Ludography
50/100
Critics1 review
Zero Divide cover

1995 · ZOOM · Fighting

Zero Divide

Zero Divide: An unrecoverable program error causing a potential system crash.

Released
25 August 1995
Platforms
PlayStationPlayStation 3PlayStation PortableSega SaturnWindows
Genres
Fighting
Developers
ZOOM
Publishers
CyberFrontGameBankZOOMOcean SoftwareRainbow ArtsTime Warner InteractiveInterplay
Modes
Local multiplayerMultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Science fiction

About

Zero Divide (ゼロ・ディバイド) is a 1995 3D fighting video game developed by Zoom for the PlayStation, originally released in August 1995 and also as a launch title in North America. A Windows PC port was later released, subtitled Techno Warrior in North America. Zero Divide has a robot theme and features mechanics similar to its contemporary Virtua Fighter, as well as similarly polygon-based graphics. The game was popular in Japan, where it was later re-released in 2010 on newer systems through the PlayStation Network. It was followed up by a sequel, Zero Divide 2 (1997).

Keywords

  • robots
  • playstation network
  • shared screen
  • digital distribution
  • psone classics
  • rock music
  • playstation tv support
  • backwards compatibility

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Fights take place in a non-walled battle arena, and fighters are able to hold on to the ringside before a 'ring out' may occur. Zero Divide makes use of only three buttons: kick, punch, and block. The tournament host and antagonist, XTAL, is also a sarcastic announcer throughout the game. There are many secret unlockables in the game, including a mini version of Zoom's Phalanx.

Story

Set in a futuristic cyberworld, hackers led by XTAL have gotten an online security database and are threatening to make it public. They challenge the government to build robots strong enough to defeat their security forces, and these robots are dispatched on the mission to fight and eventually destroy XTAL itself.

There are eleven characters in the game, each with a specific design and symbol:

Development

Zero Divide was first revealed in 1994 as being a "futuristic action game" before it was reworked into a fighting game. It received much attention when it was shown and playable at the Game Expo in Japan in March 1995.

A version for Microsoft Windows was ported by Kinesoft and published by GameBank in Japan, and Interplay in the United States (titled Zero Divide: Techno Warrior). The European release also featured LAN play. In 1999, it was included in the German compilation All You Can Play: 10 Action-Games.

Reception

The game sold 228,950 units in Japan and 27,049 units in the United States, for a combined 255,999 units sold in Japan and the United States.

Upon the PlayStation version's release, critics generally praised the graphics, techno soundtrack, variety of character designs, solid gameplay, and the way fighters can hang onto the edge of the ring, but criticized the difficulty in executing special moves and felt that some opponents were overpowered. They also noted similarities to the gameplay mechanics of the Virtua Fighter series.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation25 August 1995Japan · North America 9 September 1995 · Europe 10 February 1996
Windows31 December 1996Japan · North America 31 December 1998 · Europe 31 December 1999
PlayStation 3Digital Compatibility Release14 April 2010Japan
PlayStation PortableDigital Compatibility Release14 April 2010Japan

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Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.