FantaVision
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article refers to the PlayStation 2 game. For the Apple II software program, see Fantavision.
| FantaVision | |
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| Developer(s) | SCEI |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Release date(s) |  October 26, 2000 November 24, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | DVD |
| Input | DualShock 2 |
FantaVision is a PlayStation 2 launch title from Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. It is a real-time puzzle game involving fireworks. It relies on quick colour matching and symbol recognition skills.
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[edit] Gameplay
In this title, fireworks or flares are launched onto the screen, where they hover for a period of time before disappearing. The left analog stick controls the direction of a "guideline" ray extending from the circular cursor which allows a flare along the ray to be "captured" via a press of the "X" button. The goal is to string together three or more flares of the same colour, and then detonate the flares using the "O" button. More points can be scored by creating a chain reaction, by causing new flares to touch the sparks of detonated flares of the same colour, and by creating a daisy chain, which allows flares of multiple colours to be detonated at the same time. Flares not detonated within a certain period of time are considered missed flares, and cause a Play Meter on screen to decrease; the game ends when the Play Meter is empty.
[edit] Stages
During each level or stage, the camera slowly floats through a darkened environment which serves as the backdrop against which gameplay takes place. There are a total of eight stages in four areas, broken down as follows:
- Night on South Island (a city)
- City Lights (a city)
- Into the Space (in orbit)
- Shooting Stars (in orbit)
- Moon City (a city on the moon)
- Snow on the Moon (a city on the moon)
- Unknown Space (a wormhole)
- Beyond the Infinite (a wormhole)
The game is not particularly long, and diligent players will be able to complete it on the "Normal" difficulty level after achieving basic mastery over the game mechanics. However, despite the relative ease of clearing the stages, achieving a high score requires further skill, since many techniques for achieving a high score are not necessary if one simply wishes to clear the game mode.
[edit] Starmines
In addition to normal fireworks / flares which can be detonated, white stars periodically appear during play. These can be captured and detonated along with an existing set of three or more flares. For each star captured in this fashion, the player earns a letter of the word "Starmine". After collecting all eight letters, a large glowing Starmine is launched onto the screen. If the player captures it and detonates it with at least three colored flares, a time-limited bonus mode is entered where a large number of fireworks appear at a rapid pace. The more flares detonated along with the Starmine, the longer the bonus mode lasts.
[edit] Versus mode
A two-player versus mode is also included, which allows players to frantically detonate fireworks in a race to a preset total of detonated flares. In this mode, there are additional power-ups which can be captured and detonated to either increase the size of the play area (while decreasing that of the opponent), or switch play areas and undetonated fireworks with the opponent. By using these mechanisms, it is possible to steal flares intended for the opponent's side of the screen, including during an opponent's Starmine bonus.
[edit] Trivia
- The US launch version of this title does not properly support the TOSLINK optical audio output of the PlayStation 2. Instead, audio is output only over the standard analog stereo connections.
- The music played during the game differs between the Japanese, US and European versions. The music from the Japanese version consists of elevator music, while the US version uses a mix of techno and new age music, and the European version contains mostly dance music.
- The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa uses FantaVision in the cognitive neuroscience lab of the Pyschology Department. Participants in the study play FantaVision and run computer tasks. The research hopes to find a transfer of skill in perceptual task performance.
