results in plenty of bubbles floating to the surface.
