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Wrecking Crew (JP) is a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is an early game featuring Mario, first released in Japan in 1984.
The game revolves around Mario's job as a demolition worker. The object of the game is to destroy various objects in the level. Level design is key, as it was designed to have things destroyed in a certain levels. Destructibles include ladders, columns, bombs and blocks. To make things more complicated, various enemies will trouble Mario as he progresses including fireballs, wrenches, the Eggplant Man and a foreman named Spike (Blackey in the Japanese release). Luigi appered as the second player character, dressed oddly in purple. The NES port was based on the arcade release named Wrecking Crew Vs. was released, in keeping with Nintendo's Vs. series of arcade games at the time.
The game supported a save system in Japan. It used a cassete player to save the data. As the peripheral was not released in the US, saving was not possible. However, the option was kept in the game, possibly in anticipation of future peripherals.
Wrecking Crew was released on the Virtual Console in Europe and Australia on August 24, 2007, and North America on November 19. The game features saving support for level designs, not possible on the NES original.
Gameplay[]
The player controls Mario (or Luigi in two-player mode) and attempts to destroy all of a certain set of objects with a large hammer on each of 100 levels. Mario cannot jump because of the hammer's weight. The player can select any level to start on from the title screen. Each level's playfield is divided into an invisible grid, each space of which can contain one object. Objects include these: destructible walls, pillars, and ladders; indestructible barrels and ladders; bombs that destroy all connected destructible objects; and various enemies that Mario must avoid. Doors may be opened to cause enemies to move harmlessly into the background. The game introduced a new character, a construction foreman named Spike, who chases Mario and attempts to disrupt him by knocking down objects and causing him to fall to the bottom of the playfield. The player starts the game with five lives and loses a life whenever Mario comes in contact with an enemy or fireball. The game is over when all lives are lost. The game can also be aborted at any time, and must be aborted if Mario becomes trapped in a barrel.
Development[]
Wrecking Crew was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto. Hirokazu Tanaka composed the music.
Reception[]
In Japan, Game Machine listed Vs. Wrecking Crew in its October 1, 1984 issue as the thirteenth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.
Wrecking Crew '98[]
- A sequel was released in 1998, apptly titled Wrecking Crew '98. It featured both the original cast, and the regular Mario characters, such as Peach. The game featured the original Wrecking Crew with recolouring done, as well as an update called Wrecking Crew '98. The later was quite different than the original. The object was to destroy blocks falling from the sky at a constant pace. The player must get lines of the same type of block in a row to destroy them. It is much more of a puzzle game.
Legacy[]
- WarioWare: Twisted!: Appears as one of 9-Volt's games.
- Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: The song Destruction Dance is a remix of the song from the bonus stage.
- The Eggplant Man has a cameo as Kid Eggplant in Chibi Robo.
- The Eggplant Man also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
- The Golden Hammer appears as an item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- The game is one of the 16 games featured in NES Remix.
- Foreman Spike apppears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, voiced by Sebastian Maniscalco.
Gallery[]
| Main article: Wrecking Crew/gallery |
External links[]
- Wrecking Crew at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Wrecking Crew at GameFAQs
- Wrecking Crew at MobyGames
- Wrecking Crew at Nintendo.com
- Wrecking Crew at Virtual Console Reviews
| Nintendo Puzzle video games | |
|---|---|
| Dr. Mario series | Dr. Mario • 64 • Online Rx • Express • Dr. Luigi • Miracle Cure • World |
| Puzzle League | Panel de Pon (Tetris Attack) • Pokémon Puzzle League • Pokémon Puzzle Challenge Planet Puzzle League (Express) |
| Picross | Mario's Picross • Super Picross • Picross 2 • Picross DS • Picross 3D • Picross 3D: Round 2 Pokémon Picross • My Nintendo Picross |
| Bit Generations | Boundish • Dialhex • Dotstream • Digidrive • Coloris • Orbital • Soundvoyager |
| Compilation | Tetris & Dr. Mario • Dr. Mario & Puzzle League • Nintendo Puzzle Collection |
| Other Games | Alleyway • Kirby's Avalanche • Mario & Wario • Pokémon Trozei! • Pokémon Battle Trozei • Touch Panic Puzzle & Dragons • Wario's Woods • Wrecking Crew • Wrecking Crew '98 • Yoshi • Yoshi's Cookie |
| Related | Tetris • Puyo Puyo • Columns |