Missile Command 3D

Missile Command 3D is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Virtuality Entertainment and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar in North America on December 12, 1995 and Europe on December 15 of the same year.[1][2] It is an update to Dave Theurer's 1980 arcade game Missile Command and the only officially released title that features support for the unreleased Jaguar VR peripheral.[3][4][5]

Missile Command 3D
Cover art in all regions
Developer(s)Virtuality Entertainment
Publisher(s)Atari Corporation
Producer(s)John Skruch
Designer(s)Jim Tripp
Robert Powers
Programmer(s)Martin Brownlow
Artist(s)Mark Brown
Scot Jones
Composer(s)Dale Robins
Platform(s)Atari Jaguar
Release
  • NA: December 12, 1995
  • EU: December 15, 1995
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

Following the same premise as with the original arcade game, the player must defend six cities in their zone from being destroyed as a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries by attacking an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of which split like multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, with new weapons being introduced in later levels.

Missile Command 3D received mixed to positive reception since its release but it has been recently referred by publications like PC Magazine as one of the best titles for the system.[6] A port for the PC was planned to be published by Atari Interactive, but it was never released.[7][8]

Gameplay
Top: Original mode gameplay.
Middle: 3D mode gameplay.
Bottom: Virtual mode gameplay.

Missile Command 3D retains the same gameplay elements from its 1980 counterpart such as defending six cities from being attacked and destroyed by an endless wave of missiles, with new enemy weapons being introduced in later levels by commanding 3 anti-missile batteries. However, the game is now divided into three different modes to choose from at the start of the game, each with their own self-contained plot and gameplay elements.[9] High-scores and other settings made by the player are kept via the cartridge's internal EEPROM and the game also features support for the ProController.[9]

Modes

Original Missile Command is a recreation of the original arcade game. This mode is played by moving a crosshair across the sky background and pressing one of three buttons to launch a counter-missile from the corresponding battery and these explode upon reaching the crosshair, leaving a fireball that persists for several seconds and destroys any enemy missiles that are caught in the zone as a result. Each of the three batteries have ten missiles to start with and they become useless when all of its missiles are fired or if it is destroyed by enemy fire. The level ends either by destroying all the enemy fire or when they reach its set target, with later levels increasing in difficulty and introducing new types of enemy weapons such as the smart bomb, which actively avoids the fireballs left by the player's counter-missiles and can only be destroyed by firing directly to it. Completing a level rewards the player bonus points depending on his performance and destroyed cities can be rebuilt by reaching 10,000 points. The game is over once all the cities are destroyed or the player does not have bonus points to rebuild cities. The mode also allows the player to change the standard background border for other ones, such as a television, an arcade cabinet or an Atari Lynx by pressing 9 on the controller keypad, among other features.

3D Missile Command is mostly similar to Original Missile Command, but the premise now revolves around a group of interstellar colonists starting anew in a planet from a distant solar system but they are soon attacked by an alien race, who are also looking for a new solar system to inhabit.[9] The mode controls and plays similarly to Original mode but now rendered in 3D and the playfield is larger, requiring the player to move the crosshair/camera angle around the area. A radar is now present in the bottom-center of the screen that shows upcoming enemy missiles and vehicles. Asteroids are a new addition to the mode and they will come down to destroy cities, having a similar behavior to the missiles. New to the mode are different missile types and power-ups, which are given to the player by cities that are constantly upgrading after completing a wave, among other additions. Power-ups are also randomly dropped by enemies after being destroyed. As with the original mode, destroyed cities are rebuilt after reaching 10,000 points and the game also ends once all the cities are destroyed or the player does not have enough bonus points to reconstruct them.

Virtual Missile Command takes place in the year 2157, where humans have managed to colonize planets due to the invention of a faster-than-light drive in 2034, making interstellar travel possible but one of newly formed colonies on a planet is under attack from aliens, capable of controlling creatures from the colonized planet to destroy them and is up to the player to defeat the alien race and their forces.[9] Although it inherits the same game design and mechanics from the two previous modes, Virtual mode is played in a first-person perspective instead, with the player's primary main defense mechanism against enemy missiles and enemies themselves on the battery are now lasers, resigning the missiles as a secondary defense mechanism. Players can also move between batteries by pressing either 1, 3, 4 or 6 on the controller's keypad. Similarly to 3D mode, power-ups are randomly dropped by destroyed enemy aircraft and they range from laser upgrades, which improves the firepower of the battery's laser cannons up to four times, ammo to refill laser energy and missiles, among others. There are only three stages in this mode, each one divided into three waves and having their own thematic. In addition, bosses are now introduced at the end of each wave. The game ends once all cities or batteries in the level are destroyed. It is the only mode that features support for the unreleased Jaguar VR headset.[4]

Development and release
Atari Corporation had plans to launch a virtual reality headset for the then-upcoming Jaguar, with Missile Command 3D being the only published title for the console that supports the unreleased headset.

Plans for a virtual reality headset for the Jaguar were set before the system was officially launched to market,[10][11] with Atari Corporation originally approaching to Virtuality Group in 1993 but they did not settled an agreement with the latter for unknown reasons,[12] but on October 1994 Atari Corp. announced their partnership with Virtuality to create a headset for the Jaguar that would have been released on stores by Christmas 1995 and was originally set to be retailed at US$200.[3][13][14][15][16] The development of the headset for the system was started before Nintendo officially unveiled their own virtual reality console, the Virtual Boy, a month later.[17] The unit itself was revealed at WCES 1995,[18] with both GameFan and GamePro magazines showcasing a mock up design of the headset in their January and February 1995 issues respectively.[14][19]

Missile Command 3D was originally unveiled at E3 1995 under the working title Missile Command 2000 in a very early but playable state,[20][21][22][23][24] showcasing the Jaguar VR headset's capabilities in action.[25][26][27][28][29] However, both Edge and Next Generation magazines pointed out in their July and August 1995 issues respectively that the prototype on the show floor was an arcade system board from Virtuality disguised as the Jaguar VR and that the retail price was increased to US$300.[30][31][32] Zone Hunter, a virtual reality first-person shooter arcade game by the same developer, was also announced to be released for the Jaguar VR and a demo was created for demonstration purposes, with plans to be released alongside the headset at launch that never materialized.[3][4][20][22][24][33]

Both Missile Command 2000 and the Jaguar VR headset were covered by video game outlets who were invited to Atari Corp.'s US and UK divisions.[34][35] Although the game was released in December 1995 under its final name,[1] the Jaguar VR continued to be promoted in magazines but on October of the same year, the deal between the two companies was falling through.[36] In 1996, it was formally announced that the agreement with Virtuality was abandoned, leaving the planned headset unreleased, with Atari Corp. themselves citing health issues as one of the reasons for its cancellation.[37][38] Virtuality never received any payment from Atari Corp. for their work on the peripheral.[4] The game was also showcased during the Fun 'n' Games Day event hosted by Atari.[39]

In an interview with online magazine Jaguar Explorer Online on March 1997, programmer Martin Brownlow recounted about the development process of Missile Command 3D after it was released.[40] Martin stated that the project took six months to complete and despite being initially skeptical to work on a virtual reality version of Missile Command, he nevertheless decided to be involved with it.[40] He also stated the game had a troubled development cycle due to lack of support and meddling from Atari themselves and that the dragon boss found in the second stage of Virtual mode was inspired by Panzer Dragoon on Sega Saturn.[40]

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[41]
Atari Gaming Headquarters8 / 10[42]
Computer and Video Games[43]
Digital Press7 / 10[44]
Game Players83%[45]
GamePro10 / 20[46]
Game Zero Magazine27.0 / 50[47]
MAN!AC59%[48]
Next Generation[49]
ST-Computer76%[50]
ST Format75%[51]
ST Magazine57%[52]
Última Generación90 / 100[53]
Ultimate Future Games30%[54]
Video Games[55]
VideoGames8 / 10[56]

Missile Command 3D received mixed to positive reviews when it was released.[57]

Next Generation reviewed the Jaguar version of the game, and stated that "Perhaps if the gameplay had been built upon to an even further extent, the game would have more of an impact, but as it is, there's just not much to get excited about."[49]

Legacy

Prior to the release of Missile Command 3D, a virtual reality arcade game titled Missile Command VR was also developed and released by Virtuality under the license of Atari Games in 1994 and used the 2000SU hardware model.[40][58]

After Atari Corporation discontinued the Jaguar and merged with JT Storage in 1996,[59][60] all prototypes of the Jaguar VR headset were allegedly destroyed, however two working prototype units, one in low-resolution with red and grey-colored pieces and another in high-resolution with blue and grey-colored pieces, have since been recovered by private video game collectors and they are regularly showcased alongside Missile Command 3D and an earlier build of the game titled Missile Command VR at multiple Jaguar-dedicated festivals such as JagFest 2K1 and other retro gaming-themed conventions and festivals.[4][61][62][63]

Besides Zone Hunter, other games were planned to be developed and released for the Jaguar by Virtuality such as the 1991 arcade mech game Exorex,[40][64] a virtual reality version of Space Invaders,[62][65] a racing game titled Classic Traxx,[66] conversions of Buggy Ball and Dactyl Nightmare,[67] among others.

In a 2016 forum post at AtariAge by video game collector Clint Thompson according with Martin Brownlow, former Virtuality CEO Jonathan D. Waldern and other former employees of the company, it was stated that the source code of Missile Command 3D has become lost with time, due to the developer splitting into multiple companies between 1999 and 2001.[68] On September 14 2017, a third Jaguar VR prototype unit was found.[69]

gollark: I bred every single one of my dragons twice. Fun times.
gollark: It *might* not kill it.
gollark: The controversial suggestions/requests threads got locked.
gollark: *Can* you wall with shimmerscales?
gollark: "Shimmerscale Queen", though...

References
  1. "Arcade favorite receives new mission; Atari Corp. launches "Missile Command 3D" for Jaguar 64". TheFreeLibrary.com. Business Wire. December 12, 1995. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  2. Castle, Justin (July 21, 2018). "Historical Atari Jaguar UK Magazine Advert/Reviews Collection" (PDF). Issuu. p. 340. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  3. Horsman, Matthew (March 17, 1995). "Virtuality Ties up Atari Deal". The Independent. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  4. Thompson, Clint. "Jaguar VR – INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL REALITY MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM". JagCube. Atari.org. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. Hawken, Kieren (July 2013). "Minority Report Special: Jaguar - Missile Command". Retro Gamer. No. 118. Imagine Publishing. pp. 44–45.
  6. Edwards, Benj (February 11, 2017). "7 Forgotten Atari Jaguar Classics". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  7. "Atari Broadens its Platform Base". compkarori.com. Business Wire. January 2, 1996. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  8. "Press Start - Can PC Games Rescue Atari?". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 80. Sendai Publishing. March 1996. p. 20. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  9. Missile Command 3D game manual (Atari Jaguar, US)
  10. Kunkel, Bill (November 1993). "The Jaguar: Hands On – Atari Prepares to Show Its Claws". Electronic Games. No. 48. Decker Publications. pp. 44–45.
  11. Jockey, The Desk (October 1993). "The Cutting Edge – Virtual Jaguar". GamePro. No. 51. IDG. p. 17.
  12. "News – Atari takes the lead in home VR". Edge. No. 22. July 1995. p. 11.
  13. "ATARI JOINS FORCES WITH VIRTUALITY TO OFFER HOME VIRTUAL REALITY GAMES BY CHRISTMAS 1995". Nine Lives. October 25, 1994. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  14. "Other Stuff". GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 1. DieHard Gamers Club. January 1995. p. 142.
  15. "ProNews: Atari Plans Jaguar VR". GamePro. No. 66. IDG. January 1995. p. 211. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  16. F.D.L. (May 1995). "Jaguar extiende sus garras: Periféricos - V.R. Headset". Micromanía (in Spanish). Vol. 3 no. 4. HobbyPress. p. 16.
  17. "Nintendo introduces video game players to three-dimensional worlds with new virtual reality video game system". Business Wire / Planet Virtual Boy. November 14, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  18. Iida, Keita; Goldberg, Marty. "Atari Jaguar VR Headset". AGH Museum. Atari Gaming Headquarters. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  19. "ProNews: Jaguar VR Update". GamePro. No. 67. IDG. February 1995. p. 162. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  20. "ATARI AND VIRTUALITY PREVIEW FIRST VIRTUAL REALITY GAME SYSTEM FOR THE CONSUMER MARKET AT E3". Nine Lives. May 16, 1995. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  21. QLvsJAGUAR (January 18, 2011). E3 1995 – first show ever! Full length documentary. Great history! (11min 27sec). Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018 – via YouTube.
  22. François, Tommy; Msika, David (June 1995). "Reportage – E3 – Atari – Le Virtuel, Ça Marche". CD Consoles (in French). No. 8. Pressimage. pp. 42–43. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  23. "CVG News – E3 Showreel – Atari VR on Show". Computer and Video Games. No. 164. July 1995. p. 16. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  24. "E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! – Atari Debuts Jaguar Virtual Reality at E3". GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 7. July 1995. p. 37.
  25. "Electronic Entertainment Expo Special Report – Jaguar on the Prowl". GamePro. No. 73. IDG. August 1995. p. 37.
  26. Herranz, Sonia (June 1995). "Reportaje – Electronic Entertainment Expo – Y Al E3er Día Resucitó". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 45. Axel Springer SE. p. 34.
  27. "Aktuelles – Electronic Entertainment Expo – Most Wanted – Atari". MAN!AC (in German). No. 21. Cybermedia. July 1995. p. 15.
  28. "Dossier – Salon E3 – Atari Rikki Maousse Costaud?". Player One (in French). No. 54. Média Système Édition. June 1995. p. 51. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  29. Zengerle, Robert (July 1995). "News – E3 – Jaguar". Video Games (in German). No. 44. Future-Verlag. p. 30. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  30. "E3 1995". Edge. No. 23. August 1995. p. 10.
  31. "E3 Breaking – Jaguar – Atari's Jaguar VR system debuts – but is this the real deal?". Next Generation. No. 7. Imagine Media. July 1995. p. 20. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  32. "Jaguar Virtual Reality System". atari-explorer.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  33. Hans Reutter (July 11, 2020). Atari Jaguar @ E3 1995 - Atari Explorer Online (11min 22sec). YouTube. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  34. Wise, Carey (September 1995). "Special Feature – Gamer's Day at Atari". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 74. EGM Media, LLC. p. 64.
  35. Schaedle, Wolfgang (September 1995). "Profil – Atari News". Video Games (in German). No. 46. Future-Verlag. p. 45. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  36. "1995: The Calm Before the Storm?". Next Generation. No. 13. January 1996. p. 56. Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  37. "E28 News – Atari in virtual reality bust-up". Edge. No. 28. January 1996. p. 11.
  38. "ProNews: Atari Cuts Price, Eyes Other Platforms". GamePro. No. 80. IDG. March 1996. p. 17. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  39. "Atari's Fun 'n' Games Day". GamePro. No. 78. IDG. January 1996. p. 60.
  40. Halliwell, Clay (March 27, 1997). "Martin Brownlow Interview - The programmer of MC3D speaks". Jaguar Explorer Online. Vol. 1 no. 1. White Space Publishers. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  41. Scoleri III, Joseph. "Missile Command 3D – Overview". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  42. Holstine, Holstine. "AGH Jaguar Review: MISSILE COMMAND 3-D". atarihq.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  43. Davies, Paul (May 1996). "CVG Mini Review – Missile Command 3D". Computer and Video Games. No. 174. p. 90. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  44. Villapando, Edward (January 1996). "Random Reviews Lite - Missile Command 3D". Digital Press - The Bio-Degradable Source For Videogamers. No. 28. Joe Santulli. p. 14.
  45. Charla, Chris (March 1996). "Jaguar – Review – Missile Command 3D". Game Players. No. 82. Signal Research. p. 55. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  46. Nihei, Wes (March 1996). "ProReview: Missile Command 3D". GamePro. No. 80. IDG. p. 68. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  47. Phoenix, E.; R.I.P. (March 1996). "The Final Word game review - Missile Command 3-D -- Atari". Game Zero Magazine. Game Zero. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  48. Forster, Winnie (May 1996). "Spiele-Tests – Jaguar – Missile Command 3D". MAN!AC (in German). No. 31. Cybermedia. p. 68.
  49. "Finals – Descending – Missile Command 3D". Next Generation. No. 16. Imagine Media. April 1996. p. 91.
  50. "Jaguar-Spiele – Missile Command 3D". ST-Computer (in German). No. 117. falkemedia. February 1996. p. 63.
  51. Laskey, Iain (July 1996). "Screenplay – Jaguar Game – Missile Command 3D". ST Format. No. 84. p. 27. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  52. Abramson, Marc (February 1996). "Cahier Loisirs / Jaguar: Test - Interrogation Écrite". ST Magazine (in French). No. 102. Pressimage. pp. 57–58.
  53. Sanz, Luis (March 1996). "Versión Final - Jaguar - Missile Command 3D". Última Generación (in Spanish). No. 12. MV Editores. pp. 60–61.
  54. "Missile Command 3D – When the rot sets in..." Ultimate Future Games. No. 18. May 1996. p. 60.
  55. Karels, Ralph (August 1999). "Special – Atari Jaguar – Komplettübersicht Jaguar-Modul-Games – Missile Command 3D". Video Games (in German). No. 93. Future-Verlag. p. 56. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  56. O'Connor, Frank (January 1996). "Reviews – Missile Command 3D". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 84. L.F.P., Inc. p. 89. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  57. A. Jung, Robert. "The Atari Bin - Jaguar Reviews - Missile Command 3D". electric-escape.net. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  58. "Missile Command VR arcade video game by Virtuality (1994)". arcade-history.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  59. "Atari and JT Storage Reorganisation Plan". One Cle. Archived from the original on December 9, 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2006.
  60. "ATARI CORP Annual Report (Regulation S-K, item 405) (10-K405) ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS". Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  61. Thompson, Clint. "JagCube's Jagfest2k1 Report". jagcube.atari.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  62. Buchanan, Adam (January 23, 2015). "Incredibly Rare Working Prototype 'Atari Jaguar Virtual Reality Headset' Hardware Surfaces on eBay". retrocollect.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  63. Plafke, James (January 23, 2013). "Atari Jaguar had a VR headset?! One of the two left intact is up for auction". Geek.com. Ziff Davis Media. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  64. Vendel, Curt (August 26, 1995). "Payment Schedule for Jaguar games to Developers" (PDF). atarimuseum.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  65. JAYSMITH2000 (January 2, 2004). "Jaguar Photo Collection – My Photo Gallery". members.cox.net. Archived from the original on August 23, 2004. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  66. "Atari Jaguar – Classic Traxx". atarimania.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  67. Mowatt, Todd (June 1995). "Press Start - Virtual-Reality Headset Coming For The Jaguar". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 71. Sendai Publishing. p. 30.
  68. Thompson, Clint (November 9, 2016). "Jaguar VR & Missile Command 3D Source Code". AtariAge. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  69. Thompson, Clint (September 14, 2017). "Jaguar VR of the 3rd Kind". atari.io. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.