Who Shot Johnny Rock?
From Sega Retro
| Who Shot Johnny Rock? | ||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Mega-CD | ||||||||||
| Publisher: American Laser Games | ||||||||||
| Developer: American Laser Games | ||||||||||
| Peripherals supported: Menacer, Sega Mouse, The Justifier | ||||||||||
| Genre: Shooting | ||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||
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Who Shot Johnny Rock? is a light-gun game released by American Laser Games for the arcades in 1991. It was later ported to other systems, including the Sega Mega-CD.
Contents
Story
The game imitates a film noir set in a city resembling 1930s Chicago. The player is a private investigator who has been hired by a woman calling herself "Red" to determine who murdered the nightclub singer Johnny Rock. The player must attempt to reach Johnny Rock's killer, shooting villains and interrogating individuals. The game takes the player through the gangs of four gangsters (Measles, Mumps, Smallpox, and Lockjaw Lil), each of whom knew Rock and are suspects in his murder.
Gameplay
The game is a light gun game. The video is shot from a first-person perspective and follows the same series of events every time. The player listens to various characters (including narration from the P.I. player character) and must shoot enemies when they appear with a powerful Tommy gun before they can shoot the player. Along the way, the player must collect clues, which eventually allow the player to determine Johnny Rock's murderer. One of the final sequences takes place in Rock's mansion, where a final clue points to the killer, who must be defeated and apprehended to win the game. The identity of the killer is determined randomly on each playthrough from one of the four suspected gangsters.
Using a control pad, the D-Pad moves the targeting cursor around the screen and 
fires (which can be held down for rapid-fire). The player can move the cursor around the screen faster by holding 
for double speed, 
for quadruple speed, or + for octuple speed. Some stages contain brief non-interactive scenes that can be skipped by firing.
The player collects money ($50) and clues from each completed stage. The player starts with $1,200. Instead of losing lives, the player loses $400 when attacked by an enemy or for shooting an innocent bystander. The game is over if the player runs out of money. Additionally, the player's Tommy gun carries a large amount of ammunition and cannot be reloaded during gameplay. Rather, the player can buy extra ammunition in between stages (200 rounds for $100).
There is a two-player mode where two players take turns playing, but there is no simultaneous two-player mode.
Characters
Locations
Each stage is preceded by an unrelated action scene (which is randomized and varies on each playthrough).
| Office | |
|---|---|
| Garage | |
| The player interrogates Smallpox. | |
| Warehouse | |
| The player interrogates Measles. | |
| Casino | |
| The player interrogates Lockjaw Lil. | |
| Pool Hall | |
| The player interrogates Mumps. | |
| Johnny Rock's Mansion | |
| The player cannot enter this stage until the others have been completed. In the study, the player must shoot the clues in the same order that they were received. For each clue, the player is given a combination number. Once the player reaches the bedroom, the player then shoots the combination numbers on the safe as they roll across, which reveals a final clue that indicates the location of the murderer. The player then travels to that location for a final showdown. | |
| Final Showdown | |
| This stage is mostly the same for all of the suspects, but it has a different final scene depending on the identity of the murderer. |
Production credits
- Johnny Rock: Marc Voltura
- Red: Andrea Camarena
- Trixie: Radha Delamarter
- Lockjaw Lil: Sandra Pitts
- Measles: Curtis Plagge
- Mumps: Richard Breeding
- Smallpox: Bruce Watson
- Doctor: Tim Nelson
- Mortician: Carol Eason
- Small Person in Baby Carriage: Jason Culver
- Mother Pushing Carriage: Kylene Wing-Phelan
- Drunk at Pool Hall: Margaret Durkin
- Police Officer #1: Pierre Maloka
- Police Officer #2: Pat Poole
- Telegram Delivery Person: Kim Corwin
- Woman in Elevator: Michelle Wine
- Voice of Detective: Jim Pattison
- Stunt Coordinators: Pat Poole, Al Cantu
- Stunt Persons: Rusty Dillen, Lori Dillen, Michael Fleming, Jack Caffrey, Al Hamlin, Cliff Voake, Bruce K. Somells, Rusty Meador, Joey Hamlin, Chris Logganis, Mike Madrill, Dennis Martinez, Herb Robbins, Doyle Hart Sr., Henry Towles
- American Laser Games Executive Producer: Robert Grebe
- Computer Programmer: Pierre Maloka
- Director: David O. Roberts
- Director of Photography: Barry Kirk
- Production Manager: Jim Cochran
- Scriptwriter: Jim Pattison
- Stylist/Props/Wardrobe Designer: Kylene Wing-Phelan
- Assistant Director: Les Wells
- Script/Line Producer: Margaret Durkin
- Gaffer: Bill Harrison
- Key Grip: Michael Lamb
- Best Boy: Paul Grindrod
- Assistant to Stylist: Mary Jindrich
- Scenic Artist: David North
- Props Assistant: Judith Katona
- Wardrobe Assistant: Janice Quintana
- Set Builders: Paul Todesco, Paul Parker, Robert Dike
- Neon Signs: Absolutely Neon
- 2nd Camera: Steve Denning
- Sound: Eric Williams
- Hair/Make-Up: Merle-Dean Sanchez
- Male Hair Stylist: Louie Chavez
- Electrician: Scott Kidner, Bob Willis
- Swing Grip/Production Assistant: Alan Fulford
- Production Assistants: Rebecca Beall, Page Morgan, John Dwyer
- Craft Services: Linda Pate
- Catering: Restaurant André
- Gun Wranglers: Utah Connor, Val "Bing" Christman
- Special Effects: Sturm's Special Effects, Dieter Sturm, Yvonne Coulman
- Computer Graphics: Kelly Lujan
- Post Production/Music and Audio: John Wagner Recording Studios
- Post Production/Video: :30 Second Street, Ltd., Gregory J Kiernan
- An Interactive Video Production by: American Laser Games and Southwest Productions, Inc.
- Programmer: Steve Stewart, Tom Desmarais, Nat Brown, Durwin De Laure
- Artwork: Maida Smith, Jeffrey Baker
- Police Officer #1: Herb Robbins
- Police Officer #2: Doyle Hart, Jr.
- Telegram Delivery Person: Henry Towels
Magazine articles
- Main article: Who Shot Johnny Rock?/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Sega Visions (US) #17: "February/March 1994" (199x-xx-xx)[3]
Physical scans
| Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
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67 |
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| Based on 1 review | |
| Mega-CD, US |
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  Cover
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 Disc  Manual |
Technical information
- Main article: Who Shot Johnny Rock?/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:Who Shot Johnny Rock MCD credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Wsjr mcd us manual.pdf, page 9
- ↑ Sega Visions, "February/March 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 95
- ↑ Tricks, "3/95" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 14
| Who Shot Johnny Rock? | |
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Main page | Magazine articles | Reception | Technical information | |
