Last Call (video game)

Last updated
Last Call!
Developer(s) Cutler Creative
Publisher(s) Simon & Schuster Interactive
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Release
Mode(s) Single-player

Last Call! is a video game for Windows released in 2000 by publisher Simon & Schuster. [2] Those playing the game take on the role of a bartender attempting to maximize tips from customers. [3]

Contents

Development

The game was developed by Cutler Creative and supported Windows 95 and Windows 98. The game's creator, John Cutler, first got the idea for the game in 1995. He wanted to have a game that could teach people to mix drinks. Under the original title Bartender USA, the player would start at a Howard Johnson's and gradually work their way up to a trendy bar in New York City. At the time, Cutler had no video game experience, and didn't own a computer until he started development. He attended E3 and also worked as a bartender to better understand what he needed to do. He hired programmers and artists to put together a mockup of the game. The original concept included some live action animation, which was dropped from the final game. Simon & Schuster had recently published the comedy game Deer Avenger, and agreed to publish the game since it matched up with their business model at the time. This agreement gave Cutler's team funding to develop and complete the game. For the writing staff, Cutler hired comedian and Comedy Central writer Susie Felber, who brought her brother Adam Felber onto the project. Due to Cutler's inexperience, many aspects of the game needed to be rethought during the development process. Cutler credited his choice to use Macromedia Director as making a mammoth task much easier. He struggled with feature creep and his relationship with the testing company. [4]

Gameplay

The setting of the game is a fictional bar in New York City. The player, as bartender, must learn to mix over one hundred drinks. They also have to ID all customers (serving an underage customer will get the player fired), charm customers, keep music playing, and keep customers from being too drunk. The game offers a recipe book for players, but players will score better if they don't use it. Also, without memorizing the recipes, the player will run out of time. [5] The ultimate goal of the game is to get the most tips. There are around 20 characters that the player needs to serve in the game. One of these characters is Vincent the Hedgehog, who is an actual hedgehog. [3]

Actress Tina Fey, comedian Brian Stack, and vocalist Tammy Lang are some of the notable performers who provided voice acting work for this game. [6]

Reception

Critical reviews

The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. [7] Ben Silverman of GameRevolution described it as a casual game, and not one that a player would expect to play for hours. Silverman described it as a replacement for Solitaire that wouldn't hook players, but also stated that with its low price, it may be worth buying. [2] Lisa Karen Savignano of AllGame praised the creative characters, but noted that some of the graphics were poor. [8] Vincent Lopez of IGN appreciated the large library of drinks, but noted that the animation was often clunky. [5]

Sales

The game sold poorly and was a flop. Despite this, for the French and UK market under the name Happy Hour, and in Germany under the name On the Rocks. Cutler was surprised at the nearly even ratio of male to female purchasers. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sonic Mega Collection</i> 2002 compilation video game by Sega

Sonic Mega Collection is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. It is a compilation of several Sonic the Hedgehog games originally released for the Genesis, along with a few other Sega-published titles for the system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zombie (cocktail)</span> Cocktail made of fruit juices and rum

The Zombie is a Tiki cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums. It first appeared in late 1934, invented by Donn Beach at his Hollywood Don the Beachcomber restaurant. It was popularized on the East coast soon afterwards at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

<i>Tapper</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Tapper, also known as Root Beer Tapper, is an arcade video game developed by Marvin Glass and Associates and released in 1984 by Bally Midway. Tapper puts the player in the shoes of a bartender who must serve eager, thirsty patrons while collecting empty mugs and tips. It was distributed in Japan by Sega in 1984.

<i>Civilization: Call to Power</i> 1999 video game

Civilization: Call to Power is a turn-based strategy game developed by Activision for Microsoft Windows as an attempt to capitalize on the success of the Civilization computer games by Sid Meier. It was ported to Linux by Loki Software, as well as BeOS by Wildcard Design, becoming one of the very few commercial games for that operating system.

<i>SimTower</i> 1994 video game

SimTower: The Vertical Empire is a construction and management simulation video game developed by OPeNBooK and released in 1994 for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh System 7. Outside Japan, the game was published by Maxis and branded as part of their Sim series. Ports for Sega Saturn and 3DO were released in 1996. A sequel titled The Tower II was released in 1998 and called Yoot Tower outside Japan.

<i>Sonic Battle</i> 2003 video game

Sonic Battle is a 2003 beat 'em up video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being Sonic the Fighters. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in North America and Europe in early 2004. The game received a lukewarm response from critics.

<i>Actua Soccer</i> 1995 video game

Actua Soccer is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for MS-DOS, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn.

<i>Sonic the Hedgehog 2</i> (8-bit video game) 1992 video game

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Master System and Game Gear. It is the sequel to the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and follows Sonic as he attempts to get the Chaos Emeralds back to rescue his friend Miles "Tails" Prower from Dr. Robotnik. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog, players run through levels at high speeds while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Although it shares the same title with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Genesis and their releases coincided, the games have little in common and share no levels.

<i>Sonic the Hedgehog</i> (2006 video game) Platform game by Sega

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2006 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the Sonic series' 15th anniversary and intended as a reboot for seventh-generation video game consoles. Players control Sonic, Shadow, and the new character Silver, who battle Solaris, an ancient evil pursued by Doctor Eggman. Each playable character has his own campaign and abilities, and must complete levels, explore hub worlds and fight bosses to advance the story. In multiplayer modes, players can work cooperatively to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level.

<i>Treasure Mountain!</i> 1990 video game

Treasure Mountain! is an educational video game published by The Learning Company in 1990 for DOS, Windows and Macintosh. It teaches children aged five to nine reading, basic math, and logic skills. Treasure Mountain is the third installment of the Super Seekers series.

<i>Treasure Cove!</i> 1992 computer game

Treasure Cove! is an educational computer game published by The Learning Company in 1992 for MS-DOS, Windows and Macintosh PCs. It is aimed at children ages 5 to 9 and is intended to teach children reading, math, and oceanography. Treasure Cove! is the 9th installment of The Learning Company's Super Seekers games.

<i>Nethergate</i> 1998 video game

Nethergate is a computer-based historical fantasy role-playing game published by Spiderweb Software for the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows platforms. The game was released in 1998 by Jeff Vogel, and was Spiderweb Software's first game to feature a 45° isometric viewing angle. Nethergate offers players the choice to play on either side of the story, as Celts or Romans. The game's plot allows for several endings and many side quests, which accompany the main story. Spiderweb Software released a remake called Nethergate Resurrection in May 2007.

<i>JumpStart Adventures 5th Grade: Jo Hammet, Kid Detective</i> 1997 video game

JumpStart Adventures 5th Grade: Jo Hammet, Kid Detective is an educational/adventure computer game in the JumpStart series, created by Knowledge Adventure in 1997 and intended for fifth grade students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First-person shooter</span> Video game genre

A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through the eyes of the main character. This genre shares multiple common traits with other shooter games, and in turn falls under the action games category. Since the genre's inception, advanced 3D and pseudo-3D graphics have proven fundamental to allow a reasonable level of immersion in the game world, and this type of game helped pushing technology progressively further, challenging hardware developers worldwide to introduce numerous innovations in the field of graphics processing units. Multiplayer gaming has been an integral part of the experience, and became even more prominent with the diffusion of internet connectivity in recent years.

<i>Cricket</i> (video game series) Video game series

EA Cricket is a series of cricket video games published by EA Sports from 1996 and 2007 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2 platforms.

<i>Tapper World Tour</i> 2011 video game

Tapper World Tour is a reinterpretation of the 1983 Bally Midway arcade game Tapper for iOS. Players take the role of a bartender with the goal of serving drinks and collecting empty glasses and tips from a demanding group of patrons. The game was developed by Square One Studios and published by WB Games.

<i>VA-11 Hall-A</i> 2016 videogame

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a 2016 visual novel developed by Venezuelan studio Sukeban Games and published by Ysbryd Games. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on June 21, 2016, and ports were later released for PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, with the Vita port developed by Wolfgame and published by Limited Run Games. The game puts the player in the role of a bartender at the eponymous VA-11 Hall-A, a small bar in a dystopian downtown which attracts interesting customers. Gameplay revolves around making and serving drinks to patrons while listening to their life stories.

<i>Cook, Serve, Delicious!</i> 2013 video game

Cook, Serve, Delicious! is a restaurant simulation video game released in 2012, developed and published by Vertigo Gaming. The player controls the menu and running of a restaurant, with in game currency being awarded by correctly filling customer orders. Directed by David Galindo, it had art from Sara Gross and music from Jonathan Geer. The game was released on 5 October 2012, for PC, and for Steam after a period on Steam Greenlight from 8 October 2013. It was later ported to iOS and Android. Cook, Serve, Delicious! drew inspiration from Japan-only 1999 game Ore no Ryouri.

<i>Hells Kitchen: The Game</i> 2008 video game

Hell's Kitchen is a time management cooking video game based on the reality competition show of the same name. It was developed by Ludia and published by Ubisoft. It features the host of the show, Gordon Ramsay as the A.I. and places the player as a chef under his guidance, while serving customers at the restaurant. It was initially released in September 2008 on the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS.

<i>Sonic Classic Collection</i> 2010 collection of Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games

Sonic Classic Collection is a 2010 video game compilation developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega exclusively for the Nintendo DS. It contains the four main Sonic the Hedgehog platform games originally released for the Sega Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). Upon release, Sonic Classic Collection received mixed reviews.

References

  1. ↑ Fudge, James (March 27, 2000). "Last Call Released". Computer Games Strategy Plus . Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on July 9, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Silverman, Ben (March 2000). "Last Call Review". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Hernandez, Tara. "Last Call! - Overview". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Cutler, John (May 11, 2001). "Postmortem: Cutler Creative's Last Call". Game Developer . Informa . Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Lopez, Vincent (April 4, 2000). "Last Call". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Last Call! credits (Macintosh, 2000) - MobyGames". MobyGames . MobyGames. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Last Call! for PC". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Savignano, Lisa Karen. "Last Call! - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  9. ↑ Navarro, Alex (April 27, 2000). "Last Call". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ Walker, Trey (April 5, 2000). "Last Call Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000"]". GameSpot . Red Ventures . Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. ↑ Hudak, Chris (June 2000). "Last Call". PC Accelerator . No. 22. Imagine Media. p. 82. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
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.