Rocket Jockey
From Sega Retro
| Rocket Jockey | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System(s): Windows PC | ||||||||||
| Publisher: SegaSoft | ||||||||||
| Developer: Rocket Science Games | ||||||||||
| Genre: Action | ||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||
|
This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.
Rocket Jockey is a PC game developed by Rocket Science Games and published by SegaSoft in North America in 1996.
A PlayStation version was planned for the Spring of 1997[3], but was cancelled. This version was also set to be published by SegaSoft, marking the first time a Sega-affiliate company would publish on a Sony video game platform. Six-person LAN multiplayer was advertised on the original box but was not included with the game. The multiplayer patch promised by inserts in the game's packaging did not appear until several months after the launch[4] and was never included in any retail version.
Contents
Gameplay
Rocket Jockey is a gladiator-style combat game where players pilot high-speed rockets that shoot cables (with grappling hooks) onto poles in order to make tight turns through the course and thwart their opponents. There are three forms of competition: Rocket Ball, Rocket Racing and Rocket War; each offer 10 levels of increasingly difficult challenges.[5]
History
Prerelease
Rocket Jockey was demonstrated at E3 1996 alongside The Space Bar.
Legacy
Of all the titles developed by Rocket Science Games, Rocket Jockey seems to be the most fondly remembered, having seen a critical re-evaluation by the modern gaming scene, and with the game seeing both a healthy modding scene and multiple attempts at remakes.[6]
On August 28, 2023, the game was rereleased on Steam by Zoom Platform Media.[7]
Production credits
- Executive Producer: Bill Davis
- Original Concept and Design: Sean Callahan
- Producer: J. Edward Patton
- Lead Engineer: Denis L. Fung
- Engineers: Sean Callahan, Bryan Galdrikian, Todd Growney, Andrew Karn, Todd Powers, Dan Teven
- Art Director: Elliot Fan
- Artists/ Animators: James Hagedorn, Chris Thompson
- Soundtrack Supervisor: Tom Hays
- Sound Effects: Gary Clayton, Tom Hays, David Levison
- Featuring Music by: Dick Dale
- Sound Editing: Jamie Kahn, David Freel
- Rider Voices: Peter Cavallero, Heather Field, Todd Growney
- Level / Scenario Design: Sean Callahan, David Chang, John Conklin II, Lance J. Lewis, Sean Patten
- Quality Assurance Lead: Jamal Jennings
- Additional Quality Assurance: Kris DeMartini, Alex Goldberg, Deborah Thomas
- First Fan of Rocket Jockey: Steve Blank
- Additional Talents: Tony Ciarrocchi, Robert Gagnon, Honza Konopasek, Eric Liu, Susanna Richards
- Additional Music by: The Ultras, Alpha 60
- Special Thanks to: Sam Bahumik
- Venture Capitalists: Merril, Pickard, Anderson & Eyre, Mohr, Davidow Ventures III
Versions
| System | Version | Size | Date | Comment | Ref | Icon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
199x | LAN patch | [8] |
Magazine articles
- Main article: Rocket Jockey/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
TV Advert
Physical scans
| Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
26 |
|---|---|
| Based on 2 reviews | |
| PC, US |
|---|
   Cover
|
 Disc  Manual   Jewel Case  Box top  Box bottom |
Downloads
|
Download Rocket Jockey LAN patch
File: RocketJockey LAN Patch.zip (919 kB) (info)
Current version: March 1997 |
References
- ↑ Press Release: 1996-09-01: Blast into a New Extreme Sport With Rocket Jockey
- ↑ Press Release: 1996-11-22: Blasting Onto Store Shelves, SegaSoft's Rocket Jockey Has Begun Shipping In Time for the Holiday Season
- ↑ GamePro, "November 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 30
- ↑ http://www.segasoft.com/gamedept/rockjock/patch.html (Wayback Machine: 1998-12-02 05:02)
- ↑ http://www.csoon.com/issue17/p_rocket.htm (Wayback Machine: 2019-05-16 16:09)
- ↑ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/07/masterpiece-rocket-jockey-for-the-pc-1/
- ↑ https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/08/two-cult-classic-segasoft-titles-are-coming-to-steam-later-this-month (Wayback Machine: 2023-09-17 02:09)
- ↑ http://www.segasoft.com:80/gamedept/rockjock/patch.html (Wayback Machine: 1999-02-02 06:39)
- ↑ Game Informer, "February 1997" (US; 199x-0x-xx), page 54
- ↑ Score, "Únor 1997" (CZ; 1997-02-01), page 80