Lost In Translation/Block Out

From ExoticA
Out Run (Arcade version)
Out Run (Sinclair ZX Spectrum version)

This page is a stub for arcade games that are part of the Lost In Translation series using information based on MAME (version 0.113u2).
For an example of preferred content and layout please refer to Out Run or The Ninja Warriors.


Block Out
Block Out marquee.
No screen shot.
Block Out control panel.
Manufacturer Technos + California Dreams
Released 1989
Control
Method
8-way Joystick
4 Button(s)
Main CPU 68000 (@ 10.000 MHz)
Z80 (@ 3.580 MHz)
Sound CPU Stereo
YM2151 (@ 3.580 MHz)
OKI6295 (@ 1.056 MHz)
Video
Details
Raster (Horizontal)
320 x 240 pixels
58.00 Hz
513 Palette colours
Screens 1
ROM Info 5 ROMs
426,240 bytes (416.25 KiB)
MAME ID blockout · blckout2 · blckoutj

About The Game

Block Out is a 1-player or a simultaneous 2 players competitive game of unique dimensional action and strategy.

As the blocks drop one-by-one into the three-dimensional pit, rotate them by using the three buttons and joystick. Once the player has decided on the the rotation of the block, use the button to drop the block into place. The objective is to place the blocks into the pit without leaving any empty spaces. Once this is achieved, the layers without empty spaces, will disappear.

The player begins the game by selecting a starting stage. Game start level select can be chosen from stages 1, 5, 10, 15, or 20. There is a total of 100 stages in the game and as the players progress through the game, the stages get more and more difficult.

Each stage has a certain number of layers (faces) that must be erased. Once these faces are erased, the player will move on to the next stage. The less blocks the players has left in the pit at the end of the stage, the more points are awarded.

In addition to the one player mode, Block Out offers a competitive simultaneous two player mode. The split screen effect gives each player their own pit with which to play in. They compete against each other in the race to erase the faces. As one player erases a face, that face will be added to the opponent's pit, making their pit rise. This allows less room to work. There are two ways to win in the two player mode :

1) Force the opponent to the top of their pit and out of the game

or

2) Erase 21 faces first.

Trivia

The name 'Block Out' is actually a trademark of Kadon Enterprises.

Tips and tricks

If the player can erase all of the blocks in the pit, this will make a 'block out'. The player will get additional points for the 'block out' and the difficulty within that stage will decrease.

Cabinet and Artwork

Ports

Consoles
Atari Lynx (1990)
Sega Mega Drive (1991)
Sony Playstation (1995, "Geom Cube")
Computers
Commodore C64 (1989)
Atari ST (1989)
Commodore Amiga (1989)
Commodore C64 (1989)
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1989)
Amstrad CPC (1989)
PC [MS-DOS] (1989)


The contents of this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The sources used include MAME (version 0.113u2) and history.dat (revision 1.28 - 2008-10-18).
Please see http://www.arcade-history.com for credits.