Press Release: 1996-09-01: Blast into a New Extreme Sport With Rocket Jockey

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: SegaSoft (archived)

Combative, 3-D Multiplayer Game Brings Out the Worst in Players

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (September 1, 1996) - Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to blast off at a fierce speed! SegaSoft, Inc. has announced a November '96 ship date for its much anticipated Rocket Jockey, a no-holds-barred gladiator-style combat action game for Windows 95 CD-ROM.

Rocket Jockey was developed by Rocket Science Games.

Cable-Pitching, Action Gameplay

Rocket Jockey is the ultimate extreme sport as players enter into screaming fast action as they engage in savage gladiatorial-style competition atop blazing rocket cycles. Competitors are faced with a new type of gameplay where turns must be negotiated solely by shooting cables into arena poles, or they can use the cables to swing players, objects and rockets around the courses.
"With Rocket Jockey, SegaSoft is delivering an action packed experience that gamers will love and play for hours," said Gary Griffiths, president, SegaSoft. "Rocket Jockey, is addictive: itís fun and goes beyond traditional action games by requiring players to master a whole new game mechanic. Everyone in our extensive focus tests couldnít put the game down! Itís like nothing youíve seen."

Players whiz past opponents as they execute boomerang turns at break-neck speed, hurling their rockets past other players as they furiously surge forward. Or, players can torpedo their rockets into a walls if they've miscalculated their timing. Several types of cables are available to players to zoom, soar and propel themselves around the arena, including: invisible, glow-in-the-dark, and barbed-wire cables for the ultimate in damage. These cables are strategically scattered throughout the game for players to pick-up. The cables also have less sportsman-like usesóplayers will quickly learn to rig nasty clothesline traps to sabotage unsuspecting opponents, or to rip other riders off of their rockets, fling them around the arena, or propel them into stadium walls.

Players can acquire better rockets as they progress within the game, or they can take a short cut and "upgrade" by means of hostile takeover of an opponentís vehicle. Each rocket varies in speed, control and maneuverability. In addition, multiple fields have varying elements and obstacles, including trap doors, a variety of tools, barriers, and power-ups deposited throughout the levels. An up-to-the-second radar screen makes contestants aware of playing conditions (i.e. if there is an unmanned rocket or a fast-approaching adversary on the horizon).

Three Adrenaline-Pumping Games

Three separate contests provide more than 30 levels of gameplay within Rocket Jockey. Players can opt for Rocket War: an explosively fast head-on combat game in which players square off against other jockeys throughout 10 levels of sheer hell. The last jockey who survives on his rocket intact is victorious. Rocket Racing: where the object of the competition is to maneuver through pylons as fast as possible while dodging obstacles on this death-trap course. Players will buzz, reel and sky rocket past savage competitors who don't play by any rules as they try to beat the clock.
Rocket Ball: a game that is a part polo, part lacrosse and all action. Piloting through the arena, gamers must pick up a variety of objects (sticky balls, footballs and tires) each with its own physical property. Playersí skills will be challenged as they attempt to adjust to the physics of each ball and try to score points by tossing the objects through the goal posts located around the arena.

Humiliate Your Friends

For the PC version, Rocket Jockey is fully networkable for up to six players across a LAN. Gamers can battle it out in single player mode or network competition.
Price, Availability, and System Requirements

Rocket Jockey will retail for $49.99. On the PC the game requires: Windows 95 PC-CD ROM: Pentium 75, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95 operating system, 16 bit video card, 4X CD-ROM, 16 bit audio card, and a 3D graphics card. About SegaSoft
SegaSoft was founded in 1995 and develops interactive software and content for delivery on all platforms, including PCs, gaming consoles and the Internet. A joint venture of CSK Corporation and Sega of America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the $4 billion Sega Enterprises Ltd., a global leader in interactive digital entertainment media, SegaSoft is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., where it employs 170. For more information on SegaSoft, please visit http://www.segasoft.com.
Editor's note: Screen shots, quicktime movies and demos of Rocket Jockey are available for members of the press. Contact: Andrea Vassallo

SegaSoft
415/802-1398
[email protected]
Alicia Peck
A D Peck Public Relations
415-567-1472
[email protected]