Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands

Last updated
Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands
Hover Strike - Unconquered Lands front.jpg
Developer(s) Atari Corporation
Publisher(s) Atari Corporation
Producer(s) Leonard Tramiel
Designer(s) Cary Gee
Craig Suko
Denis L. Fung
Programmer(s) Eric Smith
Hans-Martin Kröber
Robert Zdybel
Artist(s) Ken Saunders
Keoni Los Baños
Jennie Birch
Composer(s) Brad Wait
Robert Wait
Platform(s) Atari Jaguar CD
Release
  • NA/EU: 23 October 1995
Genre(s) Shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op

Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar CD in North America and Europe on October 23, 1995. [1] [2] A remake of Hover Strike for the Atari Jaguar, it was created by most of the original team who worked on the original game and both titles share the same overall plot, where the Terrakian alien race seized control of a colonized foreign planet and players are tasked with piloting an armed hovercraft vehicle in an attempt of rescuing the captured colonists and destroy the invading forces from the planet's surface before the Federation armada arrives.

Contents

As with the original game, Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands received mixed reception from critics after its initial release and many felt divided in regards to multiple aspects of the game such as the presentation, visuals, sound and gameplay.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot. JAGCD Hover Strike - Unconquered Lands.jpg
Gameplay screenshot.
For further information about the gameplay, see: Gameplay of Hover Strike

Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands is a futuristic semi-open three-dimensional shooter game like its original predecessor, where the players take control of a heavily armed hovercraft vehicle across multiple missions set on a foreign planet, each one varying in terms of main objectives and thematic in order to annihilate the forces of the Terrakian Pirates from the planetary surface before the Federation's armada arrives to the location. [3] The game's progression system, two-player mode and controls act like the original game, however a Memory Track cartridge has to be present for game saves. [3] The remake features new missions and enemies not found within the original title, along with improved graphics, an arranged CD-quality soundtrack, among other extras. [3]

Development and release

Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands made its first appearance on the showfloor of E3 1995 and was in development as early as August 1995 and was originally listed for a September/Q3 1995 release. [4] [5] [6] [7] It would later be previewed in some video game magazines and the game was released on October 23, 1995 for the Jaguar CD add-on. [1] [2] [8] Most of the development team from the original Hover Strike on the Jaguar were also involved in the production of the remake. [9] Years after its release, the game's source code would be released by defunct Jaguar Sector II website under a CD compilation for PC titled Jaguar Source Code Collection on August 24, 2008. [10] [11]

Reception

Like the original game, Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands received mixed reception from critics after its release.

Related Research Articles

<i>Return to Zork</i> 1993 video game

Return to Zork is a 1993 graphic adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.

<i>Alien vs Predator</i> (Atari Jaguar video game) 1994 video game

Alien vs Predator is a 1994 first-person shooter developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. It was also distributed in Japan by Mumin Corporation, where it became a pack-in game for the console. It is the first entry in the Alien vs. Predator franchise developed by Rebellion. Taking place in a simulation depicting the fall of the Golgotha training base camp, the game offers three playable scenarios: Alien, Predator, or a human of the Colonial Marines. The player is presented with a series of interconnected sublevels and ships to progress through. Each character has different objectives, abilities, weapons, and disadvantages.

<i>Fight for Life</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Fight for Life is a 1996 fighting video game developed and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Jaguar. It was the final game to be developed and published by Atari themselves before dropping support for the platform and merging with JT Storage in a reverse takeover on July 30, 1996, and the last fighting title released for the console. Set in a purgatory dimension known as the Specter Zone, Fight for Life follows eight deceased fighters as they enter a tournament held by a shapeshifting being called the Gatekeeper, who will bestow a second chance at life to the winner. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main eight-button configuration, featuring special moves and the ability to customize character's movesets, as well as four different playable modes.

<i>Soulstar</i> 1994 video game

Soulstar is a hybrid rail shooter/third-person shooter video game developed and published by Core Design for the Sega CD in North America in September 1994, Europe in October by Core Design, and in Japan by Victor Entertainment on December 22.

<i>Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods</i> 1995 video game

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.

<i>Defender 2000</i> 1996 video game

Defender 2000 is a 1996 scrolling shooter video game developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. Part of Atari's 2000 series of arcade game revivals, it is an update of Eugene Jarvis' arcade game Defender (1981). The premise takes place in a future where the Alpha Promixian empire attack mining settlements on distant resource planets. Gameplay is divided into three modes, with the player acting as part of the System Defense Team commanding the Threshold ship to defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting humans.

<i>Worms</i> (1995 video game) 1995 video game

Worms is a 2D artillery tactical video game developed by Team17 and released in 1995. It is the first game in the Worms series of video games. It is a turn based game where a player controls a team of worms against other teams of worms that are controlled by a computer or human opponent. The aim is to use various weapons to kill the worms on the other teams and have the last surviving worm(s).

<i>Creature Shock</i> 1994 video game

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.

<i>Hover Strike</i> 1995 video game

Hover Strike is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar first in North America in April 1995, then in Europe on May of the same year and later in Japan around the same period, where it was published instead by Messe Sansao. Taking place in a future where the Terrakian Pirates have seized control of a colonized foreign planet, players are tasked with piloting an armed hovercraft vehicle in an attempt of rescuing the captured colonists and obliterate the invading alien forces from the surface of the planet before the Federation armada arrives.

<i>Attack of the Mutant Penguins</i> 1995 video game

Attack of the Mutant Penguins is a action-strategy video game developed by Sunrise Games and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in Europe in December 1995, and North America on March 15, 1996. A port titled Mutant Penguins was released in 1996 by GameTek for MS-DOS. The plot follows Bernard and Rodney, intergalactic heroes defending earth against alien invaders disguised as penguins. The player must dispatch the alien penguins before they reach a doomsday weapon, in the form of a weighing scale. Earth also has real penguins, who help the player by fighting the aliens and counteracting their weight on the scale.

<i>Robinsons Requiem</i> 1994 video game

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.

<i>Black ICE\White Noise</i> Video game

Black ICE\White Noise is an unreleased action-adventure video game that was in development and planned to be published by Atari Corporation on a scheduled December 1995 release date exclusively for the Atari Jaguar CD. It is influenced by the works of American-Canadian writer William Gibson such as Neuromancer and its plot is very reminiscent of The Matrix, which came three years later after the project was discontinued.

<i>FlipOut!</i> 1995 video game

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.

<i>Power Drive Rally</i> 1995 video game

Power Drive Rally is a 1995 racing video game developed by Rage Software and published by Time Warner Interactive for the Atari Jaguar. It is a conversion of the 1994 racing game Power Drive, which was released on multiple platforms. Revolving around rallying, the game features six real vehicles and circuits based on eight locations around the world. The players participate in various racing events and earn money by qualifying or winning to continue the rally season and repair damage to the car.

<i>Vid Grid</i> 1994 video game

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.

<i>Phase Zero</i> 2002 video game

Phase Zero is an unfinished shooter video game that was being developed by Hyper Image Productions and would have been published by Atari for the Atari Jaguar. Set in the future on a terrestrial planet, the player takes on the role of a newcomer to the Phase Zero squad, piloting a hovercraft to fight rival corporate states. The player is tasked with various objectives while fighting enemies in multiple missions.

<i>Zero 5</i> (Atari Jaguar video game) 1997 video game

Zero 5 is a shooter video game developed by Caspian Software and published by Telegames exclusively for the Atari Jaguar on September 29, 1997. It is a remake of the 1994 Atari STe title of the same name and one of the last licensed releases to be published for the Jaguar after being discontinued in 1996 by Atari Corporation, who merged with JT Storage in a reverse takeover prior to its eventual launch.

<i>Zzyorxx II</i> Scrolling shooter video game

Zzyorxx II is an unreleased scrolling shooter video game that was in development and planned to be published by Virtual Xperience on a scheduled 1994 release date exclusively for the Atari Jaguar. It was one of the three projects Virtual Xperience had under development for the system that would never be finished and released to the public. In the game, players would have taken control of two distinct fighter crafts across five stages taking place on different time periods while fighting against an armada of enemies. Despite never receiving an official release to the public, a ROM image of an early build of Zzyorxx II was released online in 2018 at the AtariAge forum.

<i>Space War 2000</i> 2001 video game

Space War 2000 is an unreleased first-person space combat simulation video game developed and originally planned to be published by Atari Corporation on a scheduled November 1995 release date exclusively for the Atari Jaguar. It is an update by Robert Zdybel of Ian Shepard's 1978 Atari 2600 game Space War. In the game, players assume the role of a space knight to fight against other opponents.

References

  1. 1 2 ""Hoverstrike: Unconquered Lands" charges to forefront; fast-action CD-ROM released for Atari Jaguar 64". TheFreeLibrary.com . Business Wire. October 23, 1995. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Castle, Justin (July 21, 2018). "Historical Atari Jaguar UK Magazine Advert/Reviews Collection". Issuu. p. 340. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  3. 1 2 3 Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands game manual (Atari Jaguar CD, US)
  4. Zengerle, Robert (July 1995). "News - E3 - Jaguar". Video Games (in German). No. 44. Future-Verlag. p. 30. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  5. Vendel, Curt (August 26, 1995). "Payment Schedule for Jaguar games to Developers" (PDF). atarimuseum.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  6. "Release Liste". Video Games (in German). No. 46. Future-Verlag. August 1995. p. 43. Archived from the original on 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  7. Gore, Chris (August 1995). "The Gorescore - Industry News You Can - Upcoming Jaguar Software Titles". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine . No. 79. L.F.P., Inc. p. 14.
  8. "The Future". Ultimate Future Games . No. 11 Supplement. Future Publishing. October 1995. pp. 14–15.
  9. Hover Strike game manual (Atari Jaguar, US)
  10. Smith, Jason. "Jaguar Sector II Atari Jaguar Software Price and Rarity Guide". jaysmith2000.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  11. Smith, Jason. "Atari Jaguar Timeline". jaguarsector.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  12. Scoleri III, Joseph. "Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands - Overview". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  13. C. Bessemer, Brian. "AGH Jaguar Review: HOVER STRIKE: UNCONQUERED LANDS (CD)". atarihq.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  14. Nihei, Wes (March 1996). "ProReview: HoverStrike: Unconquered Lands". GamePro . No. 80. IDG. p. 68.
  15. Lucas, Victor (January 5, 1996). "Reviews - Hover Strike". The Electric Playground. Archived from the original on 5 December 2000. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  16. Phoenix, E.; R.I.P. (March 1996). "The Final Word game review - Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands -- Atari". Game Zero Magazine. Game Zero. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  17. Ehrle, Oliver (May 1996). "Spiele-Tests - Jaguar - Hover Strike CD". MAN!AC . No. 31. Cybermedia. p. 76.
  18. Schneider, Ulf (February 1996). "Special Jaguar CD - Jaguar CD - Hover Strike". Mega Fun . No. 41. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. p. 97.
  19. Abramson, Marc (January 1996). "Cahier Loisirs / Jaguar - C´est Noël !!!". ST Magazine (in French). No. 101. Pressimage. pp. 54–57.
  20. S. Fernández, Javier (January 1996). "Versión Final - Jaguar CD - Hover Strike CD". Última Generación (in Spanish). No. 10. MV Editores. pp. 84–85.