''Guardians of the 'Hood'' is a 1992
side-scrolling beat 'em up
The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...
developed and released by
Atari Games
Atari Games Corporation, known as Midway Games West Inc. after 1999, was an American producer of Arcade game, arcade Video game, games. It was formed in 1985 when the coin-operated Arcade game, arcade game division of Atari, Inc. was transfered ...
for
arcades. The game features
digitized
DigitizationTech Target. (2011, April). Definition: digitization. ''WhatIs.com''. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer- ...
sprites, similar to ''
Pit-Fighter
''Pit-Fighter'' is a 1990 arcade fighting game by Atari Games which uses digitized live actors. It was Atari's first fighting game. The Japanese arcade release was published by Konami. Home versions were published by Tengen.
The graphical ani ...
'', and sprite
scaling effects that gives a feeling of depth. It was originally sold in both dedicated
cabinets
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
and
conversion kits.
Gameplay
''Guardians of the 'Hood'' can be played by up to three players
simultaneously
Simultaneity may refer to:
* Relativity of simultaneity, a concept in special relativity.
* Simultaneity (music), more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession
* Simultaneity, a concept in Endogene ...
. Before the game begins, the player chooses between the four main characters or "guardians": Conner, Chief, Javier, and Tanya. Each has their own fighting style and attributes.
Health meters are displayed for both player and enemy characters.
The player must advance through four areas (slums, subway, Chinatown and amusement park) to defeat gangs and the main
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
.
The game features a weapon system, where a player can collect a variety of objects along the way and throw or use them on the enemies. There is also a power move called "Magic", similar to
those seen in the ''
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...
'' series, where the player throws a projectile at the enemy.
''Hood'' consists of nine stages or "waves". After completing the first one, the player returns to the gym to have a head-to-head match against a fellow guardian member. Winning two of three rounds grants the player a choice of freely proceeding to the next area or repeating the practice in the gym. From Wave 2 until Wave 7, each gang's territory is divided into three parts. The first two are
belt-scroll beat 'em up sections, the latter being gang's headquarters, where at the end the player fight against their leader.
Once the boss (and the gang) is defeated, he will be recruited to the guardians team as a selectable character (3 in total: Jay-Jay of The Dreads, Boris of The Shavers, and Kwan of The Dragons). During the third part, the player once again have to practice at the gym. The last two stages are located in the abandoned boardwalk headquarters, followed by a fight against Mr. Big (who is actually a female).
Plot
The game is set in a fictional town in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
named Center City, in April 1993. Three gangs: The Dreads, The Shavers, and The Dragons, led by Mr. Big, took over the neighborhood. A group of local gymgoers called "guardians" fight their way into the gangs territories in order to save the hood, regain control of the city, and discover the identity of Mr. Big.
Reception
''RePlay'' reported ''Guardians of the 'Hood'' to be the twelfth most-popular arcade game at the time.
''
Hardcore Gaming 101
''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online video game magazine founded by Kurt Kalata. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game strategy guides, and felt that someone should create more books about ...
'' Kurt Kalata editor-in-chief noted that it improves on ''
Pit-Fighter
''Pit-Fighter'' is a 1990 arcade fighting game by Atari Games which uses digitized live actors. It was Atari's first fighting game. The Japanese arcade release was published by Konami. Home versions were published by Tengen.
The graphical ani ...
''s formula, but manages "to be terrible in almost every way."
References
External links
''Guardians of the 'Hood''on ''Arcade History''
*
*
{{Atari Games
1992 video games
Arcade video games
Arcade-only video games
Atari arcade games
Cooperative video games
Head-to-head arcade video games
Martial arts video games
Obscenity controversies in video games
Organized crime video games
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games scored by Brad Fuller
Video games set in 1993
Video games set in amusement parks
Video games set in the future
Video games set in the United States
Video games with 2.5D graphics
Video games with digitized sprites
Multiplayer and single-player video games