This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2015) |
Nightmare Circus | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Funcom |
Publisher(s) | Tec Toy |
Producer(s) | Maxwell Taylor |
Designer(s) | Ricardo Pinto |
Programmer(s) | Johan Andersson |
Artist(s) | Lars-Petter Anfinsen |
Composer(s) | Kurt Harland Jim Hedges Andy Armer |
Platform(s) | Genesis |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Nightmare Circus is a platform video game developed by Funcom and published by Tec Toy for the Mega Drive. [1] The game was released in Brazil in 1996, and eventually in North America via the Sega Channel in December 1996. It was also released on the Sega Channel in the United Kingdom.
The story begins with a circus that was held out in the desert of Arizona. On opening night, the circus was burned completely to the ground by its shady and villainous operator, the Jester, who intended to cash in on an insurance policy. [2] [1] Afterwards, the Jester was convicted for the deaths of the fire victims. However, before he was executed, the Jester warned that the souls of his victims would be forever tormented. Many years later, a Native American named Raven, who had lost relatives in the fire, goes to investigate the location where the circus was held, and where supernatural events have been reported. [1] Night comes, and suddenly there appears, via the psi-energy of the Jester, a ghostly apparition of the destroyed circus. [2]
In the game, Raven must go through multiple levels of the circus environment using various fighting moves to destroy enemies. [1] The game has a normal one-player mode, but it also features a cooperative two-player mode, a one-on-one duel mode where a player can fight against a second player or an enemy character, and a mode where one player controls Raven and the second player controls the generation of the enemies in the game. [2]
The game has a "Tweak" mode which allows a player to adjust numerous game variables such as the gravity, the speed of objects, and the appearance of enemies. [2] The soundtrack was composed by Jim Hedges, Kurt Harland Larsen, and Andy Armer.
USA magazine Next Generation commented that the game had a lot more detail than many other platform games, but that its potential significance was reduced since the Sega Genesis was starting to be supplanted by other consoles. [2] The game's intended North American release in late 1995 was indeed cancelled, though it later appeared in that region for the Sega Channel. [3]
Nights into Dreams is a 1996 action game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The story follows the teenagers Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, who enter Nightopia, a dream world where all dreams take place. With the help of Nights, an exiled "Nightmaren", they begin a journey to stop the evil ruler Wizeman from destroying Nightopia and consequently the real world. Players control Nights flying through Elliot and Claris's dreams to gather enough energy to defeat Wizeman and save Nightopia. The game is presented in 3D and imposes time limits on every level, in which the player must accumulate points to proceed.
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.
Eternal Champions is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was one of the few fighting games of its time developed from the ground up as a home console title, rather than being released in arcades first and later ported to home systems.
X-Men: Children of the Atom is a 1994 fighting game developed and published by Capcom and released on the CP System II arcade hardware. It was released in December 1994 in Japan and in January 1995 in North America and Europe.
Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade video game by Sega, and the first game in the Fantasy Zone series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy invasion in the titular group of planets. The game contains a number of features atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter. The main character, Opa-Opa, is sometimes referred to as Sega's first mascot character.
Star Wars: Rebel Assault is a 1993 rail shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts for DOS, Macintosh, Sega CD and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer systems, set in the Star Wars universe. It is the first CD-ROM-only game to be published by LucasArts. The game's story focuses on a young pilot called Rookie One as they are trained by, and subsequently fights for, the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic Civil War.
Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and military flight training which consist of realistic physical recreations of the actual aircraft cockpit, often with a full-motion platform.
Return Fire is a 1995 video game developed by Silent Software, Inc. for 3DO and ported to the Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in 1996. It is a sequel to Fire Power (1987) and was followed by Return Fire 2 (1998). An expansion pack, Return Fire: Maps O' Death, was released for the 3DO in 1995. Return Fire is a vehicular shooter from a 3D bird's eye view, in which the player's goal is to capture the enemy flag and return with it to their base. It was met with critical acclaim for its unusual gameplay concept, enjoyable multiplayer mode, and classical soundtrack, and is remembered as one of the 3DO's "best games" in its Home of the Underdogs entry.
The Legend of Oasis, released as The Story of Thor 2 in Europe and as Thor: Chronicles of the Elemental King in Japan, is a 1996 action role-playing game developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It is the successor and prequel to the 1994 title Beyond Oasis for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The player takes the role of Leon, who must find the six elemental spirits and use their powers to fight the evil wizard Agito and his legions of creatures.
Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels is a video game published by Electronic Arts in 1995 for the 3DO, which was later ported to PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on Games Workshop's board game Space Hulk and is the sequel to the 1993 video game Space Hulk. Like its predecessor, Vengeance of the Blood Angels combines first-person shooter gameplay with real-time tactical elements. Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels is part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Disney's Magical Quest is a Disney platform game trilogy released by Capcom. The games star Mickey Mouse and either Minnie Mouse or Donald Duck, who must defeat Pete. The gameplay is similar amongst all games in the series: the player must move as in a typical platform game, defeating enemies either by jumping on them or by grabbing and throwing blocks at them.
The Adventures of Batman & Robin is a series of video game adaptations released between 1994 and 1995 featuring the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin based on Batman: The Animated Series. The games were released for numerous platforms, with the Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD versions published by Sega while the Super NES version was published by Konami.
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.
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.
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage is a platform-action video game released for both the Super NES and the Sega Genesis in 1994. The Genesis version was developed by Teeny Weeny Games, while the Super NES version was developed by Bits Studios. Both versions of the title were developed separately and differed from one another in some key areas, but their opening storyline and gameplay remain similar. It is one of the first video games to feature a recharging health system.
MechWarrior 3050, also known as BattleTech in its original Sega Genesis release and in Japan as BattleTech 3050 (バトルテック3050), is a 1994 mech-based video game developed by Malibu. The first BattleTech based game to be released for the Sega Genesis, it was later ported to the Super Nintendo by Activision as MechWarrior 3050. The Super Nintendo game was localized and published in Japan by Ask Group.
Gex is a 1995 platform game developed by Crystal Dynamics. It was originally released for the 3DO; ports of the game for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn were later developed by Beam Software, and a Windows version was released by Microsoft. It was a pack-in game for Panasonic models of the 3DO later in the console's life. It is the first in the Gex series of video games, and introduces players to the title character, a wisecracking, television-obsessed gecko voiced by comedian Dana Gould, who must venture through the "Media Dimension" and defeat Rez, the overlord of the dimension who wants to make Gex into his new network mascot.
Sonic Unleashed is a 2008 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. An installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it follows Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser to unleash Dark Gaia, an ancient evil which periodically transforms Sonic into a werewolf form. Gameplay features two distinct styles: daytime stages incorporate Sonic's traditional platforming and trademark speed; while night-time stages see Sonic transform into the Werehog and engage in slower combat against waves of enemies using the Werehog's brute strength.
Bloodshot, also released as Battle Frenzy in Germany, is a video game developed by Jim Blackler for Domark in 1994 for the Mega Drive and the Mega-CD in Europe. A North American release was planned, and reviewed in gaming magazines, but was only released through the Sega Channel service.
Samurai Shodown, known in Japan as Samurai Spirits, is a fighting game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Released in 1993, it is the first installment in the Samurai Shodown series. In contrast to other fighting games at the time, which were set in modern times and focused primarily on hand-to-hand combat, Samurai Shodown is set in feudal-era Japan and was SNK's first arcade fighting game to focus primarily on weapon-based combat.