Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball is a paintball sports video game developed by WXP (The Whole Experience) and published by Activision Value Publishing for the Microsoft Xbox. Released in North America on 16 November 2004, the game was developed in collaboration with American professional paintball player Greg Hastings and features licensed tournament players, equipment manufacturers and playing fields.[1][2]

Combining first-person shooter gameplay with competitive paintball, the game allows players to progress from recreational competition to professional tournaments. It supports single-player competition and online matches involving up to 14 players.[2][3]

The game was followed by Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball MAX'D in 2005 and Greg Hastings Paintball 2 in 2010.[4][5]

Development and release

The game was developed by WXP, a video game development studio based in Seattle, Washington, in collaboration with Greg Hastings.

On 16 September 2004, Activision Value Publishing announced the project as a paintball game designed for the original Microsoft Xbox console.

The developers worked with professional players to incorporate equipment, tournament environments and elements of competitive paintball tactics.

The game featured licensed paintball players and products from established equipment manufacturers, with Hastings participating in its promotion.[2]

It was released in North America on 16 November 2004 and subsequently in Europe on 24 March 2005.[1]

Gameplay

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball is played primarily from a first-person perspective and concentrates on tournament speedball rather than recreational woodland paintball.

The game incorporates three competition formats:

Elimination: Teams attempt to eliminate every opposing player.
Capture the Flag: Teams compete to retrieve the opposing team's flag.
Centre Flag: Teams attempt to capture a centrally positioned flag and deliver it to the opposing team's base.

Matches can involve three, five or seven players per team.[3]

Career mode

The single-player career mode allows players to create a character and progress through a series of tournaments.

Players begin with basic equipment and limited abilities, subsequently gaining experience, recruiting teammates and purchasing improved equipment.

Character skills include movement speed, accuracy, reloading and marker handling.

The game includes 19 tournaments and more than 20 locations, with additional playing fields and equipment becoming available as players progress.[3][6]

Paintball mechanics

The game incorporates several mechanics intended to reproduce aspects of tournament paintball.

These include:

Shooting from behind bunkers using leaning and snap-shooting movements.
Switching the marker between the player's left and right hands.
Adjusting shooting accuracy according to player movement and stance.
Using a free-look system to observe opponents without changing the character's position.
Attempting to remove paint hits through a simulated wiping mechanic.

The artificial intelligence allows computer-controlled opponents to use cover, change positions and attempt to flank opposing players.[3]

Multiplayer

The Xbox release supports multiplayer competition through Xbox Live and local system-link connections.

Online matches can accommodate up to 14 players in seven-player teams.

Players can communicate through Xbox Live voice chat to coordinate movement, identify opponents and organise tactics.

The original release does not support split-screen multiplayer.[3]

Licensed players and equipment

The game features professional paintball players, licensed equipment and representations of real tournament venues.

Players featured in contemporary promotional material included:

[2][7]

Equipment manufacturers and paintball brands represented in the game included:

The game also included venues and tournament settings associated with SC Village, the Huntington Beach Open and the Aruba Island Open.[7]

Reception

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball received generally favourable reviews from several video game publications.

In a review published on 29 November 2004, Erik Wolpaw of GameSpot awarded the game 7.4 out of 10.

The review praised its tactical artificial intelligence, paintball mechanics and licensed equipment, while criticising repetitive gameplay and limited graphical presentation.[3]

The game received an aggregated score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 11 professional reviews.[8]

In May 2005, publisher Activision reported that the game had attracted more than 100,000 registered Xbox Live players.[4]

Subsequent games

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball MAX'D (2005)

Following the original game's release, Activision announced Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball MAX'D on 17 May 2005.

The follow-up introduced additional playing fields, equipment and gameplay features.

A principal addition was the Breakout system, which allowed players to plan their teammates' initial movements and shooting positions before the start of each game.

The game also introduced split-screen multiplayer functionality, absent from the original release.[4]

MAX'D was released for Xbox on 18 October 2005, followed by versions for other platforms, including PlayStation 2 and Nintendo handheld systems.[9]

Greg Hastings Paintball 2 (2010)

A further game, Greg Hastings Paintball 2, was announced by Majesco Entertainment in February 2010.

Developed by Super X Studios, it expanded the series beyond tournament speedball to include recreational paintball and woodland competition.

The game was released for Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii on 28 September 2010, with a PlayStation 3 version also announced.[5]

References

External links