Ivan Von Shellshocktonberg,[1] better known by his DreadZone stage name Shellshock, is an antagonist in Deadlocked. He was a famed cyborg, ex-soldier, omega series warbot, and a member of the Exterminators. He commanded an army of DreadZone forces for Gleeman Vox, and took over the planet Kronos and its Dark Cathedral. Shellshock was later defeated by Ratchet and Team Darkstar on the same planet, making him the only Exterminator not fought by Ratchet in the Battledome.
Shellshock also appears in the multiplayer section as a skin. His image is also used for the trophy "Shock-King" in the high definition re-release of Deadlocked.
History[]
Prior to Deadlocked[]
Ivan worked for ten years as a greeter at a Go-Comet bot parts retailer, until a freak parasailing accident paralyzed him from the neck up and ended his career. Friendly Chemicals, a subsidiary of the Obanian Army, then offered him a fully mechanical headpiece as a solution, allowing him to enlist with the army.[1]
Ivan was hit in the head by a cruise missile six months later, and though the headpiece protected most of his head, his body was destroyed. He was then fitted with a fully mechanical suit, while the damaged brain tissue was replaced by a super-charged AI chip from a Mr. Headache Coffee machine, rendering him immune to pain. Ivan continued to fight for the army in battle after battle, though the deep pain left in what remained of his mind boiled over. This led him to go AWOL late in the Obani Moon War, and join DreadZone with the name Shellshock, now driven by vengeance against the worlds he hated.[1][2] Shellshock's hardware cost Vox around six million bolts.[3]
Shellshock then joined the Exterminators as its lowest ranked member. He was not respected by Ace Hardlight,[3] but became good friends with Reactor. The two used to carpool to work together and designed a DreadZone challenge named "Air Drop", in which a fleet of DreadZone Dreadnoughts piloted by the DreadZone Volunteer Air Force would practice bombing runs on The Tower of Power, contestants would then run for cover while they fought DreadZone gladiators.[4][5] As with other Exterminators, he refused to fight Captain Starshield throughout Starshield's run.[6]
At some point, Shellshock was named the "Sexiest Robot Alive" by Vox Magazine.[7]
Deadlocked[]
Shellshock utilizing a 360° Tomahawk finishing move on Plutonium Jones in the Battledome
By the time team Team Darkstar faced Shellshock in the Avenger Tournament, he had exterminated three contestants, including the Omega Twins and Plutonium Jones. His finishing move against Plutonium Jones in the Battledome was a 360° Tomahawk finishing move, which won him an Extermination of the Day Award from Vox News, who interviewed him after the fight. Following his defeat of Plutonium Jones, his next fight was with Ratchet.[8]
Shellshock before battling Ratchet on Kronos.
Shellshock's DreadZone forces took control of Dark City on the planet Kronos, with Ratchet's objective being to liberate the city from Shellshock.[9] Ratchet cleared through Shellshock's forces in the surrounding city while activating the solar tower spotlights to open the doors to the Dark Cathedral, Shellshock's base. Shellshock faced Ratchet twice in nearby arenas, each time recovering. Eventually, Shellshock fought Ratchet within the Dark Cathedral but was ultimately defeated by Ratchet, collapsing on the floor. DreadZone fans applauded Ratchet, and Vox, initially frustrated at the "six million bolts of hardware" monetary loss, began to take notice of Ratchet thereafter.[3]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Shellshock is a large, green, and metallic warbot with an appearance similar to a mega bot. His face resembles a skull, while his upper body is given thick armament covering his shoulders. Two missile launchers also feature on both of his shoulder blades. He also carries a cigar with him on the left side of his face.
Shellshock was named "Sexiest Robot Alive" by Vox Magazine.[7]
Personality[]
Shellshock on Vox News.
Shellshock was an aggressive warbot, who enjoyed the thrill of battle he received from killing contestants on DreadZone. However, he mentioned that the Obanian Army had considered him "too crazy" to fight,[10] possibly related to this. Shellshock portrayed a great deal of bravado, referring to his opponents as "girly men",[8] and referring to weapons of mass destruction that he disliked, including the R.Y.N.O. and the Apocolator, as "sissy".[11]
Abilities[]
Shellshock in combat.
Shellshock was very well-armored. He could fire a barrage of missiles or bouncing bomblets at his opponent, and released a wave of fire after a ground pound, a move he referred to as his "dishonorable discharge".[7] He also had a powerful pistol with which he took accurate potshots, and jets implanted into his feet allowing him to glide short distances.
As with many DreadZone contestants, Shellshock featured in DreadZone merchandise, notably featured on an Exterminator card. This gave him a strength of ammunition, a weakness of heat, and the element Libra. The card's ability was stated as "Helmet - Debris counters are reset at the start of each round."[12]
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art.
Shellshock is voiced by Jim Ward, who also voices Captain Qwark and Otto Destruct among other characters.
Shellshock has many similarities with real-world celebrity Arnold Schwarznegger, an actor and professional who was governor of California (the state in which Insomniac Games is based) during development of Deadlocked. Shellshock's accent is very similar to Arnold's Austrian accent, and Shellshock makes use of Arnold's phrases "girly men"[8] and "chammon". His face is also similar to that of a Terminator's face underneath the living tissue, a cyborg and a popular character that Arnold plays in the Terminator series.
According to unused files, he was discharged from the military for incinerating his commanding officer on twenty-six different occasions, which Juanita then admitted to making up to fool Dallas.[13] It is also mentioned that he served as a door greeter for Dallas's Dallas Loves Everything Charity Event. Apparently, the more people donated, the less he beat the guests on their way out[14]
Shellshock poster in the Prog's hideout
In Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, a poster of Shellshock is seen in the hideout of Neftin Prog, a nether who similarly made use of cybernetic enhancements to grant him greater upper body strength.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Off 2005, p. 7
- ↑ Deadlocked script § "Shellshock Returns! (gameplay)"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Deadlocked script § "Ratchet, eh?"
- ↑ Deadlocked script § "Air Drop (gameplay)"
- ↑ Deadlocked menu § "Air Drop"
- ↑ Insomniac Games official website 2005
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Deadlocked script § "Showdown with Shellshock (gameplay)"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Deadlocked script § "Shellshock and the Twins"
- ↑ Deadlocked script § "Infiltrate the Cathedral (gameplay)"
- ↑ Deadlocked script § "Showdown with Shellshock (gameplay)"
- ↑ Deadlocked menu § "Harbinger"
- ↑ Deadlocked, Exterminator trading cards
- ↑ Deadlocked unused dialogue § "Dallas and Juanita"
- ↑ Deadlocked unused dialogue § "Dallas Wanamaker"
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2005). Ratchet: Deadlocked [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Greg Off (2005). Ratchet Deadlocked Prima Official Game Guide [Book]. Prima Games. ISBN 0761552049.
- Insomniac Games (2005, October 24). "Entertainment News - News Update". From Insomniac Games. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019.