Vectorman

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Vectorman
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Blue Sky Software
Genre: Platformer

Vectorman is a platform game developed by Blue Sky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released on October 24, 1995 in North America and on November 30, 1995 in Europe. The game is also a part of the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable and is part of the Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console on February 27, 2007 in Japan and April 5, 2007 in Europe, and in North America on September 22, 2008.

Story

In 2049, the human population of Earth embarks on a migratory voyage to try to colonize other planets. They leave mechanical "orbots" to clean up the mess they made on Earth through littering and pollution. Raster, a high-level orbot who watches Earth through a planetwide computer network, is accidentally attached to a working nuclear missile by a lesser orbot and goes insane, becoming an evil dictator named Warhead. He declares himself ruler of Earth, and begins preparing to execute any humans who dare return to their planet.

Enter Vectorman, a humble orbot in charge of cleaning up toxic sludge by simply discharging it into the sun. As he lands on Earth after his last trip, he finds chaos and confusion. Because all the other Orbots are controlled by Warhead (Vectorman having not been affected because he was away), Vectorman takes it upon himself to destroy the errant orbot and restore peace to Earth.

Graphics and Gameplay

Vectorman uses pre-rendered 3D models in its level and character designs. This gives the game a smooth, computer-generated feel. The original name of the villain, Warhead, was Raster (as in raster graphics, the opposite of vector graphics). Vectorman was considered the answer to Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country at the time, as they both used graphical tricks to look beyond what the console could do.

The game itself is a straightforward 2D action platformer. Vectorman is an orbot (something like a robot) powered with a ball gun in his hand; powerups include a machine gun, "bolo" gun, and triple-fire guns.

Vectorman possesses the ability to transform, through the use of powerups, into several different forms: including a drill, to cut through floors; a bomb, to destroy all surrounding enemies or breakable walls; and an aquatic form, useful for swimming underwater. In addition to powerup transformations, 3 levels host unique morphed forms with which to combat bosses in. Overall, the game consists of 16 levels.

Critical reaction

Vectorman is both a critical and commercial success, becoming a Genesis Mega hit. It was acclaimed for its game-play, level design and 3d graphics, and a great techno soundtrack. It has a 91% critical ranking, based on 3 reviews, making it one of the highest ranking critical games released on the Sega Genesis.

Sequels

Vectorman 2 was produced for the Genesis, and released in 1996.

Although Blue Sky Software, the original developer of both Vectorman games closed in 2001, a Vectorman game for the PlayStation 2 was announced in 2003, but was soon cancelled. Initial reports criticized the game heavily for deviating from the Genesis titles by turning the game into a third-person shooter. It is believed that this criticism contributed to its cancellation.

Sonic Gems Collection has both Vectorman and its sequel as unlockable games. Vectorman can be unlocked by playing the compilation for at least 5 hours or by having a save file of Sonic Heroes or Sonic Mega Collection on the memory card. This was also the first time the game was released in Japan.

Sega Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Collection in Europe) also features Vectorman and its sequel, this time as games available from the beginning.

Production Credits

Blue Sky Software

Designers: Richard Karpp, Mark Lorenzen
Project Manager: Jennifer Cleary
Game Concept By: Dana Christianson, Richard Karpp, Mark Lorenzen, Jason Weesner
Lead Background Artist: Amber Long
Background Artists: Jeff Jonas, Geoffrey Knobel, Mark Lorenzen, Jeff Remmer
Background Assistant: Brandon McDonald
Lead Animator: Marty Davis
Animators: Ellis Goodson, John Roy
Splash Screens: Jeff Remmer
Sound: Jon Holland
Music: Jon Holland
Lead Programmer: Richard Karpp
Programmers: Mark Botta, Keith Freiheit, Bonita Kane
Special Thanks: Patrick Brogan, Tom Carroll, John Fulbright, Jerry Huber, Matt McDonald, Chuck Osieja, Sam Powell, Rick Randolph, Rick Schmitz, Kim Walsh

Sega

Producer: Jerry Markota
Assistant Producer: Marianne Arotzarena
Product Manager: John Garner
Marketing Assistant: Johnathan Kully
Test Game Lead: John Amirkhan
Test Assistant Leads: Mike Borg, Abraham Navarro, Kim Rogers
Game Testers: Marc Dawson, Ty Johnson, Jeff B. Junio, Tony Lynch, Raul Orozco, Ilya Reeves, Don Tica
Special Thanks: E. Ettore Annunziata, Smuv Deyoung, Clint Dyer, Joe Miller, Scott Rohde, Chris Smith, Terry Tang

Physical Scans

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