''Armada'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

developed and published by

Metro3D Metro3D, Inc. (formerly Metropolis Digital, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher. Based in San Jose, California, and founded in 1998 , the company released several games for the Dreamcast, Game Boy Color (GBC), Game Boy Advan ...

. It was released for the Sega

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

in North America on November 26, 1999. ''Armada'' is a

shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can b ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

(RPG) that allows up to four players to fly about the universe, fighting the enemy, performing missions and improving their ship.

Plot

Earth has been destroyed by the unfathomable Armada, giant space aliens of unknown origin with an unknown purpose. Fleeing in whatever was available, humanity took to the stars in a desperate attempt to survive. Eons later, humans have split into six distinct groups who maintain a shaky alliance against the Armada.

Development

''Armada'' was developed by

, (formerly Metropolis Digital, Inc.) and was announced in mid-1998 as an

online game An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles and mobile devices, and sp ...

. The company had previously developed a space-themed,

real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to pla ...

game titled '' Star Command: Revolution''. In May 1999, the game was revealed to be a

massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a character ( ...

in development for the Sega

. The game was planned to be released as a

launch title This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

for the console on September 9, 1999, but was delayed until late September or early October of that year. The game was delayed again with a projected shipment the week of November 19. ''Armada'' was finally made available at retail on November 26, 1999, the day following Thanksgiving. At one time ''Armada'' had been scheduled to be released in Japan along with '' Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse'' in 2000, but both games never made their release in Japanese stores for reasons unknown.

Reception

The game received favorable reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. Greg Orlando of '' NextGen'' said, "As a solitary experience, ''Armada''s RPG elements make the game worth a look – and maybe a second one, too. These unfriendly skies (and galaxies), however, are really meant to be traversed in the company of others." The game was a finalist for the "Console Action Game of the Year" award at the

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...

3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' is the 3rd edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honors the best games in the video game industry. The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & ...

, which went to ''

Crazy Taxi ''Crazy Taxi'' is a series of racing video games that was developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. The first game appeared in arcades in 1999 and was very successful, prompting Sega to port the arcade version to their Dreamcast consol ...

''.

Legacy

'' Armada F/X Racers'' for the

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

, a

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic ra ...

which takes place in the same universe as ''Armada'', was developed by Metro3D and released in 2000. A direct sequel to ''Armada'' was under development, originally for the Dreamcast, then for the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...

and PlayStation 2 under various titles including ''Armada II'', ''Armada's Revenge'', ''Armada 2: Exodus'', and ''Armada 2: Star Command''. However, due to repeated delays and redesigns along with limited resources, the game was canceled after spending over four years in varying degrees of development. In early 2005, EvStream, an independent game development studio formed by former Metro3D members, purchased the rights for ''Armada''. An online continuation titled ''Armada Online'' has been announced and is under development by Roger Fang and Mark Jordan. An alpha of the game was released.

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/dreamcast/armada
''Armada Online''
official website 1999 video games Dreamcast games Dreamcast-only games North America-exclusive video games Role-playing video games Shooter video games Video games developed in the United States Multiplayer and single-player video games Metro3D games