| Zoom! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Discovery Software |
| Publisher(s) | Sega (Genesis) |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Commodore 64, DOS, Genesis |
| Release | 1988 Mega Drive
|
| Genre(s) | Puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | 1 or 2 players simultaneously |
Zoom! is a puzzle game developed/released by Discovery Software in 1988. It features a 3D-like board the player moves around on. Up to two players may play simultaneously. A port was released by Sega for the Genesis in 1990. [1]
Earth has been captured by Space Phantoms using magical forcefields. The only hope for Earth's survival is Mr. Smart, a rabbit like creature. Mr. Smart must travel from shield to shield while out-running the Space Phantoms in order to save the world. [2] [3]
In this game, the player controls the character, Mr. Smart. The player navigates around a total of 36 faux 3D style game boards, skating through the gridlines of each tile on the board. Doing so causing the gridlines to change colors. Once a grid tile is completely surrounded by colored lines, it flashes. The game board is completed when the player has successfully skated on every line of the grid. [4]
The player must avoid various enemies on each game board including Space Phantoms, Rowdy Fingers, and Spilers, the latter of which removes colored lines the player had previously skated upon. Coming into contact with the enemies can cause the player to lose a life or otherwise be hindered, such as slowing the character's skating speed. Completing the level defeats all enemies on the game board. However, the player can also use a limited about of rubber balls to defeat enemies as well.
The player can also collect power ups in the game, including Ribbon Candy, which add additional game points, Bananas that slow certain game enemies, and an Hour Glass that freezes all enemies for a brief period as well as a Sun that provides the player with temporary invincibility. [5]
The Sega Genesis port of Zoom! received a mostly negative response from gamers and critics upon its release. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game an average of 3/10 with reviewers stating that the game looked 16-Bit, but delivered gameplay style similar to an Atari 2600 title. Commonly stated among reviewers were bad controls, repetitive sounds, and poor visual appeal. One reviewer stated that the game is "Easily the worst game to yet appear (on the Sega Genesis) and not worthy of the system." [6]
The 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. Codenamed "Project Mars", it was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a transitional console into the 32-bit era until the release of the Sega Saturn. The 32X uses its own ROM cartridges and has its own library of games. It was distributed under the name Super 32X in Japan and South Korea, Genesis 32X in North America, Mega 32X in Brazil, and Mega Drive 32X in all other regions.
Sonic 3D Blast, known in Europe and Japan as Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, is a 1996 platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to save the Flickies, birds enslaved by Doctor Robotnik. The player must guide Sonic through a series of themed levels to collect Flickies and defeat Robotnik. Though it retains game mechanics from prior Sonic games, Sonic 3D Blast is differentiated by its 2D isometric perspective, with pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites.
Streets of Rage is a beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1991. Players control one of three former police officers turned vigilantes who battle a crime syndicate. Streets of Rage establishes many conventions of the Streets of Rage series, such as two-player cooperative play and an acclaimed techno soundtrack from composer Yuzo Koshiro. It was ported for the Game Gear, Sega CD and Master System and has been rereleased as part of various compilations and on download services.
Batman Returns is the name of several video games for various platforms based on the 1992 film of the same name.
Flicky is a platform game developed by Sega and released as an arcade video game in May 1984. It was licensed to Bally Midway for distribution in the United States. In Flicky, the player controls the eponymous blue bird and must gather all the small birds called Chirps in each round and bring them safely to the exit. There are cat and lizard enemies which can disperse the Chirps and kill the player, but Flicky can use items on the playing field to protect herself and the Chirps from danger.
Zero Tolerance is a 1994 video game developed by Technopop and published by Accolade exclusively for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was one of the very few first-person shooters for the console, along with Bloodshot, Duke Nukem 3D and Corporation.
Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 side-scrolling beat 'em up video game published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game.
NBA Live 98 is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association and the fourth installment of the NBA Live series. Its cover art features Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat. The game was developed by EA Sports in 1997 for Windows, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn, while also being the final NBA Live game released for the Super NES, Genesis, and Sega Saturn.
Bug! is a platform game developed by Realtime Associates and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It was first released in North America, in 1995, weeks after the Saturn's launch there; in Europe on September 15, 1995; and, in Japan, on December 8 the same year. It was also ported to Windows 3.1x and Windows 95 in 1996 by Beam Software. The game is one of the earliest examples of 3D platforming, as well as one of the first platform games released on the Saturn. Character movement is restricted to a track, unlike many in the genre that allow for unrestricted movement in all directions.
Exosquad is a Sega Genesis video game based on the animated television series under the same title and developed by Appaloosa Interactive.
Vectorman 2 is a 2D action platformer developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega. Released just a year after the original Vectorman, the game retains the game's core gameplay while expanding its mechanics. While multiple attempts to create a Vectorman 3 were proposed to Sega, no further entries in the series have surfaced to date.
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.
Robotica, also known as Robotica Cybernation Revolt in Europe and Deadalus (ダイダロス) in Japan, is a first-person shooter which was released for the Sega Saturn in 1995.
NHL 97 is an ice hockey video game by EA Sports. It was released in 1996 and was the successor to NHL 96. It is the sixth installment of the NHL series and the first to be released on both PlayStation and Saturn. A Panasonic M2 version was in development and slated to be one of the launch titles for it, but never happened due to the cancellation of the system.
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in March 1992 for the Sega Genesis. The game was released on several other formats such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls an Apache helicopter and attempts to destroy enemy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.
Skitchin' is a 1994 racing video game developed and published by Electronic Arts (EA) for the Sega Genesis. The game puts the player in control of an inline skater who must win races in a tournament while engaging in unarmed and armed combat with other skaters and partaking in skitching, the act of clutching onto a moving vehicle's bumper to gain momentum.
Shadow Squadron is a space combat simulation video game developed and published by Sega exclusively for the 32X add-on first in Japan on 26 April 1995, then in North America and Europe in June of the same year.
Galaxy Force is a rail shooter video game developed and released by Sega for arcades in 1988. The player assumes control of a starship named the TRY-Z, as it must prevent the Fourth Empire from taking over the entire galaxy. Gameplay involves shooting down enemies using either a laser shot or a limited supply of heat-seeking missiles, all while avoiding collision with projectiles or obstacles and making sure the ship's energy meter doesn't fully deplete. It ran on the Sega Y Board arcade system, and was released with a motion simulator cockpit arcade cabinet version like previous Sega Super Scaler games.
Metal Head is a first-person shooter mech simulation video game developed and published by Sega, and released in 1995 for the Genesis/Mega Drive's 32X add-on, allowing for fully texture-mapped 3D polygons.
Grid Runner is an action game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Microsoft Windows in 1996. It is frequently described as a cross between tag and capture the flag, but the playing field is a maze-like grid which the players can manipulate to an extent. Players can either compete against each other in one-on-one matches or take on a series of AI opponents in the game's story mode. Grid Runner was first announced under the title "Eurit".