Difference between revisions of "Outworld 2375 AD"
From Sega Retro
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==Gameplay== | ==Gameplay== | ||
| − | Set on a planet wracked by natural disasters, players begin the game by choosing from one of five different courses.{{ref|https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-02-24-9402240306-story.html}} The faster players exercise, the faster their hovercraft will travel. Exercise too fast and the ship will overheat and explode, but exercise too slowly and it will lose momentum and crash.{{magref|mega|18|12}} | + | Set on a planet wracked by natural disasters, players begin the game by choosing from one of five different courses.{{ref|https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-02-24-9402240306-story.html}} Like contemporary racing games of the time, sprites and roadside objects are scaled towards the camera in real time. The faster players exercise, the faster their hovercraft will travel. Exercise too fast and the ship will overheat and explode, but exercise too slowly and it will lose momentum and crash.{{magref|mega|18|12}} Additionally, the player is timed during races, and being too careful on the throttle will result in players unable to reach the goal in time. |
==Production credits== | ==Production credits== | ||
| Line 40: | Line 40: | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Development=== | ===Development=== | ||
| − | Artist [[Eric Iwasaki]] recalls that ‘’Outworld’’’s graphics were were hand-drawn in [[wikipedia:Deluxe Paint|Deluxe Paint Enhanced]] and animated in [[wikipedia:Deluxe Paint Animation|Deluxe Paint Animation]]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230623033210/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1669929518604140552}}, and that the game itself was playtested on a [[wikipedia:Stationary bicycle|stationary bicycle]] located in the offices of [[Western Technologies]] | + | Artist [[Eric Iwasaki]] recalls that ‘’Outworld’’’s graphics were were hand-drawn in [[wikipedia:Deluxe Paint|Deluxe Paint Enhanced]] and animated in [[wikipedia:Deluxe Paint Animation|Deluxe Paint Animation]]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230623033210/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1669929518604140552}}, and that the game's reliance on a dark-blue color scheme was a result of the [[Mega Drive]]'s hardware limitation, stating "the Genesis displayed shades of blue better than any other hue (especially in the darkest values), making blues the only choice for creating the illusion of moody dimensional lighting." Iwasaki also focused on creating artwork with smooth color gradients to minimize unwanted "sparkly noise" when scaled down to smaller sizes.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} |
| + | |||
| + | The game itself was playtested on a [[wikipedia:Stationary bicycle|stationary bicycle]] located in the offices of [[Western Technologies]]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230623033210/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1669929518604140552}}, with development beginning around June 1993 and reaching completion later that September.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} | ||
===Prerelease=== | ===Prerelease=== | ||
[[File:Outworld2375AD MD advertisementdetail.png|thumb|right|360px|One of the game's only known appearances, published in ''[[Sega Visions]]'', issue 15.{{magref|sv|15|110}}]] | [[File:Outworld2375AD MD advertisementdetail.png|thumb|right|360px|One of the game's only known appearances, published in ''[[Sega Visions]]'', issue 15.{{magref|sv|15|110}}]] | ||
''{{PAGENAME}}'' was advertised alongside ''[[NHLPA Hockey]]'' as "the second wave of [[HeartBeat Catalyst|HeartBeat]] games".{{magref|sv|15|110}} Early copies of the game were sent to video game magazines for review purposes, with most articles highlighting its unique fitness capabilities; namely, the relation of the player's heart rate to the speed of actual gameplay was easily ''Outworld'''s most well-received feature.{{magref|mega|18|12}} | ''{{PAGENAME}}'' was advertised alongside ''[[NHLPA Hockey]]'' as "the second wave of [[HeartBeat Catalyst|HeartBeat]] games".{{magref|sv|15|110}} Early copies of the game were sent to video game magazines for review purposes, with most articles highlighting its unique fitness capabilities; namely, the relation of the player's heart rate to the speed of actual gameplay was easily ''Outworld'''s most well-received feature.{{magref|mega|18|12}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Eric Iwasaki|Iwasaki]] remembers the game's artwork was largely redrawn after ''Outworld'''s promotional appearances in the gaming magazines ''[[Sega Visions]]'' and ''[[Mega]]'', with the HUD in particular being revamped later in development.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} | ||
===Release=== | ===Release=== | ||
As one of the least-known [[Mega Drive]] games, ''{{PAGENAME}}'' 's release status remained unclear for decades. However, modern research (particularly the efforts of [https://www.reddit.com/user/BadUsername25/ BadUsername25]{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i3j51c/sega_genesis_outworld_2375_ad_possibly_the_rarest/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i43hwz/outworld_2375_ad_sega_genesis_newspaper_ad_update/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/}}) eventually uncovered evidence of what seems to be an official, if limited, release. [https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1 Isaiah Mays-Vinson]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} also spoke with former Western Technologies developers, who seem to be divided on whether the game was actually released. | As one of the least-known [[Mega Drive]] games, ''{{PAGENAME}}'' 's release status remained unclear for decades. However, modern research (particularly the efforts of [https://www.reddit.com/user/BadUsername25/ BadUsername25]{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i3j51c/sega_genesis_outworld_2375_ad_possibly_the_rarest/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i43hwz/outworld_2375_ad_sega_genesis_newspaper_ad_update/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/}}) eventually uncovered evidence of what seems to be an official, if limited, release. [https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1 Isaiah Mays-Vinson]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} also spoke with former Western Technologies developers, who seem to be divided on whether the game was actually released. | ||
| − | ''Outworld'''s producer, [[George deGolian]], recalls that the game was either left unfinished or unshipped. Artist [[Eric Iwasaki]] specifies that "production had wrapped" | + | ''Outworld'''s producer, [[George deGolian]], recalls that the game was either left unfinished or unshipped. Artist [[Eric Iwasaki]] specifies that "production had wrapped"{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}} and that "we completed development"{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}}, but that the game never made it to stores. Despite this, multiple collectors in [[wikipedia:Lansing, Michigan|Lansing, Michigan]] (where [[Catalyst]] games were locally distributed post-1994) reportedly own copies of the game - with one collector even confirming ''{{PAGENAME}}'' received a standard boxed release with a manual and cartridge. Another collector from the same city claims to own a prototype.{{ref|https://gamesniped.com/2008/10/05/sega-genesis-outworld-2375-ad/}} |
Regardless, evidence strongly suggests that ''{{PAGENAME}}'' was officially released sometime in late 1994. Produced in an extremely limited run numbering no more than a few hundred copies, it appears to have been available for purchase from three select [[wikipedia:Target Corporation|Target]] stores in the state of [[wikipedia:Michigan|Michigan]], or by mail-ordering the game directly from [[HeartBeat Corporation]]. Additionally, fitness retailers like [[NordicTrack]] who had previously stocked HeartBeat products were also likely to have access to the company's limited-run games, if they so chose.{{ref|https://gamesniped.com/2008/10/05/sega-genesis-outworld-2375-ad/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/}} | Regardless, evidence strongly suggests that ''{{PAGENAME}}'' was officially released sometime in late 1994. Produced in an extremely limited run numbering no more than a few hundred copies, it appears to have been available for purchase from three select [[wikipedia:Target Corporation|Target]] stores in the state of [[wikipedia:Michigan|Michigan]], or by mail-ordering the game directly from [[HeartBeat Corporation]]. Additionally, fitness retailers like [[NordicTrack]] who had previously stocked HeartBeat products were also likely to have access to the company's limited-run games, if they so chose.{{ref|https://gamesniped.com/2008/10/05/sega-genesis-outworld-2375-ad/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/}} | ||
===Legacy=== | ===Legacy=== | ||
| − | Owing to confusion over ''Outworld'''s release status, little of the title has been preserved. | + | Owing to confusion over ''Outworld'''s release status, extremely little of the title has been preserved. The game went entirely undumped until November 2022{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230311090425/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1611658524731252742}}, when a private collector donated a copy to the [https://gamehistory.org Video Game History Foundation] for preservation; the ROM was uploaded to [https://hiddenpalace.org Hidden Palace] the following June.{{ref|https://hiddenpalace.org/Outworld_2375_AD_(Catalyst_prototype)}} While reportedly sold in a box and with a manual{{ref|https://gamesniped.com/2008/10/05/sega-genesis-outworld-2375-ad/}}{{ref|https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/}} like contemporary [[HeartBeat]] games, no images of either the box art or manual are believed to publicly exist. |
| + | |||
| + | About half a decade after ''Outworld'''s completion, artist [[Eric Iwasaki]] would host artwork and animated sprites from the game in his official online portfolio{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230623033210/https://twitter.com/IsaiahVinson1/status/1669929518604140552}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/19991013014159/http://people.we.mediaone.net/akira3d/private/axiszeta.htm Axis Zeta].{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19991013014159/http://people.we.mediaone.net/akira3d/private/axiszeta.htm}} | ||
==Magazine articles== | ==Magazine articles== | ||
Revision as of 23:47, 22 June 2023
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| Outworld 2375 AD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||
| Publisher: HeartBeat Corporation[1][2] | ||||||||||
| Developer: Western Technologies Inc.[3] | ||||||||||
| Peripherals supported: HeartBeat Catalyst[1][2] | ||||||||||
| Genre: Driving | ||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||
|
This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.
Outworld 2375 AD is a Sega Mega Drive fitness science fiction driving game developed by Western Technologies[3] and published by HeartBeat Corporation. Specifically designed to utilize the fitness sensor-integrated Mega Drive peripheral HeartBeat Catalyst[2], it appears to have been released exclusively in the United States in late 1994 in an extremely limited run, and is one of the single-rarest commercially released Mega Drive games in existence.
Currently presumed to have been reached store shelves in some capacity, the obscurity of Outworld 2375 AD has left its official release status shrouded in mystery. While Western Technologies developers claim the game was completed but left unshipped, multiple collectors reportedly own boxed copies of the game, with HeartBeat appearing to have given it a last-minute, barebones physical release locally distributed to three stores in Lansing, Michigan.
Contents
Blurb
| “ | Kidnapped by intergalactic criminals, you have been pitted in the race for the ultimate prize - your freedom. Race through a planet which began as an experiment in artificial development. Using your heavily armed space hovercraft, you must outmaneuver environmental mutations as well as the deadly inhabitants in a fight for your survival. Go too slow and your aircraft will crash...too fast and it will burn up. Close the hatch, buckle up and hit the turbos. | „ |
— Promotional blurb from the Heartbeat Personal Trainer's brochure.[4] | ||
Gameplay
Set on a planet wracked by natural disasters, players begin the game by choosing from one of five different courses.[5] Like contemporary racing games of the time, sprites and roadside objects are scaled towards the camera in real time. The faster players exercise, the faster their hovercraft will travel. Exercise too fast and the ship will overheat and explode, but exercise too slowly and it will lose momentum and crash.[6] Additionally, the player is timed during races, and being too careful on the throttle will result in players unable to reach the goal in time.
Production credits
- Producer: George deGolian
- Programmer: John Bojorquez
- Art Director: Eric Iwasaki
- Artist: Eric Iwasaki
- HUD Artist: Tate Mosesian
- Animator: Erik Alwill
History
Development
Artist Eric Iwasaki recalls that ‘’Outworld’’’s graphics were were hand-drawn in Deluxe Paint Enhanced and animated in Deluxe Paint Animation[7], and that the game's reliance on a dark-blue color scheme was a result of the Mega Drive's hardware limitation, stating "the Genesis displayed shades of blue better than any other hue (especially in the darkest values), making blues the only choice for creating the illusion of moody dimensional lighting." Iwasaki also focused on creating artwork with smooth color gradients to minimize unwanted "sparkly noise" when scaled down to smaller sizes.[3]
The game itself was playtested on a stationary bicycle located in the offices of Western Technologies[7], with development beginning around June 1993 and reaching completion later that September.[3]
Prerelease
Outworld 2375 AD was advertised alongside NHLPA Hockey as "the second wave of HeartBeat games".[2] Early copies of the game were sent to video game magazines for review purposes, with most articles highlighting its unique fitness capabilities; namely, the relation of the player's heart rate to the speed of actual gameplay was easily Outworld's most well-received feature.[6]
Iwasaki remembers the game's artwork was largely redrawn after Outworld's promotional appearances in the gaming magazines Sega Visions and Mega, with the HUD in particular being revamped later in development.[3]
Release
As one of the least-known Mega Drive games, Outworld 2375 AD 's release status remained unclear for decades. However, modern research (particularly the efforts of BadUsername25[9][10][11]) eventually uncovered evidence of what seems to be an official, if limited, release. Isaiah Mays-Vinson[3] also spoke with former Western Technologies developers, who seem to be divided on whether the game was actually released.
Outworld's producer, George deGolian, recalls that the game was either left unfinished or unshipped. Artist Eric Iwasaki specifies that "production had wrapped"[3] and that "we completed development"[3], but that the game never made it to stores. Despite this, multiple collectors in Lansing, Michigan (where Catalyst games were locally distributed post-1994) reportedly own copies of the game - with one collector even confirming Outworld 2375 AD received a standard boxed release with a manual and cartridge. Another collector from the same city claims to own a prototype.[12]
Regardless, evidence strongly suggests that Outworld 2375 AD was officially released sometime in late 1994. Produced in an extremely limited run numbering no more than a few hundred copies, it appears to have been available for purchase from three select Target stores in the state of Michigan, or by mail-ordering the game directly from HeartBeat Corporation. Additionally, fitness retailers like NordicTrack who had previously stocked HeartBeat products were also likely to have access to the company's limited-run games, if they so chose.[12][11]
Legacy
Owing to confusion over Outworld's release status, extremely little of the title has been preserved. The game went entirely undumped until November 2022[3], when a private collector donated a copy to the Video Game History Foundation for preservation; the ROM was uploaded to Hidden Palace the following June.[13] While reportedly sold in a box and with a manual[12][11] like contemporary HeartBeat games, no images of either the box art or manual are believed to publicly exist.
About half a decade after Outworld's completion, artist Eric Iwasaki would host artwork and animated sprites from the game in his official online portfolio[7], Axis Zeta.[14]
Magazine articles
- Main article: Outworld 2375 AD/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
- Main article: Outworld 2375 AD/Promotional material.
Physical scans
| Mega Drive, US |
|---|
|
 Cart  PCB |
Technical information
- Main article: Outworld 2375 AD/Technical information.
ROM dump status
| System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
Cartridge (US) |
External links
- Technology adds new thrills to boring exercise equipment article by Bob Condor at The Chicago Tribune
- Investigatory thread 1, 2, 3 by BadUsername25 at Reddit
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://videogamekraken.com/heartbeat-personal-trainer-catalyst (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-14 05:43)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sega Visions, "October/November 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 110
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 @IsaiahVinson1 on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2023-03-11 09:04)
- ↑ File:HeartBeatPersonalTrainer US brochure.pdf, page 4
- ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-02-24-9402240306-story.html
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mega, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-17), page 12
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 @IsaiahVinson1 on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2023-06-23 03:32)
- ↑ [[3][7] [3][7]]
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i3j51c/sega_genesis_outworld_2375_ad_possibly_the_rarest/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i43hwz/outworld_2375_ad_sega_genesis_newspaper_ad_update/
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/i7sm8p/outworld_sega_genesis_game_barcode_and_more_info/
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 https://gamesniped.com/2008/10/05/sega-genesis-outworld-2375-ad/
- ↑ http://people.we.mediaone.net/akira3d/private/axiszeta.htm (Wayback Machine: 1999-10-13 01:41)
| Outworld 2375 AD | |
|---|---|
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Main page | Development | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Region coding | Technical information |
| HeartBeat Catalyst | |
|---|---|
| Topics | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Personal Trainer | HeartBeat Corporation |
| Games | NHLPA Hockey | Outback Joey | Outworld 2375 AD | PGA Tour Golf II |