Judge Dredd (1995 video game)

Last updated
Judge Dredd
JudgeDreddSuperNESJPBoxArt.jpg
North American SG cover artwork featuring Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd
Developer(s) Probe Software
Publisher(s) Acclaim Entertainment (original)
Throwback Entertainment (re-release)
Designer(s)
  • Simon Bland
  • Andy Cambridge
  • Ben O' Reilly
Composer(s) Andy Brock
Platform(s) Super NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, DOS, Windows
Release
June 16, 1995
  • Super NES:
    • NA: June 16, 1995
    • PAL: August 24, 1995
    • JP: October 27, 1995
  • Sega Genesis:
    • EU: 1995
    • AU: 1995
    • NA: June 16, 1995
    • JP: September 1, 1995
  • Game Boy:
    • EU: 1995
    • NA: June 16, 1995
    • JP: October 27, 1995
  • Game Gear:
    • NA: June 16, 1995
    • EU: 1995
  • Windows:
    • WW: May 23, 2018
Genre(s) 2D action platform
Mode(s)

Judge Dredd is a side-view action video game released for the Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear and Game Boy originally released in 1995. The game is based on the 1995 film Judge Dredd , which was itself an adaptation of the Judge Dredd strip from 2000AD . [1]

Contents

The game was released on Steam and ZOOM Platform as Judge Dredd 95 by Throwback Entertainment. It was delisted by its publisher on January 1, 2023, a move that was criticized by ZOOM Platform. [2]

Gameplay

The game allows players to arrest enemies instead of executing them. JudgeDreddScreenshotSNESQuickJustice.png
The game allows players to arrest enemies instead of executing them.

The game features run and gun gameplay with a variety of weapons. The player is given a choice to either execute criminals or arrest them.

Levels range from the major futuristic city known as Mega-City One, a prison in a post-nuclear wasteland, ruins and a showdown with the rogue Judge Rico Dredd. [3]

Plot

In the 22nd century, everybody lives in the urban areas of the world. [4] Police officers and lawyers have been abolished and only the Judges are in complete control of human society. [4] One of them, Judge Dredd, must pursue the renegade Judge Rico and Mega-City's most dangerous criminals. Eventually, Dredd defeats Rico and wins a final battle with the Dark Judges to rescue Mega-City. [5]

Development

For seven of the game's 12 levels, the backgrounds were created by digitizing sets from the movie; the remaining five levels use backgrounds based on the comic book. [6]

Ports

A conversion of the game was in development for the Atari Jaguar CD after Atari Corporation and Acclaim announced their partnership in March 1995 that included plans to release three titles for the system, but Judge Dredd was later licensed to Atari Corp. months after the announcement of the partnership and was planned for a Q4 1995 release, but the port went unreleased for unknown reasons. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Reception

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly criticized that the game's bosses are overly difficult, but generally approved of Judge Dredd for its large levels and selection of weapons, with one of their reviewers remarking that "What Judge Dredd lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in playability." They were much more critical of the Genesis version, which they said suffers from inferior graphics, sound, and most importantly, control compared to the SNES version. [13] Similarly, GamePro criticized the game's lack of originality but praised the large levels, selection of weapons, and the ability to arrest enemies instead of killing them. They too gave the Genesis version a more negative review on account of inferior graphics and sounds. [17]

Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed that the game "translates surprisingly well to the Game Boy", with most of the levels and graphical effects of the home versions, but that the Game Boy version also suffers from inferior sound quality. [14] GamePro's review of the Game Boy version criticized that Judge Dredd is overly similar to previous handheld action/adventure games and has so-so controls, but concluded, "Is Judge Dredd tough? Not guilty. Is it terrific? Not guilty. Is it worth playing? Guilty." [18]

Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "in the end, Judge Dredd is guilty of one thing, it's yet another side-scroller." [15]

Next Generation reviewed the SNES version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "while it's well animated and tightly designed, that still doesn't make Judge Dredd very interesting." [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zoop</i> 1995 video game

Zoop is a puzzle video game originally developed by Hookstone and published by Viacom New Media in 1995 for the Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS, Macintosh, PlayStation, Game Gear, and Game Boy, then in 1996 for the Saturn and Jaguar. Zoop has similarities to Taito's 1989 arcade video game Plotting, but Zoop runs in real-time instead. Players are tasked with eliminating pieces that spawn from one of the sides of the screen before they reach the center of the playfield. By pointing at a piece and shooting it, the player can either swap it with the current player color and thus arrange the same color pieces in a row or column, or match the color.

<i>Zool</i> 1992 video game

Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension is a platform game written for the Amiga by Gremlin Graphics and published in 1992. It was marketed as a rival to Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. Zool was ported to other platforms and followed by Zool 2 in 1993.

<i>Earthworm Jim</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Earthworm Jim is a 1994 run and gun platform game developed by Shiny Entertainment, featuring an earthworm named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being subsequently ported to several other video game consoles.

<i>Justice League Task Force</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Justice League Task Force is a competitive fighting game produced by Sunsoft and distributed by Acclaim for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Genesis in 1995. The Super NES version was co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and the Genesis version by Condor, Inc..

<i>Batman Forever: The Arcade Game</i> 1996 video game

Batman Forever: The Arcade Game is a beat 'em up video game based on the movie Batman Forever. The subtitle is used to differentiate it from Batman Forever, another beat 'em up published by Acclaim at around the same time. One or two players, playing as Batman and Robin, fight Two-Face, the Riddler, and numerous henchmen.

<i>Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure</i> 1994 video game

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a side-scrolling action-platform video game developed by Activision in conjunction with Kroyer Films and originally published in North America and Europe in 1994. The fourth installment in the Pitfall! franchise, players assume the role of Pitfall Harry Junior as he embarks on a journey through the Mayan jungles of Central America in an attempt to rescue Pitfall Harry, his father and the protagonist of previous entries in the series, from the evil Mayan warrior spirit named Zakelua. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and platforming mixed with stage-based exploration using a main six-button configuration.

<i>The Jungle Book</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of platform video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film of the same name. The game was released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994 for the Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS. While gameplay is the same on all versions, technological differences between the systems forced changes – in some case drastic – in level design, resulting in six fairly different versions of the 'same' game. This article is largely based upon the Genesis/Mega Drive version.

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a 1994 adventure game developed and published by Spectrum HoloByte. The game features strategy and puzzle-solving elements. The game was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Genesis and the Sega Game Gear. It takes place in the Star Trek universe, spanning Federation space and the Romulan Neutral Zone, and centers on the appearance of the IFD, an artifact machine of unknown origin that, as its name suggests, allows its user to reshape matter and energy. It culminates in the IFD Trials, three tests undertaken by representatives of any races that are present when the Trials are held, and failure would mean the destruction of the Federation and the enslavement of countless worlds by the Federation's enemies.

<i>Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal</i> 1996 video game

Iron Man / X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal is a video game published by Acclaim Entertainment and developed by Realtime Associates for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, Game Gear, and MS-DOS in 1996. It is a one or two-player side-scrolling action game in which the player battles villains from Marvel Comics' Iron Man and Valiant Comics' X-O Manowar comic book series. It was met with negative reviews which criticized it for dull gameplay and outdated graphics.

<i>Barkley Shut Up and Jam!</i> 1994 basketball video game

Barkley Shut Up and Jam! is a basketball video game originally developed and published by Accolade for the Sega Genesis on North America in March 1994 and later in Europe in April 1994. The game is the first entry in the Barkley Shut Up and Jam series, featuring former NBA MVP Charles Barkley prominently and as one of the playable characters.

<i>Troy Aikman NFL Football</i> 1994 video game

Troy Aikman NFL Football is an american football video game originally developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System first in North America in August 1994. Officially licensed from the National Football League, it prominently features former NFL player Troy Aikman, who became the first member of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys to have his namesake in a game, followed by his teammate Emmitt Smith in Emmitt Smith Football.

<i>Batman Forever</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the film of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998.

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

Vortex is a 3D shooter game developed by Argonaut Software and released by Electro Brain for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in September 1994. Titled Citadel during development, it is one of a few games designed to use the enhanced graphics of the Super FX powered GSU-1.

<i>Demolition Man</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Demolition Man is a pair of action video games based on the film of the same name. Acclaim Entertainment published the 16-bit version, which features run and gun gameplay, for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Virgin Interactive released a completely different game for the 3DO that combined several distinct gameplay styles. In both games, the player controls John Spartan, the main character from the film, as he attempts to find and defeat his nemesis, Simon Phoenix.

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

Waterworld is a series of video games released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Boy, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy, based on the film of the same name, along with unpublished versions for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, 3DO and PlayStation. These games were produced by Ocean Software. The SNES and Game Boy games were released only in Europe in 1995 and the Virtual Boy game was released exclusively in North America in November 1995. It was released for PC in 1997. The game received widespread negative reviews and the version released for the Virtual Boy is generally considered to be the worst game of its 22 releases.

<i>Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis in June 1994. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.

<i>Brett Hull Hockey</i> 1994 video game

Brett Hull Hockey is an ice hockey video game developed by Radical Entertainment and originally published by Accolade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in January 1994. It prominently features former Canadian-American NHL player Brett Hull and is officially licensed from the NHL Players' Association.

<i>NFL Quarterback Club</i> (video game) 1993 video game

NFL Quarterback Club is an American football video game for multiple platforms that features quarterbacks from the NFL. It is the first game in Acclaim Entertainment's NFL Quarterback Club series.

<i>Fever Pitch Soccer</i> 1995 video game

Fever Pitch Soccer, known as Head-On Soccer in North America, is a soccer video game originally developed and published by U.S. Gold for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1995.

<i>Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls</i> 1994 video game

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls is a fighting game developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1994. A port for the Atari Jaguar developed by Telegames was released the following year. It is an American-produced sequel to the Double Dragon series by Technōs Japan, who had little to no credited involvement in the development of the game outside of licensing the IP to the publisher outside Japan.

References

  1. ↑ "Basic game overview". allgame . Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Judge Dredd 95". Delisted Games . May 19, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Video game summary". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  4. 1 2 "Basic game overview". Neoseeker. Archived from the original on 2012-01-23. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  5. ↑ "Ending for Judge Dredd (SNES)". VG Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  6. ↑ "Stallone Deals Dredded Justice on the Big Screen". GamePro . No. 82. IDG. July 1995. p. 26.
  7. ↑ "ATARI AND ACCLAIM JOIN FORCES IN MAJOR SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT". Nine Lives. March 22, 1995. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  8. ↑ "CVG News - Atari's Cat Gets The CD Cream - Big Cat Claws EA Deal". Computer and Video Games . No. 163. Future Publishing. June 1995. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original on 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  9. ↑ "Acclaim join Atari for a bit of a Jag 'n' Jam". Ultimate Future Games . No. 7. Future Publishing. June 1995. p. 23.
  10. ↑ "Jaguar: mass market machine". Edge (supplement). No. 22. Future Publishing. July 1995. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  11. ↑ "Special E3 Messe - Acclaim - Never Change A Winning Team!!!". Mega Fun (in German). No. 34. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. July 1995. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  12. ↑ CRV (August 6, 2017). "Blog:Legal Brief: Atari vs. Sega - Jaguar 95 96 pending titles". gdri.smspower.org. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  13. 1 2 3 "Review Crew: Judge Dredd". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 72. Sendai Publishing. July 1995. pp. 35–36.
  14. 1 2 "Review Crew: Judge Dredd". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 72. Sendai Publishing. July 1995. p. 40.
  15. 1 2 "Finals". Next Generation . No. 8. Imagine Media. August 1995. pp. 76–77.
  16. 1 2 "Finals". Next Generation . No. 8. Imagine Media. August 1995. p. 77.
  17. ↑ "Here Comes the Judge". GamePro . No. 82. IDG. July 1995. pp. 24–25.
  18. ↑ "ProReview: Judge Dredd". GamePro . No. 83. IDG. August 1995. p. 88.
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.