| Panic! | |
|---|---|
| 256px North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Data East USA |
| Producer(s) | Hajime Tabe |
| Platform(s) | Mega-CD
PlayStation 2(Japan Only) |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T |
| Media/distribution | 1 x CD-ROM |
- For the rock band, see Panic! at the Disco.
Panic! (known as Switch! in Japan) is a video game for the Mega-CD that involves pressing numerous buttons in order to transverse a young boy or his dog through a complex labyrinth. The game was originally released in Japan, and had some risque "gags" that were assumed to be edited out if the game ever got a North American release. However, in 1994, Data East USA decided to publish the game in North America for the Sega CD, renamed but otherwise un-cut. The game was also released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002.
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Gameplay [link]
During the intro, the game explains that a virus has infected the world's computer systems, and the player (a boy who has been sucked into his TV) must carry an antidote to the central computer to fix it. To this end, the boy must traverse a grid of levels, pushing buttons to advance.
Gameplay for Panic! is very minimalistic, and likely the reason of its very low sales figures. Each level is presented as a new area with a mechanical device of varying utility and sanity, and a set of buttons to press. Each button causes an animation and/or teleports the boy to another room. Sometimes the buttons are booby-trapped and cause the destruction of a variety of monuments, including famous ones (like The Great Wall of China) and not-so-famous ones (a grass hut or a doghouse). The grid also features a few game overs on the grid, marked by flashing skulls on the map. The buttons themselves have no indication on what they do unless pressed, which makes gameplay little more than trial and error: players who enjoy the animations might frustrate over constant teleporting. It is also possible to backtrack into previous levels, and buttons once pressed are not marked, unless they were booby-trapped.
Reception [link]
Panic! was one of only 12 games in GamePro history to earn a score of 1.0 or lower.[1] It should be noted, however, that a few other magazines at the time had given the game positive scores for its surrealist humor. Notably Game Players magazine, describing the game as being made "for people on drugs, by people on drugs."
Richard Leadbetter, editor of Mean Machines Sega, awarded the Japanese version of the game a score of 90%.[2]
References [link]
- ^ "The Worst of the Worst". GamePro (200): 53. May 2005.
- ^ Leadbetter, Richard; Rignall, Julian (1993). Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide. London: Virgin Books. p. 126. ISBN 0-86369-708-9.
External links [link]
- Panic! at Hardcore Gaming 101
- Panic! at GameFAQs
- Panic featured onClassicGaming
- Panic on Everything2
- Panic! at MobyGames
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Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction. Panic may occur singularly in individuals or manifest suddenly in large groups as mass panic (closely related to herd behavior).
Etymology
The word derives from antiquity and is a tribute to the ancient God, Pan. One of the many gods in the mythology of ancient Greece: Pan was the god of shepherds and of woods and pastures. The Greeks believed that he often wandered peacefully through the woods, playing a pipe, but when accidentally awakened from his noontime nap he could give a great shout that would cause flocks to stampede. From this aspect of Pan's nature Greek authors derived the word panikon, “sudden fear,” the ultimate source of the English word: "panic".
Effects
Panic (novel)
Panic is a 2005 thriller by Jeff Abbott about an unsuspecting young documentary film maker, Evan, whose life is turned upside down when he realizes that his parents have been working as spies throughout their lives. One morning his mother phones him and asks him to come to her urgently, but when he arrives at her home she has just been murdered and he barely manages to escape with his life. Evan is suspected of having received from his mother a copy of a list of members and clients of a secret organisation called "The Deeps" and the chase is on. Evan must struggle through his mother's death and meets C.I.A. agents, cold-hearted killers, and double-crossers, and friends - trying to find his father, get his revenge on the people who murdered his mother, and uncover all the secrets about the lie he believed was his life. He also tries to save a lovely girl named Carrie whom he has recently met and fallen in love with, but doesn't know whose side she is on, "The Deeps" or the C.I.A.
