Philosoma
| Philosoma | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer | G-Artists[a] |
| Publisher | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Composer | Kow Otani |
| Platform | PlayStation |
| Release | |
| Genre | Shooter |
| Mode | Single-player |
Philosoma[b] is a shooter video game developed by G-Artists and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in July 1995, North America in January 1996 and PAL territories in March 1996. It was re-released on the PlayStation Network in Japan on April 26, 2007. One of the earliest PlayStation games, it was met with mediocre reviews, with most critics assessing its graphics as dull and its gameplay as primitive.
Story
[edit]A recently colonized alien planet named Planet 220 reports a devastating attack by an unknown force and requires assistance. Alpha and Bravo teams are called in, but after enemy contact is made, the team fails to respond. The player assumes the roles of D3, a rookie pilot, as well as his commander and Charlie squadron Commander Nicolard Michau. Each are piloting the latest space fighter ships, the F/A-37 Strega, in an attempt to neutralize the unknown threat. However, a horrible secret hidden in the battle awaits them.
Gameplay
[edit]Philosoma plays like many scrolling shooters with the noticeable difference of its multiple perspectives. The camera switches several times during various levels from a vertical/top-down perspective to a rail shooter perspective (which is often reversed), to a horizontal scrolling perspective and an isometric scrolling perspective. The player ships have four weapons that can be upgraded thrice as well as side-arms consisting of homing missiles and rockets.
Development and release
[edit]Philosoma was one of the first games announced for the PlayStation. It suffered a prolonged development cycle with its release date being pushed back multiple times, before finally appearing in Japan at the end of June 1995.[5] The game was released for the PlayStation in Japan on July 28, 1995.[6]
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 4/5[7] |
| Edge | 5/10[8] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.5/10, 8/10, 8/10, 8/10[9] |
| EP Daily | 6/10[10] |
| Famitsu | 7/10, 7/10, 8/10, 5/10[6] |
| Game Players | 65%[11] |
| GameFan | 85/100, 90/100, 84/100[12] |
| GameRevolution | C[13] |
| IGN | 5/10[14] |
| Next Generation | 2/5[15] |
| Play | 85%[16] |
| Dengeki PlayStation | 65/100, 50/100, 70/100, 50/100[17] |
| Maximum | 2/5[18] |
| Ultimate Future Games | 49%[19] |
| VideoGames | 7/10[20] |
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Philosoma garnered a mixed reception from critics.[21][22] GamePro's Lawrence Neves criticized the primitive gameplay, saying that "Philosoma tries hard to be a next-gen shooter, but in gameplay it barely surpasses Novastorm." He further remarked that while the FMVs are impressive, the graphics which are most important to the shooter experience - the backgrounds, explosions, and enemies - are all dull. He nonetheless gave the game a mild recommendation for shooter fans.[23] Next Generation deemed the game a worthwhile purchase for shooter fans but no one else: "The graphics and sound really do nothing to take advantage of the advancing technology. If you want the next great experience in gameplay and graphics, Philosoma wouldn't even make a top 75 list. ... Still, there's plenty of explosions, balanced gameplay, fluid control, timely power-ups, and multiple weapon choices to keep any shooter fan happy".[15] Maximum's Richard Leadbetter found the FMVs impressive but said that the "gameplay [harks] back to an archaic age". Leadbetter concluded that even the retro release Gradius Deluxe Pack is a far better purchase.[18] Philosoma was awarded Best Shooter of 1995 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[24]
Sequel
[edit]In 2001, a sequel was released in Japan only for the PlayStation 2 called Phase Paradox.[25] However, it was only a sequel in terms of it being a continuation of the storyline from Philosoma; the game was in the survival horror genre instead of a shooter genre.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "JAPANスタジオ作品一覧 1998年～1994年" [List of Japan Studio works 1998–1994] (in Japanese). Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2021. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ↑ "News". June 5, 1997. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Philosoma Out This Week". June 6, 1997. Archived from the original on June 6, 1997. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Philosoma for PlayStation - GameFAQs".
- ↑ "Disappointment: Philosoma Emerges from Development Hell". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (1). Emap International Limited: 127. October 1995.
- 1 2 Tsūshin, Hamamura; Hada, Takayuki; Watanabe, Miki; Uchisawa, Goro (August 4, 1995). "New Games Cross Review: フィロソマ". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 346. ASCII Corporation. p. 34. (Transcription by Famitsu.com. Archived 2013-06-26 at the Wayback Machine).
- ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn (1998). "Philosoma - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Testscreen: Philosoma". Edge. No. 25. Future plc. October 1995. pp. 70–71.
- ↑ Baran, Andrew; LeFebvre, Mark; Desmond, Mike; Sushi-X (December 1995). "Review Crew: Philosoma". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 77. Sendai Publishing. p. 46.
- ↑ Lucas, Victor (April 24, 1996). "Game Reviews: Philosoma". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions. Archived from the original on January 25, 1997. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
- ↑ Burchill, Roger (March 1996). "Review: Philosoma". Game Players. No. 82. Imagine Media. p. 56.
- ↑ Granett, Dan; Halverson, Dave; Loe, Casey (January 1996). "Viewpoint: Philosoma". GameFan. Vol. 4, no. 1. Metropolis Media. p. 18.
- ↑ The Fan (June 4, 2004). "Philosoma - Playstation Review". GameRevolution. Net Revolution Inc. Archived from the original on October 14, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Philosoma Review". IGN. Snowball.com. November 25, 1996. Archived from the original on March 3, 2000. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- 1 2 "Finals: Philosoma". Next Generation. No. 14. Imagine Media. April 1996. p. 85.
- ↑ Butt, Ryan (December 1995). "Reviews: Philosoma". Play. No. 2. Paragon Publishing. pp. 70–71.
- ↑ "電撃PSソフトレビュー Deeper Lite: フィロソマ". Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). Vol. 6. MediaWorks. September 1, 1995. p. 112.
- 1 2 Leadbetter, Richard (May 1996). "Maximum Reviews: Philosoma". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. No. 6. EMAP. p. 123.
- ↑ "Ultimate Review Sector: Philosoma". Ultimate Future Games. No. 11. Future Publishing. October 1995. pp. 76–77. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Reviews: Philosoma". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 83. Larry Flynt Publications. December 1995. p. 89.
- ↑ "Review: Philosoma". Total PlayStation. Vol. 1, no. 3. Rapide Publishing. April 1996. pp. 82–83.
- ↑ "Price Power: Philosoma". PlayStation Power. No. 1. Future Publishing. June 1996. p. 56.
- ↑ Neves, Lawrence (April 1996). "ProReview: Philosoma". GamePro. No. 91. IDG. p. 72.
- ↑ "Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide". 1996.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ↑ GameSpot staff (April 19, 2001). "Phase Paradox Hands-On". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 10, 2012.