Prime Target

Last updated
Prime Target
Developer(s) WizardWorks
Publisher(s) MacSoft
Release1996
Genre(s) First-person shooter

Prime Target is a 1996 action video game developed by WizardWorks Group and published by MacSoft for Macintosh computers. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Gameplay

Prime Target uses the Marathon 2 gaming engine. [4]

Plot

An influential senator named Cathryn Mayfield has been murdered, and it is up to the player to uncover secret documents relating to a conspiracy.

Development

The team was led by Kirk Sumner. [5] An arcade port of the game was developed and underwent location testing at a Champions Arcade in the Philadelphia area during 1997, [6] but was never fully released.

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews from critics.

A Next Generation critic commented that the game's combination of shooting action and mystery solving "is a unique attempt to rework an old design, and for the most part it works." He also praised the large, challenging levels, the multiplayer options, and the need to move furniture and duck behind it for cover. However, he ultimately compared the game unfavorably to other Marathon 2 engine games such as ZPC and Damage Incorporated , and gave it three out of five stars. [4] MacHome praised the game's realism and plot. [7] MacGamer liked the replay value. [8] MacGate appreciated how at the core of the game was a genuine mystery to solve. [9] According to Italian company Mac-O-Rama, the title was the sixth entry on the 'Top Ten Mac Games List' for the period between January 31st and February 6th 2000. [10]

Despite the reviews, the game saw mediocre sales upon release. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Blackthorne</i> 1994 video game

Blackthorne is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Lee. The following year, Blackthorne was released for the Sega 32X with additional content. In 2013, Blizzard released the game for free on their Battle.net PC client. In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.

<i>Battlezone</i> (1980 video game) Atari tank combat vector arcade game from 1980

Battlezone is a first-person shooter tank combat game released for arcades in November 1980 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a tank which is attacked by other tanks and missiles, using a small radar scanner to locate enemies around them in the barren landscape. Its innovative use of 3D graphics made it a huge hit, with approximately 15,000 units sold.

<i>Damage Incorporated</i> 1997 video game

Damage Incorporated is a 2.5D first-person shooter for Mac OS using the Marathon 2 engine and published by MacSoft in 1997. It was ported to Microsoft Windows.

<i>The Fools Errand</i> Meta-puzzle computer game from 1987

The Fool's Errand is a 1987 computer game by Cliff Johnson. It is a meta-puzzle game with storytelling, visual puzzles, and a cryptic treasure map. It is the tale of a wandering Fool who seeks his fortune in the Land of Tarot and braves the enchantments of the High Priestess. A sequel titled The Fool and His Money was released October 25, 2012.

<i>Sega Rally Championship</i> 1995 racing video game

SEGA Rally Championship is a 1994 racing video game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. Originally released for arcades using the Sega Model 2 board, it was converted to the Sega Saturn in 1995 and Windows in 1997. The unique selling point of Sega Rally Championship was the ability to drive on different surfaces, with different friction properties, with the car's handling changing accordingly. As the first racing game to incorporate this feature, Sega Rally Championship is considered to be one of the milestones in the evolution of the racing game genre. It was also an early rally racing game and featured cooperative gameplay alongside the usual competitive multiplayer.

<i>Star Wars: Dark Forces</i> 1995 video game

Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The story is set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe and begins shortly before the original Star Wars film, before flashing forward to a year after the film's events. The game's protagonist and playable character is Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance who discovers the Galactic Empire's secret Dark Trooper Project, which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers.

<i>Star Wars</i> (1983 video game) 1983 video game

Star Wars is a first-person rail shooter video game designed by Mike Hally and released in arcades in 1983 by Atari, Inc. It uses 3D color vector graphics to simulate the assault on the Death Star from the 1977 film Star Wars. Developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games, Star Wars has been included on lists of the greatest video games of all time.

<i>ZPC</i> 1996 video game

ZPC is a first-person shooter video game which uses the Marathon 2 engine. It was developed by Zombie LLC, published by GT Interactive Software and released on October 31, 1996. It was noted for its stylized look adapted from artwork by Aidan Hughes.

<i>Terminal Velocity</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Terminal Velocity is a simulation video game originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by 3D Realms for DOS and Windows 95 and MacSoft for Mac OS. It is an arcade-style flight combat game, with simpler game controls and physics than flight simulators. It is known for its fast, high-energy action sequences, compared to flight simulators of the time.

<i>Rama</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama (1973) and Rama II (1989) and supports both MS-DOS and Windows. In 1998, a PlayStation version was released in Japan.

<i>Marathon 2: Durandal</i> 1995 video game by Bungie

Marathon 2: Durandal is a first-person shooter video game, part of the science fiction Marathon Trilogy by Bungie. It was released on November 24, 1995. The game is mostly set on the fictional planet of Lh'owon, homeworld of the S'pht, and once again the player takes the role of a shipboard security officer from the Marathon. This is the only game in the series to be officially released for Windows and Xbox 360 XBLA in addition to the Mac. The unofficial Aleph One community enhancement, built on engine source opened by Bungie in 1999, allows the game to be played on many other platforms. The entire game including assets were released for free to the public by Bungie in 2005, now commonly bundled for distribution with Aleph One.

<i>Marathon</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Marathon is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Bungie, and released in December 1994 for the Apple Macintosh. The game takes place several centuries into the future in outer space and sets the player as a security officer attempting to stop an alien invasion aboard a colony ship named the Marathon.

<i>MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat</i> 1995 video game

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision, released in 1995 as part of the MechWarrior series of video games in the BattleTech franchise. The game is set in 3057, and is played as a tactical simulation that incorporates aspects of real-time first-person combat and the physical simulation of the player's mech. It is a game recreation of the "Refusal War." The player can join one of the clans, Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf while engaging in up to 32 missions.

Mac gaming refers to the use of video games on Macintosh personal computers. In the 1990s, Apple computers did not attract the same level of video game development as Microsoft Windows computers due to the high popularity of Microsoft Windows and, for 3D gaming, Microsoft's DirectX technology. In recent years, the introduction of Mac OS X and support for Intel processors has eased porting of many games, including 3D games through use of OpenGL and more recently Apple's own Metal API. Virtualization technology and Boot Camp also permit the use of Windows and its games on Macintosh computers. Today, a growing number of popular games run natively on macOS, though as of early 2019, a majority still require the use of Microsoft Windows.

<i>Pac-In-Time</i> 1995 video game

Pac-In-Time is a platform game developed by Kalisto and published by Namco, featuring the arcade character Pac-Man. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS, Macintosh, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Boy.

<i>Battle-Girl</i> 1997 video game

Battle-Girl is a 1997 multidirectional shooter video game developed by Ultra/United Games and originally published by Power Media for the Macintosh. In the game, players assume the role of the titular character taking control of her Soyuz 1183-A BattleCraft to save the Great Machine by eradicating malicious programmers released by Terminus, a weapon of Chaos. Its gameplay uses a two-joystick configuration reminiscent of Robotron: 2084.

<i>Williams Arcades Greatest Hits</i> 1995 video game

Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits is a video game anthology for the Super NES, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Game.com, and Dreamcast game consoles. It was also released for DOS and Windows.

<i>San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing</i> 1996 video game

San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing is a video game developed and published by Atari Games. This game was first released in arcades in 1996 and was ported to Nintendo 64 in 1997 and the PlayStation in 1998. San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing is the first game in the Rush series.

<i>Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh</i> 1996 video game

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh is a point-and-click adventure video game released on August 31, 1996 by Interplay Productions on Windows and by MacPlay, a division of Interplay Productions at the time, on Macintosh. It is a sequel to Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster. The game was developed by Amazing Media, directed and produced by Jeff McDonald, Keith Metzger, and Loring Casartelli, written by McDonald and Metzger, and composed by Márcio Câmara. Malcolm McDowell stars as Stuart Davenport, one of the main characters of the game.

References

  1. ↑ Eaton, Jeff (June 27, 1997). "Review: Prime Target". Inside Mac Games (Volume 5, Issue 10). p. 10. Archived from the original on June 27, 1997.
  2. ↑ "Prime Target!". 17 April 1997. Archived from the original on 17 April 1997.
  3. ↑ Tiberius (February 1997). "Prime Target". Joystick (Issue 79) (in French). p. 108.
  4. 1 2 "Prime Target". Next Generation . No. 28. Imagine Media. April 1997. p. 130.
  5. ↑ "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com.
  6. ↑ Webb, Marcus (September 1997). "More CD Games Aimed at Arcades". Next Generation . No. 33. Imagine Media. p. 32.
  7. ↑ "MacHome Product Review- Prime Target". 5 January 2000. Archived from the original on 5 January 2000.
  8. ↑ "MacGamer - Get In The Game". 9 May 2003. Archived from the original on 9 May 2003.
  9. ↑ "MGG - Prime Target review". 12 June 1998. Archived from the original on 12 June 1998.
  10. ↑ "La Top Ten di Mac-O-Rama".
  11. ↑ "Macintosh: Not Dead Yet". Next Generation . No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. p. 24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.