Difference between revisions of "Iron Hammer"
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===Development=== | ===Development=== | ||
{{quote|This was a [[Max Taylor|Max Talor]] production. Originally designed to feature the [[Sega VR]] goggles! It was a first person shooter with scaling sprites (like Atari [[wikipedia:Battlezone (1980 video game)|Battle Tank]]). By the time I worked on it, there were already a few tunes in the [[GEMS]] engine by somebody else, so I had to work with the same instruments, finish a couple of songs, and write a number of levels myself. I also scored the closing animation scene and credits.|''[[David Javelosa]]''|ref={{intref|Interview: David Javelosa (2023-11-12) by Alexander Rojas}}}} | {{quote|This was a [[Max Taylor|Max Talor]] production. Originally designed to feature the [[Sega VR]] goggles! It was a first person shooter with scaling sprites (like Atari [[wikipedia:Battlezone (1980 video game)|Battle Tank]]). By the time I worked on it, there were already a few tunes in the [[GEMS]] engine by somebody else, so I had to work with the same instruments, finish a couple of songs, and write a number of levels myself. I also scored the closing animation scene and credits.|''[[David Javelosa]]''|ref={{intref|Interview: David Javelosa (2023-11-12) by Alexander Rojas}}}} | ||
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| + | Sometime during development, virtual reality specialist Bernie Roehl{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240615204811/http://bernieroehl.com/virtual-reality-projects/}} playtested a work-in-progress version of the game. He was reportedly impressed with the experience, despite ''{{PAGENAME}}'' being unfinished at the time. His thoughts were documented in the ''VR Resources Guide'', an unknown publication of the time.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20210425092237/http://backup.segakore.fr/genesiscollective/ShowPage0000000002A7382712.htm}} | ||
===Legacy=== | ===Legacy=== | ||
Revision as of 21:56, 17 November 2024
| Iron Hammer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||
| Publisher: Sega of America | ||||||||||
| Developer: NovaLogic[1][2] | ||||||||||
| Peripherals supported: Sega VR[n 1] | ||||||||||
| Genre: Action | ||||||||||
| Number of players: 1[3] | ||||||||||
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Iron Hammer is a Sega Mega Drive tank combat game developed by NovaLogic.[1][2] Originally developed for use with the Sega VR headset as one of the system's four launch titles, health concerns over exposing children to virtual reality resulted in all four games being shelved. However, NovaLogic later stripped the game of its Sega VR features (namely its head-tracking capabilities) and eventually saw Iron Hammer broadcast by Sega of America over the Sega Channel sometime in the mid 1990s.
The game plays similarly to the developer’s later Sega Saturn title Black Fire.
Contents
Gameplay
The game features high-speed tank combat gameplay along a flat plane, similar to helicopter games like AH-3 Thunderstrike. Piloting an attack aircraft through thirty levels of alien combat over terrains of water, ice, grass, and rock, players are assisted by the digitized speech of their co-pilot as they traverse a variety of battlefields.[3]
The original version of Iron Hammer would have featured the ability to play with or without Sega VR hardware.[4]
History
Development
| “ | This was a Max Talor production. Originally designed to feature the Sega VR goggles! It was a first person shooter with scaling sprites (like Atari Battle Tank). By the time I worked on it, there were already a few tunes in the GEMS engine by somebody else, so I had to work with the same instruments, finish a couple of songs, and write a number of levels myself. I also scored the closing animation scene and credits. | „ |
Sometime during development, virtual reality specialist Bernie Roehl[6] playtested a work-in-progress version of the game. He was reportedly impressed with the experience, despite Iron Hammer being unfinished at the time. His thoughts were documented in the VR Resources Guide, an unknown publication of the time.[7]
Legacy
In May 2008, Nicola Ferrarese of the website Games Collection showed a functioning prototype of the game at VGH 2008, a small video game exposition in Monza, Italy.[8] Sometime around 2012 it was again reported to have been playable at an unknown location.[4]
In May 2019, composer David Javelosa posted a YouTube video containing the tracks he composed for Iron Hammer, and also implied he may have a cartridge of the game, but that he "probably won't be ripping and dumping ROMs anytime soon" due to possible ownership issues between NovaLogic, Sega of America, and various other parties involved in development.[9]
Production credits
- Producers: Dante Anderson[10], Max Taylor[5]
- Artist, Animator: Joby Otero[11][1]
- Composer: David Javelosa[12], Andy Armer[13]
Magazine articles
- Main article: Iron Hammer/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Screenshots
Title[14]
Introduction cutscene[14]
Introduction cutscene[14]
Gameplay[14]
The panoramic screenshot used in Sega of America’s 1993 trade catalog.[3]
External links
- Iron Hammer at Unseen64
- Gameplay video at YouTube
- Soundtrack video at YouTube (David Javelosa compositions only)
Notes
- ↑ [Unreleased cartridge version only. Unreleased cartridge version only.]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 GameFan, "Volume 8, Issue 8: August 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 117 (119)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://backup.segakore.fr/genesiscollective/ShowPage0000000002A7382712.htm (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-25 09:22)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 File:1993 Sega Catalog.pdf, page 73
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.unseen64.net/2010/10/23/matrix-runner-sega-vr-genesis-cancelled/#comment-146829 (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-25 05:50)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Interview: David Javelosa (2023-11-12) by Alexander Rojas
- ↑ http://bernieroehl.com/virtual-reality-projects/ (Wayback Machine: 2024-06-15 20:48)
- ↑ http://backup.segakore.fr/genesiscollective/ShowPage0000000002A7382712.htm (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-25 09:22)
- ↑ https://www.unseen64.net/2008/06/16/iron-hammer-sega-vr-unreleased/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-25 07:15)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRjZefdd22c&lc=Ugzt0aNsRV4vtroHbNB4AaABAg
- ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/danteanderson/
- ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobyotero/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRjZefdd22c
- ↑ htt (Wayback Machine: 1999-01-25 10:28)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 @vgdensetsu on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-25 00:55)
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| Sega VR | |
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| Topics | Technical specifications | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Ono-Sendai Corporation |
| Games | Iron Hammer | Matrix Runner | Nuclear Rush | Outlaw Racing |