World Heroes

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World Heroes
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega Midwest Studio
Licensor: SNK, ADK
Original system(s): Neo Geo
Developer(s) of original games: ADK
Sound driver: Custom (Brian Schmidt)
Peripherals supported: Six Button Control Pad
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-07 1547 BR 199x 046420 KR 199x GM94008JG AS 199x
Non-Sega versions Neo Geo Neo Geo CD Super NES

World Heroes is a versus fighting game originally developed for the Neo Geo platform. It was brought to the Sega Mega Drive by Sega Midwest Studio. Unusually, the game did not see a Japanese or European release, but it was sold in smaller markets including South Korea, mainland Asia, and Brazil as well as North America.

Story

A brilliant scientist named Dr. Linus Fracas has invented a time machine in order to learn who is the greatest fighter of all time. He has used his machine to gather the strongest fighters in history to do battle and determine the winner. An unknown threat secretly watches the tournament progress.

Gameplay

Character select

The game is a one-on-one fighting game, designed to follow the success of Street Fighter II. Fighters compete in small arenas to drain each other's health. Matches are played to the best of three rounds, which each round having a 99-second time limit.

Characters move with and . They crouch with (but must stop moving first) and jump with . Punching is done with and kicking is done with . Punches and kicks have two levels, weak and strong. Tapping the punch or kick buttons performs a weak attack, while holding them performs a strong attack. When using a Six Button Control Pad, a strong punch can be performed with and a strong kick can be performed with . Each character has certain special moves that can be performed by combining directional motions with an attack button. Attacks can be blocked by holding in the direction opposite to the opponent. Characters can throw each other with or when near each other. Throws cannot be blocked.

Modes

Bonus stage

There are eight playable characters in the roster and two different play modes: Normal Game and Death Match.

In Normal Game, players have to defeat the other seven playable characters in a random order, followed by a battle against the final boss Geegus. After the second and fifth battles, the player plays a bonus stage where the character must carve a block of stone into a statue in 99 seconds with repeated hits.

Death Match is the same as Normal Game, except players must fight in a ring with environmental hazards such as electrical barriers, spiked walls, and oil puddles that must be avoided while fighting. Players can force their opponents against the environmental hazards to their advantage.

There are four difficulty settings for computer-controlled opponents (Easy, Normal, Hard, and MVS).

Characters

Note: Move lists assume that the character is facing right. When facing left, and should be reversed.

P	Any punch button
LP	Light punch
HP	Hard punch

K	Any kick button
LK	Light kick
HK	Hard kick

As with regular moves, special moves have a weak version performed by tapping P or K and a strong version performed by holding P or K. However, when using a Six Button Control Pad, the weak versions are performed by tapping either or (for punches) or or (for kicks), while the strong versions can only be performed by holding or .

The charge motions from the original arcade game are simply performed by pressing the directions in this version.

Playable

	Hanzou
	Hanzou is the most powerful member of the Iga ninja clan. Move list Name Command Description Double Jump in midair Hanzou can jump again in midair. Shuriken P Hanzou throws a large shuriken across the screen. He is vulnerable to counterattack until the projectile disappears. Blade Whirlwind K Hanzou throws himself spinning through the air like a shuriken. This move can pass over projectiles. Dragon Wave P Hanzou spirals into the air with a rising uppercut. This attack can hit on its way up or down.
	Fuuma
	Fuuma is the fifth director of the Fuuma ninja clan and the arch rival of Hanzou Hattori. He has identical moves to Hanzou. Move list Name Command Description Double Jump in midair Fuuma can jump again in midair. Shuriken P Fuuma throws a large shuriken across the screen. He is vulnerable to counterattack until the projectile disappears. Slashing Bird K Fuuma throws himself spinning through the air like a shuriken. This move can pass over projectiles. Dragon Spiral P Fuuma spirals into the air with a rising uppercut. This attack can hit on its way up or down.
	Dragon
	Dragon is a famous martial arts movie star from the 20th century. Move list Name Command Description Hammer Flurry  LP  LP  LP  LP  LP  Dragon punches so rapidly that his arm becomes a blur. Fire Dragon K Dragon rises into the air with a flying kick.
	Janne
	Janne is a female swordmaster from 15th century France. She is the only character who fights with a weapon. Move list Name Command Description Slide + LK  Janne slides along the ground, which can sweep opponents. Fire Bird P Janne swings her sword, sending a fiery bird across the screen. She is vulnerable to counterattack until the projectile disappears. Flash Sword K Janne swings a long, flaming sword in front of her. Slap Attack +K (close) Janne grabs and slaps her opponent.
	J. Carn
	Jhengis Carn is a general of the marauding Mongolian hordes. Move list Name Command Description Hand Dive + LK  J. Carn slides along the ground, which can sweep opponents. Shoulder Ram P J. Carn charges forward with a shoulder ram, which knocks opponents over. Mongolian Fire P J. Carn punches the ground, causing a fiery burst to appear around him.
	M. Power
	Muscle Power is an American all-star pro-wrestler. He has four different grabs, chosen randomly, but they all do the same damage. Move list Name Command Description Muscle Smash P Muscle Power dashes forward with an elbow strike.
	Brocken
	Brocken is a cyborg originally built for the German Army. His limbs extend to give his basic attacks longer range. Move list Name Command Description Flying Jump + LP  in midair Brocken flies across the screen in a prone position with his arms extended. Grenade Launcher P Brocken shoots a grenade from his arm across the screen. He is vulnerable to counterattack until the projectile disappears. Hurricane Arm P Brocken holds an arm diagonally upward that turns into a spinning whirlwind. Shock Arm  LP  LP  LP  LP  LP  Brocken holds an arm in front of him that shoots sparks.
	Rasputin
	Rasputin is a mad Russian magician. Move list Name Command Description Fire Ball P Rasputin throws a fireball across the screen. He is vulnerable to counterattack until the projectile disappears. Unlike the original arcade game, he cannot perform this move in midair. Fury Spin K Rasputin spins around, which causes his robe to twirl around him.

Bosses

	Geegus
	Geegus is an alien being who appears as the boss of the game. He can morph into any of the other characters.

Stages

Characters have their own stages where matches against them are hosted.

All death match battles take place in a closed arena setting, in front of a live audience.

Hanzou

Fuuma

Dragon

Janne

J. Carn

M. Power

Brocken

Rasputin

Geegus

Death Match

History

Development

The Mega Drive version, ported by Sega Midwest Studio, is considered a buggy and poor reproduction of the original Neo Geo game.

“	It was actually quite a feat to get all of the eight characters, plus the end boss, in the game -- with all of the animations. Back then, cartridge ROM was expensive! Yeah, World Heroes (even the original) wasn't anything to write home about. I had to squeeze 82M into a 16M cartridge. The source code was in assembly with absolutely no documentation. There were no testers. There was no one to help me port the artwork.	„
— Jim Reichert

Legacy

The game received three successors: World Heroes 2, World Heroes 2 Jet, and World Heroes Perfect. The latter title received a Sega Saturn port that was released exclusively in Japan in 1996.

Production credits

• Technical Director: John Lawrence Walsh
• Programmers: James Theodore Reichert, John Lawrence Walsh
• Additional Programming: Jonathan Murfey
• Art and Animation: Jonathan Murfey
• Additional Artwork: James Theodore Reichert
• Sound and Music: Brian Schmidt
• Producer: Richard Robbins
• Associate Producer: Howard Schwartz
• Assistant Producer: Keith Higashihara
• Product Manager: France Tantiado
• Lead Tester: Dermot Lyons
• Asst Lead Testers: Heather Meigs, Darin Johnston

Source:

In-game credits

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• Technical Director: John Walsh
• Programming: John Walsh, Jim Reichert, Jonathan Murfey
• Art and Animation: Jonathan Murfey
• Sound: Brian Schmidt
• Producer: Richard Robbins
• Associate Producer: Howard Schwatz
• Assistant Producer: Keith Higashihara
• Product Manager: France Tantiado
• Marketing Assistant: Jaime Wojick
• Lead Tester: Dermot Lyons
• Assistant Lead Testers: Heather Meigs, Darin Johnston
• Additional Game Tuning: Thomas Fessler
• Testers: Steve Bourdet, Matt Underwood, Mike Williams, Greg Fleming, Fernando Valderrama, Tim Spengler, Renato Alferez, Dave Perkinson, Wesley Gittens, Joe Cain, Maria Tuzzo, Jeff Todd, Terry Thomas, Dave Martin, Atom Ellis, Ty Johnson, Andrew Podesta, Janine Cook, Ivan Foong, Rick Greer
• Manual: Neil Hanshaw, Carol Ann Hanshaw
• Special Thanks: Mike Latham, Vy Nong, Stephen Patterson, Clint Dyer, Mark Lindstrom, Rick Incrocci

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: World Heroes/Magazine articles.

Promotional materials

Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1993-08: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Game Champ (KR) #1994-09: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Artwork

• 

  Cover

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 40 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 25 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 52 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 58 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 30 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 30 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 60

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Based on 7 reviews

World Heroes

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover

Mega Drive, KR
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, Asia NTSC
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: World Heroes/Technical information.

References

NEC Retro has more information related to World Heroes

World Heroes games for Sega systems
World Heroes (1994) | World Heroes Perfect (1996)