Bandits: Phoenix Rising

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: March 26, 2003
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Vehicle Shooter
• Similar Games: Mobile Forces (IBM PC Compatible), Humvee Assault (IBM PC Compatible), Tread Marks [2003] (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Inspired by the dystopian future of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Bandits: Phoenix Rising is a car-combat title in which you compete against rival gangs for vital natural resources and wealth. As Fennec and Rewdalf, the leaders of the Wolfpack clan, you must engage sworn enemies, the Flaming Pumpkins and the Enclave, across 24 missions of vehicular mayhem, en route to Jericho City -- a Fort Knox-esque community purportedly home to the privileged of the world and said to house vast fortunes. Getting there will involve an assortment of escort, defensive, and all-out offensive missions. Prior to each mission, you'll select the chassis and armaments desired. The primary weapon of each vehicle is a rotating turret that can be outfitted with machine guns, cannons, or sniper weapons; useful implements such as mines, missiles, and other high-power weaponry are also available.

Initially, you have access to only a single nitro-powered dune buggy and a handful of weapons, but as the game progresses you'll steal or acquire enough scrap metal and parts to build more powerful weapons and new vehicles, which feature such colorful names as the Alpha, Coyote, Tomcat, and Piranha. Each vehicle is manned by both a driver and gunner (in the player's case, Fennec and Rewdalf, respectively), allowing for independent control of the vehicle and its weapon systems. In addition to the single-player element, Bandits: Phoenix Rising supports up to eight players over a LAN and the Internet and offers an in-game browser in addition to full GameSpy Arcade support. Players can engage in various deathmatch and team-deathmatch modes that are spread across nine maps.

Roots & Influences

BANDITS: Phoenix Rising is reminiscent of a world run amok similar to that from the movie Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, with gangs competing for resources and survival with combat-ready vehicles of various types. Developer GRIN Inc.'s only previous title is also a futuristic combat-racer, Ballistics, released in 2001.

Production Credits