Press release: 1997-06-19: FOX INTERACTIVE UNLEASHES CROC: A CRUSADING CROCODILE IN A TOTALLY ORIGINAL 3D ADVENTURE GAME

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 third-party Original source: Fox Interactive website (archived)

Hightail It to New Heights with Fox's New Platform Game Hero!

LOS ANGELES, June 19, 1997 -- Get ready for CROC, the snappy new star of Fox Interactive's cool free-roaming 3D adventure, CROC: Legend of the Gobbos. Video game insiders are already raving about this completely original platform game with amazing next-generation graphics and animation that must be seen to be believed.

Developed by Argonaut Software for Fox Interactive, CROC is set to waddle onto store shelves this fall for PlayStation, Saturn and Windows® '95.

Heralded by Next Generation magazine as a game "that has the potential to break open a market that has not yet fully been realized on Sony's machine." CROC is in direct contrast to the fighting and racing games flooding the video game market and offers a challenging adventure that appeals to a wide spectrum of gamers. Players guide CROC, a crusading crocodile, on a quest to rescue his Gobbo Islander friends from the grasp of Baron Dante, an evil magician.

Don't let his good looks fool you, CROC's jumps, climbs, swims, stomps, flips and other slick maneuvers will leave villains eating dust through more than 50 richly detailed levels encompassing over 200 gaming areas.

Other pubs raving about CROC include PSX Power Preview, which says the graphics are "to put it bluntly, stunning," and Saturn World which calls it "a very impressive game."

"As early previews are indicating, CROC: Legend of the Gobbos proves Fox has what it takes to create original characters," said Jon Richmond, president of Fox Interactive. "We believe CROC will appeal to broad-based consumers in addition to traditional gamers of all ages."

The game is driven by a robust 3D engine, enabling CROC to run, jump and swim almost anywhere. The animation is rendered using Gouraud shading textures and real-time lighting.

Navigating a fully 3D world, CROC can move in numerous ways to defeat his enemies and explore the islands. CROC swims, climbs, runs, jumps, stomps, flips, swings hand-over-hand, hangs on balloons and throws a mean tail whack. Each level challenges CROC to collect 50 crystals, six Gobbos and other various special pick-ups, which may temporarily freeze enemies or make CROC invincible. Additionally, each level contains special hidden rainbow crystals. If all rainbow crystals are collected, CROC frees his friends and gains access to special locked areas that offer added gameplay.

Challenging adversaries to save his gurgling little comrades, CROC waddles, with trusty backpack in tow, across four perilous islands. In the Forest, CROC encounters a treacherous land of collapsing bridges, killer bees, burrowing and popping worms, and a Fightin' Ladybug, who challenges CROC to a ringside fight of size versus might. In the Ice land, CROC feels the chill as he slides and glides across ravines and slippery icebergs, trying to escape the ice cold clutches of Itsy The Ice Demon.

In the Desert, CROC feels the heat as he hightails it across a sandy land escaping the sizzle of the fireball-throwing Dantinis, bubbling mud pits and a spinning Cactus whose hands are loaded with shooting needles. On the Island of Baron Dante's Castle, CROC is faced with a maze of torture towers which house ballistic Meg, Swipe Swifty, the sword-toting pirate, and Platform Pete, who sneakily overturns challenging spiked platforms in an effort to out-do the brave reptile.

ESRB rating is pending. CROC: Legend of the Gobbos will invigorate the PlayStation, Saturn and Windows® 95 market come fall of 1997.

Recognized as an innovative global industry leader, Fox Interactive, an operating unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a News Corporation company, is committed to developing a full range of bold and engaging interactive entertainment. Fox Interactive products are distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Check out Fox Interactive at www.foxinteractive.com.