Difference between revisions of "The Pagemaster"

From Sega Retro

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Revision as of 13:03, 21 January 2020

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Pagemaster title.png

The Pagemaster
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Fox Interactive
Developer:
Distributor: Fox Video (US)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
$64.9864.98[1] T-161016
Sega Mega Drive
EU
1180-50
Sega Mega Drive
PT
MDJ1180
Sega Mega Drive
AU
$109.95109.95[3]
Non-Sega versions

This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.


The Pagemaster is a Sega Mega Drive platform game based on the film with the same name.

Gameplay

This video game interpretion of The Pagemaster has players control Richard Tyler (in his cartoon form - Macaulay Culkin who played the live action version in the film is left uncredited in this release), traversing 2D maps (based on areas of the film) in a similar manner to other platforms of the era. Hidden in each stage is a library card - collecting all of them unlocks the "good" ending.

Production credits

  • Software: Paul Carruthers
  • Bonus Game: Christoffer Nilsson
  • Producer: Tony Beckwith
  • Graphic Artists: Phil Hip Williams, Mark Knowles, Jason Green, Lloyd Baker, Terry Ford, Mark Frazer, Hayon Dalton, Blizzard
  • Animators: Darren Goodacre, Emil Sergiev, Jason McDonald, Dimitri Baralov
  • Mapping: Nick Baynes
  • Additional Maps: Mark Viccary, Mark Hill, Tony Beckwith, Andy McCarthy
  • Music and Sound Effects: Steve Collett, Nick Stroud
  • QA Manager: Tim Bradstock
  • QA Dept: James Stewart, Nick McGee, Ben Oreilly, Mark Viccary
  • Compression: Rob Northern, Nick Pelling
  • Fox Interactive Liason: Scott Marcus
Source:
In-game credits

Versions

The Pagemaster was released simultaneously on the Mega Drive and Super NES in late 1994 (with a simplified version appearing on the Game Boy). By and large, both console versions are the same, however while the Super NES uses more colours, the Mega Drive version runs with a 320x224 screen resolution (versus 256x224). As the art was not optimised for the Super NES, this means graphics are "fatter" than perhaps originally intended, and less of the play area is visible at any one time.

The Mega Drive version features more animations, while the SNES uses an extra background layer (which is drawn in front of regular play, and can in some respects be seen as a disadvantage as is more likely to obscure the player's view. Bonus stages use the SNES' "mode 7" graphics mode, which offer a smoother gameplay experience than on the Mega Drive, which reverts to a system more similar to early Mega Drive titles such as Space Harrier II and Super Thunder Blade.

There are also subtle changes in presentation. The Mega Drive is a fraction quicker to enter levels and shows the words "Game On" at the start of every stage, while the Super NES announces the levels' names.

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English (US) The Pagemaster The Pagemaster
Spanish El Guardián de las Palabras The Guardian of Words

Magazine articles

Main article: The Pagemaster/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

ES print advert
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #22: "December/January 1994/1995" (1994-xx-xx)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
86 [6]
72 №28, p50/51
74 [7]
90 №48, p130/131
40 [8]
74 №40, p42/43
Sega Mega Drive
73
Based on
6 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
70
[9]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
80
[10]
Consoles + (FR)
86
[11]
Cool Gamer (RU)
70
[12]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
60
[13]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
70
[14]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
60
[15]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
70
[16]
Mega (UK) PAL
72
[17]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
82
[18]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
65
[19]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
74
[2]
Player One (FR)
90
[20]
Play Time (DE) PAL
67
[21]
Power Up! (UK)
68
[22]
Power Unlimited (NL)
68
[23]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
65
[24]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
40
[8]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
74
[25]
Todo Sega (ES)
76
[26]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
74
[27]
Video Games (DE) PAL
69
[28]
Sega Mega Drive
70
Based on
22 reviews

The Pagemaster

Mega Drive, US
Pagemaster MD US Box Back.jpgPagemaster MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Pagemaster MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
50x50px
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Pagemaster MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Pagemaster MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, AU
Pagemaster MD AU Box.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, ES
Pagemaster MD ES Box.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, FR

The Pagemaster MD FR Manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Mega Drive
CRC32 75a96d4e
MD5 aafa1208e6c1f0850d091d6b20ede002
SHA-1 46d0495638e618bb9ac7fb07f46f8f0d61a8cedc
2MB 1994-08 Cartridge (US)
Sega Mega Drive
CRC32 79a180e2
MD5 46b265c3ea4e739656363e5232c8c56b
SHA-1 c4cf7695127b7ec5e003b5e7e15fdbfb172d1fcb
2MB 1994-08 Cartridge (EU)
Sega Mega Drive
 ?
CRC32 29895e3d
MD5 91c262a0d0c4072286b4c0fe861cbc1c
SHA-1 8a81ea7fca88fffff3fc1e932019e36e71be4978
2MB 1994-08 Page

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Press release: 1994-11-15: YOU'VE NEVER CHECKED OUT A LIBRARY LIKE THIS: 'THE PAGEMASTER'
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mean Machines Sega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-30), page 80
  3. File:SegaMegazone AU 49.pdf, page 25
  4. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 13
  5. GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 238
  6. Consoles +, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 108/109 (108)
  7. Mean Machines Sega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-30), page 80-82 (80)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Sega Power, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-17), page 75
  9. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 172
  10. Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-08-xx), page 17
  11. Consoles +, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 108
  12. Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 151
  13. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 42
  14. Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 346
  15. GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 60
  16. MAN!AC, "01/95" (DE; 1994-12-07), page 72
  17. Mega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 22
  18. Mega Force, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-12-02), page 90
  19. Mega Fun, "01/95" (DE; 1994-12-21), page 40
  20. Player One, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 130
  21. Play Time, "1/95" (DE; 1994-12-07), page 102
  22. Power Up!, "Saturday, December 17, 1994" (UK; 1994-12-17), page 1
  23. Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 3, Februari 1995" (NL; 1995-01-25), page 36
  24. Sega Magazine, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-15), page 96
  25. Sega Pro, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-01), page 42
  26. Todo Sega, "Abril 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 48
  27. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 20
  28. Video Games, "2/95" (DE; 1995-01-18), page 99


The Pagemaster

Pagemaster title.png

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Sega Mega Drive
Prototypes: Prototype