Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Lore Design Limited |
Publisher(s) | Atari Corporation |
Director(s) | Stephen Mitchell [1] |
Producer(s) | James Hampton [2] Ted Tahquechi |
Designer(s) | Dave Bottomley Jeffrey Gatrall Stephen Wadsworth |
Programmer(s) | Andrew Harris Chris Lowe Jakes Mo |
Artist(s) | Dave Worton Kev Connolly Paul Johnson |
Writer(s) | Serge Rosenzweig |
Composer(s) | Paul Charisse |
Platform(s) | Atari Jaguar CD |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods is an action-adventure video game developed by Lore Design Limited and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar CD first in North America on 30 October 1995 and later in Europe on November of the same year. The first installment in a planned trilogy based upon Gaumont Television and Bohbot Entertainment's Highlander: The Animated Series , which was both a loose spin-off and sequel of the 1986 film of the same name, players assume the role of Quentin MacLeod in an effort to save the Dundee clan from slavers of the evil immortal Kortan. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and exploration with a main eight-button configuration.
In 1993, Atari Corp. licensed the animated television series after coming with the idea of creating a game project in Gregory Widen's Highlander franchise, as members within the company were fans of the films and Alien vs Predator producer James Hampton led its development alongside Lore Design, who previously worked on several titles for the Atari Lynx such as Kung Food . Originally intended to be a fighting game, the project was instead retooled into an adventure trilogy spanning three discs due to its scope, which were going to be released as separate entries that would have connected each of their plots into one overarching narrative, with Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods being the first title launched from the planned trilogy.
Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods received mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release on the Jaguar CD, who praised various aspects such as the presentation and graphics but others felt divided in regards to the sound design and controls, while some also drew comparison with Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil due to its similar play style. A PC port was in development by Lore Design and announced to be published under the Atari Interactive brand but it was never officially released, thus ultimately remaining as an exclusive for the add-on instead, while neither sequel in the planned trilogy were ever released to the public.
Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods is a third-person action-adventure game presented with polygonal characters on a pre-rendered 3D post-apocalyptic environment that plays similarly to Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil, where players assume the role of Quentin MacLeod on a journey to save the Dundee clan from slavers of Kortan, an evil immortal who refused to swear the oath made by the Jettators that involved no longer killing any other immortal in order to guide humanity in rebuilding their society. [3]
Through the game, players battle against enemies with collected items and weapons that will be useful when solving puzzles to progress further, but it is also possible to defeat most enemies with physical attacks. When being armed or unarmed, players can perform a variety of actions with the buttons on the controller and it also features support for the ProController. [3] By either walking over an object or pressing Option during gameplay, an inventory screen is accessed to select any crucial item for use. If a Memory Track cartridge is present, the current progress can be manually saved; otherwise, players must play through the game without saving. [3] Prior to starting, players have the choice to change the default language settings.
The plot of Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods follows the first season of the animated television series, which takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the 27th century after a meteorite collided against the planet and set off multiple nuclear weapons that nearly wiped out all of humanity, which became an event known for survivors as the "Great Catastrophe". [3] Connor MacLeod and other Immortals forswear the Game of fighting each other until only one of their race remained to claim the Prize in order to guide humanity on rebuilding their society, casting away their swords and calling themselves "Jettators" but one of their kind, Kortan, outright refused to swear the oath and declared himself the last immortal to keep seeking the elusive Prize, now wishing to dominate the world. Connor challenges Kortan to a duel but he is defeated and eventually killed by the latter, as those who breaks the oath are forcefully destined to die. However, with his demise, a new prophecy surged that foretell the rise of a new immortal unbound by the oath and destined to kill Kortan who, uncontested by the Jettators and nigh-unkillable by mortal humans, managed to control most of the planet with his established empire that he rules from his fortress Mogonda.
700 years later, a teenager named Quentin lived peacefully alongside his family with the Dundee clan in the highlands until the military forces of Kortan arrived attacking their village on a slave raid. His mother is fatally wounded during the assault, who tells him that he is not her true son and revealing his lineage to be that from the clan MacLeod, before passing away due to her injuries. Quentin tries defending his current clan from the slavers but he is killed during the attempt by one of the soldiers and presumed to be "dead". After his people were captured and the village was left completely decimated, Quentin makes a complete recovery from his apparently fatal stab and eventually meets with the Jettator Don Vincente Marino Ramirez, who becomes his mentor, teaches him about the Immortals, his mission to confront Kortan and trains him in combat, which leads Quentin in setting off on a journey to free his sister Cylde and the Dundee clan before his fated confrontation against the evil tyrant. [3]
Quentin travels several locations and meets with other Jettators to gain their Quickening and knowledge through "sharing" by simultaneously grasping the same sword before eventually managing to reach an enemy stronghold where his people remains captured by Kortan's soldiers and after battling against them, he sets his people free, ending the first part of the trilogy.
According to Alien vs Predator producer James Hampton, plans for a video game adaptation of Highlander: The Animated Series were realized due to many of the members within Atari Corporation being fans of the Highlander films by Gregory Widen and wanted to develop a project based upon the franchise, with the company later securing the rights to the animated television series as early as December 1993. [4] Lore Design Limited, a UK-based developer who created multiple titles for the Atari Lynx such as Kung Food, were starting to experiment with 3D modeling through their artist Dave Worton that would later prove to be essential before being contacted by Atari Corp. for the upcoming Highlander project in order to do so. [4] [5] [6] [7]
The project began development in May 1994 and was originally intended to be a fighting game akin to Rise of the Robots in terms of visual style but due to technical difficulties and the team being tired of fighting titles in general, the original concept was scrapped and the project was instead retooled into an adventure game similar to Alone in the Dark, with director Stephen "Steve" Mitchell later stating that the initial idea would have not represented the franchise's lore properly. [4] [5] [6] [7] It was also initially intended to be one title but according to Hampton, due to the growing scope of the project as well as a desire to integrate motion capture on the gameplay that would led them in funding a motion capture studio to be built at the headquarters of Lore Design, it was ultimately decided to make it a trilogy for the Jaguar CD add-on spanning three discs. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods was developed with 15 team members at Lore Design led by Mitchell alongside Hampton, who acted as both producer and designer of the project alongside Ted Tahquechi, although he is not credited as such in the credits of the game. [2] [4] [8] [9] Ellen Echelman of Bohbot Entertainment, as well as Gaumont Television, Nelvana and other production companies involved with the animated series, also collaborated and aided with the game's development, providing original production material such as scripts, concept art, storyboards and original sound effect recordings. [4] [5] [6] [7] The game also features video clips from the TV series to move the storyline along, with all of the original voice actors from the aforementioned series returning to reprise their respective roles. [4] [5] [6] [7] [10]
All of the in-game artwork was pre-rendered with 3D Studio, based on the original designs by Gaumont and displayed using high color format, while the three-dimensional character models such as Quentin himself consist of 300 polygons. [4] [5] [6] [7] [11] It also makes use of the various hardware features found within the Jaguar such as Z-buffering, which causes the animated characters to be composited correctly within the pre-rendered artwork. [4] [5] [6] [7] The motion capture process for character animation was handled at Lore Design's then-recently built studio, which involved the filming of actors performing moves with reflective markers attached on determined parts of their bodies in order to record their movements that would allow characters to act realistically, while a custom tool set capable of converting the data into information that the hardware could read to display the actions on-screen was used to aid in said process. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods was formally announced to the public during SCES '94 and WCES '95, becoming one of the first titles planned for the Jaguar CD. [12] [13] [14] [15] The game also made its appearance on the showfloor of events such as Spring ECTS '95, [16] [17] E3 1995, [18] [19] [20] [21] and Autumn ECTS '95. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] It was originally planned for a Q3 1995 release, before being now listed for an August 1995 release and later for a late release in the year. [27] [28] [29] [30] The project was completed and was first released in North America on 30 October 1995, [31] [32] [33] [34] and later in European regions on November of the same year. [35] [36] [37]
A PC version of Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods was under development by Lore Design and planned to be published by Atari's then-recently formed Atari Interactive division but due to the closure of the newly formed PC publishing division as a result of the company merging with JT Storage in 1996, it was never officially released. [6] [7] [38] [39] [40] [41] In 2004, a beta build of the PC port was released by the defunct Jaguar Sector II website under a CD-ROM compilation titled Jaguar Extremist Pack #3, which also feature a beta build of the original Jaguar CD version. [37] [42]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Next Generation | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllGame | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Atari Gaming Headquarters | 7 / 10 [45] |
The Electric Playground | 8.5 / 10 [46] |
GamePro | 7 / 20 [47] |
MAN!AC | 39% [48] |
Game Zero Magazine | 14.5 / 25 [49] |
ST-Computer | 95% [50] |
ST Magazine | 80% [51] |
A reviewer for Next Generation praised the game's full motion video sequences and accessible exploration. He admitted that the game would not appeal to action fans due to the poor controls and "sluggish response time", but felt that for Jaguar CD owners with a liking for role-playing video games it was "as close to being a 'must have' as you can get" by simple virtue of being the only game in that vein for either the Jaguar CD or standalone Jaguar. He gave it three out of five stars. [43]
Bonehead of GamePro instead judged it "one of the lowlights for Atari's new system". While he agreed that the full motion video sequences are good, he panned the game for its plodding pace, lack of sound effects, and particularly the poor combat: "Your character often turns the wrong way, smacking right into enemies, and his feeble punches and kicks look like a toddler's tiny tantrum. Highlander is high on frustration". [47]
In 2023, Time Extension listed it as one of the best games for the Jaguar. [52]
The Highlander trilogy would be the last set of games to be created by Lore Design Limited, as due to an internal dispute with Atari in regards to their future titles, resulted in insolvency and voluntary receivership of the company in 1997 that culminated with their closure. [6] [7] Many of the former Lore Design members would go on to form Magenta Software, while Stephen Mitchell would work for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and later establish Diamond Apple. [6] [7] In 2009, the trademark renewal for the animated series, which the planned trilogy is based on, was cancelled. [53] On 24 August 2008, the source code of Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods was released by Jaguar Sector II under a CD compilation for PC titled Jaguar Source Code Collection. [37] [54]
The second part in the planned trilogy, Highlander 2: The Quest for Knowledge, would have follow after the events occurred in the first part, where Ramirez falls into a coma after being poisoned and Quentin must search and meet with other Jettators in order to find an antidote. [4] [5] [55] The game was announced along with the first part in 1995, with plans for a Q4 1995 release date, [6] [7] [23] while its last mentioning happened by online magazine Atari Explorer Online in the last issue under their original name in January 1996 before being left unreleased. [27] [28] [29] [56] It was also planned for PC as with the first title. [38]
The third and final part in the planned trilogy, Highlander 3: The Time of Endings, would have served as the definitive conclusion and take place after the events occurred in the second part, where Quentin has been betrayed by a rogue Jettator who plans in executing a genocide against the citizens of Mogonda, before finally confronting Kortan in a one-on-one duel and rescue his girlfriend Alia. [4] [5] [57] Like the second part, the third game was announced along with the first part in 1995, [6] [7] with plans for a Q4 1995 release date, while its last mentioning happened by online magazine Atari Explorer Online on the last issue under their original name in January 1996 before being left unreleased as well. [23] [27] [28] [29] [56] As with both the first and second game, the third title was also planned for PC. [38]
Highlander is an American-British film and television franchise created by American screenwriter Gregory Widen. The series began with Highlander, a 1986 fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert, who played Connor MacLeod, the titular Highlander. There have been four theatrical Highlander films, one made-for-TV film, two live-action television series, an animated television series, an anime film, a flash animation series, original novels, comic books, and various licensed merchandise.
Pinball Fantasies is a 1992 pinball video game originally developed by Digital Illusions and published by 21st Century Entertainment in Europe for the Amiga home computers. It is the sequel to Pinball Dreams, which was released earlier in the same year on multiple platforms. In the game, players can choose between any of the four available playfields, both of which have their own thematic and main objectives in order to obtain the highest score possible.
The Humans is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992. It was later ported to other home computers and consoles. The goal of the game varies per level but usually revolves around bringing at least one of the player-controlled humans to the designated end area marked by a colored tile. Doing this requires players taking advantage of the tribe's ability to build a human ladder and use tools such as spears, torches, wheels, ropes and a witch doctor in later levels.
Tempest 2000 is a tube shooter video game originally developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in North America on 13 April 1994. It was released in Europe on 27 June and in Japan on 15 December of the same year, with the Japanese release being published by Mumin Corporation. Part of Atari Corp.'s 2000 series, it is a remake by Jeff Minter of Dave Theurer's 1981 arcade game Tempest, which used Atari's QuadraScan vector color display technology.
Highlander: The Animated Series is an American-French-Canadian animated television series which premiered on September 18, 1994. It is a loose spin-off and sequel of the 1986 film of the same name. The series was produced by Gaumont Television with the worldwide distribution rights owned by Bohbot Entertainment.
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when Warner Communications sold the home computing and game console assets of Atari, Inc. to Tramiel. Its chief products were the Atari ST, Atari XE, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx and Atari Jaguar.
Ishar is a series of three role-playing video games by Silmarils for IBM PC compatibles, Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh. They are preceded by Crystals of Arborea. The games are played in first-person perspective, with all but Crystals of Arborea allowing the player to direct a group of five characters, each with a selectable race, gender, and class.
Soulstar is a hybrid rail shooter/third-person shooter video game developed and originally published by Core Design for the Sega CD in North America in September 1994, Europe in October by Core Design, and later in Japan by Victor Entertainment on December 22.
Ultra Vortek is a fighting game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in North America and Europe on September 5, 1995. It was the second fighting game released for the Jaguar after Kasumi Ninja and unsuccessfully sought to capitalize on the trend of violent fighting games started by Midway Games's Mortal Kombat in 1992. It was the only officially released game that supports the unreleased Jaguar Voice Modem peripheral for online play.
Creature Shock is a 1994 sci-fi game released for MS-DOS and 3DO. It was developed by Argonaut Software and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment. The game was later ported to the CD-i, Sega Saturn and PlayStation video game systems.
Baldies is a 1995 real-time strategy video game developed by Creative Edge Software and originally published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar CD. It was later ported to the PC, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Macintosh. In the game, the player manages a community of Baldies in order to build structures, increase their population, and create weapons to fight against enemies known as Hairies. There are four classes of Baldies and each structure has specific properties to assist the player. Its gameplay combines strategy with simulation and god game elements. Up to four players can participate in a multiplayer mode via local area network (LAN) on PC.
Robinson's Requiem is a 1994 survival simulation video game developed and originally published by Silmarils exclusively in Europe for the Atari ST, Atari Falcon and Amiga. Taking place in the 22nd century where Earth and colonized planets are facing overpopulation, the game sees players assuming the role of Robinson officer Trepliev 1 from the Alien World Exploration department in his attempt to escape imprisonment from the fictional planet of Zarathustra alongside another AWE Robinson named Nina1, while facing several hostile creatures and dangers in order to survive.
FlipOut! is a tile-matching puzzle video game developed by Gorilla Systems Corporation and originally published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in Europe on July 7, 1995 and later in North America on August 28 of the same year. It is one of the first titles developed by Gorilla Systems.
Vid Grid is a tile-matching full motion video puzzle game originally developed by Geffen Records and published by Jasmine Multimedia Publishing for Windows on September 13, 1994. It was later ported to the Atari Jaguar CD by High Voltage Software in 1995, where it was included along with Blue Lightning as one of the pack-in games for the peripheral when it launched. It is the first entry in the series of the same name.
Iron Soldier 2 is an open world first-person mecha simulation video game developed by Eclipse Software Design and published by Telegames for the Atari Jaguar and Atari Jaguar CD on December 30, 1997. It is the sequel to Iron Soldier.
Varuna's Forces is an unreleased sci-fi video game that was in development by Accent Media Productions and planned to be published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar CD and JVC for 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Dreamcast, PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
Rocky Interactive Horror Show is a point-and-click adventure game developed by On-Line Entertainment in conjunction with Transylvania Interactive and published by On-Line exclusively for Microsoft Windows. A spiritual successor to CRL Group's 1985 video game adaptation, it is the second video game to be released and based upon Richard O'Brien's musical of the same name, who is also a member of the cast. Following the plot from 20th Century Fox's 1975 musical horror comedy film of the same name, the player assume the role of either Brad Majors or Janet Weiss in order to rescue one of the two playable characters, who has been transformed into stone by Dr. Frank-N-Furter's Medusa Transducer, within a set time limit before the mansion becomes a spaceship and takes off to the planet Transsexual Transylvania.
Ultimate Brain Games is an unreleased board video game that was in development by Teque London and planned to be published by Telegames on a scheduled Q2 1995 release date exclusively for the Atari Jaguar. The game was going to be a spiritual successor to Fidelity Electronics and Telegames's 1991 Atari Lynx title The Fidelity Ultimate Chess Challenge. It was also intended to be released the Atari Jaguar CD add-on and later on the PC.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)