Midnight Raiders

n/a

Midnight Raiders
System(s): Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Sega of America (US), Sega Europe (EU)
Developer: Stargate Films
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), Tec Toy (BR)
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-10 4439 EU 1995-03 4439-50 PT 1995 UK 1995-03 £49.9949.99 4439-50 AU 1995-04 $99.9599.95 FMID04SMR BR 199x 063470

Midnight Raiders is a Sega Mega-CD game. It is heavily reliant on full-motion video.

A Mega-CD 32X version was once planned for November, later December 1994, but was later cancelled (despite appearing in promotional material).

Story

A pair of Apache AH-64 helicopters, the Dragonfly and the Ladybug, have been sent on "Operation Midnight," a covert mission to rescue a scientist who is being held hostage deep in enemy territory by the fictional Al Shakkur terrorist organization. Early in the mission, two allied trooper carriers are shot down, and the helicopter crews are left without their support. The team must infiltrate an enemy chemical weapons facility, extract the hostage, plant explosives, and escape.

Characters

"Joker"

The player character. A hotshot rookie who is the gunner for the Dragonfly.

"Stryker"

The veteran pilot of the Dragonfly.

"Sparks"

The pilot of the accompanying helicopter, the Ladybug.

Colonel Grimsby

The team's military commander.

Adams

A high-level CIA agent who is in charge of Operation Midnight.

Professor Victor Mensch

A nerve gas expert who has been kidnapped by terrorist forces.

Gameplay

Midnight Raiders is a full-motion video shooting game. The player takes the role of the rookie gunner "Joker," part of the crew for the Apache helicopter Dragonfly alongside the veteran pilot "Stryker." They are accompanied by a sister helicopter, the Ladybug, and its pilot, "Sparks." The team's mission takes three phases: in the air, on foot, and in a Jeep.

Gameplay consists of short shooting segments against fast-moving targets, interspersed with numerous dramatized cutscenes. When an enemy appears, the player has a brief amount of time to aim (using the D-Pad) and fire at the enemy. If the player fails to shoot the enemy (or misses), the enemy fires and costs the player a life.

The game has options for toggling the target boxes (green overlays that show the hitboxes of targets to assist with aiming) and changing the difficulty (Easy or Hard, which affects the number of missiles given).

Phases

	Targets Ahead
	This phase of the mission is played in the helicopter. fires Sidewinder missiles against air targets (enemy helicopters), fires Hellfire missiles at ground targets (tanks and SAM sites). On Easy, the helicopter is equipped with 50 of each missile; on Hard, the helicopter only has 15 of each missile. If the helicopter is shot down by an enemy, "Joker" and "Stryker" are rescued by the Ladybug and continue with a spare helicopter. If shot down during the last section, however, the mission is aborted and the game ends.
	The Factory Run
	This phase of the mission is played on foot as "Joker" infiltrates the enemy installation. fires the handgun. To reload, move the crosshair to the lower-right of the screen to make the bullets appear and then press while over one of the bullets. The handgun holds 15 rounds and can be reloaded 10 times. The player only has one life for this section. The game ends if an enemy shoots "Joker," though the game sometimes gives the player another chance after missing an enemy. When there are multiple targets, it is only necessary to shoot one to proceed safely.
	Rescue
	The final phase of the mission is played on foot and in a Jeep as "Joker" and "Sparks" make a getaway before the chemical plant explodes. It plays the same as the second phase, with the player armed with a gun with the same ammunition and only getting one life with which to complete the mission.

Production credits

• Associate Producers: Tony Shepherd, Michael Philip
• First Assistant Director: Anthony Fiorino
• Second Assistant Director: Annie Cadman
• Assistant Editor: Jonathan Budd
• Video Compositing: Steve Melchiorre
• Assistant Video Compositing: David Sherman
• Script Supervisor: Collette Panah
• Programmers: Brendan Murphy, Joe Sengir
• Assistant Programmer: David Frankham
• Quicktime Editor: Jaison Stritch, Ian Strang
• Assistant to Mr. Nicholson: Jane Hoye
• Production Coordinators: Charles Howard, Larry Gobel
• Facilities Supervisor: Patrick Reed
• Casting Director: Patrick Rush
• Extras Casting: TBS Casting, Barbara Bloverson
• Location Manager: Mark Zimmer
• Stunt Coordinator: Ray Baum
• Motion Control Operator: Robert Menapace
• Camera Operator: David Armstrong
• Assistant Camera: Gaston Vidou, Steve Melchiorre
• Key Grip: George Wells
• Grips: Jerry Vaughn, Michael Graef
• Gaffer: Peter Cornford
• Best Boy Electric: Niles McElroy
• Electrics: Gus Olvias, Ruben Arizpe, Mark Lorona
• Driver/Swing: Ron Edmonson
• Sound Mixer: Steve Tibbo
• Boom Operator: Rocky Quiroz
• Guitar: Mark Haugh
• Sound EFX: Josh Darlington
• Audio Engineer: Will Alexander
• Digital Editor: Nigol Tchalakian
• Audio Technician: Richard Bugg
• Audio Assistant: Ian Strang, Luke Denitto
• Key Make-up/Hair: Danny Mark
• Costume Designer: Brenna Charlebois
• Costumer: Mark Cheung
• Prop/Costume Design: Robert Miller
• Production Designer: Tom Buderwitz
• Set Decorator: Bill Mitchell
• Set Dresser: Richard Mendenhall
• Property Master: Bill King, Kevin Kavanaugh
• Production Accountant: Robin Ginsberg, Dorothy Duder
• Assistant Accountants: Cyrena Vladish, Tonya Long, Tina Hill
• Model Shop Supervisor: Ziggy Carr
• Miniatures: Paul Ozzomi, Tom Coston, Larry Detwiler, Justin Krauss, Dean Satkowski, Ans Ellis, Erica Frazier, Rick Frazier, Rick Hilgner, Mykel Denis, Jack Edjourian, Brian Ranger, Tracy Singleton
• Painters: Paulette Fox, Babette Brunelle
• Gun Wranglers: Mykel Denis, Stembridge Gun Rentals, Harry Lu
• "Apache Helicopter" Cockpit Interior Designed by: Alessandro Zezza
• Construction Coordinator: Sean Frazier
• Carpenters: John Doloszycki, Matt Powell, Leif Cole, Angel Gonzalez
• Machinists: Martin Gonzalez, David Shroeder
• Mechnical Effects: Michael Haase, Ron Strathman, Eddie McClintock, Everett Byrom III
• Pyrotechnics: Robert Hutchins, Mike Lambert
• Electronic Effects Supervisor: Todd Mahon
• Electronics: Arthur Meier, Joe Urbanovitch, Luke Denitto
• Craftservice: John Palumbo
• Catering: Lori's Catering
• Production Assistants: Alibno Marsetti, Jeremy Craves, Corey King, Ross Vinstein, Daryl Schmidt, Nancy Lowry, Tany Sousana
• Production Coordinator, Sega Studios (Los Angeles): Berj Beramian
• Assistant Producer, Sega Studios (Los Angeles): Vy Nong
• Special Thanks to: The Sega Test Department, Joe Miller, Shinobu Toyoda
• Apache AH-64 Helicopter Stock Footage Courtesy of: McDonnell Douglas

Source:

In-game credits

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• Actors: Todd Jensen, Mychelle Charters, Michael Gregory, Jules Mandel, David Crowley, William Knight
• Original Concept: Sam Nicholson
• Original Score: Mars Lasar
• Director of Photography: Dan Schmit
• Executive Producer: Chris W. Bankston
• Written by: Sam Nicholson, George Goldsmith
• Producers: Sam Nicholson, Tony Cabalu
• Directed by: Sam Nicholson
• Second Unit Director: David Kuklish
• Product Manager: Peter Loeb
• Assoc. Product Manager: John Garner
• Product Specialist: Nemer Velasquez
• Asst. Product Specialist: Clint Dyer
• Manual Copy: Hillary Clayson
• Manual Art Direction: Kathy Garfield
• Manual Production: Kelly Jonick
• Asst. Producer: Vy Nong
• Production Assistant: Berj Beramian
• Programming: Kevin Ashley, Jay Tautges
• Game Lead: Christine Watson
• Asst Leads: Derek Carmichael, Don Carmichael, Mike Williams, Devan Hammack
• Testers: Gregg Watkins, Maria Tuzzo, Michael Baldwin, Arnold Feener, Chris Colon, Todd Morgan, Michael Wu, Lloyd Kinoshita, Phillip Co, Nathan Tam
• Special Thanks To: Tom Kalinske, Shinobu Toyoda

Source:

US manual

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Magazine articles

Main article: Midnight Raiders/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Sega Visions (US) #22: "December/January 1994/1995" (1994-xx-xx)
• Next Generation (US) #1: "Premiere Issue 1995" (1994-12-08)
• GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)

Artwork

• 

  US Mega-CD prototype cover

• 

  US Mega-CD 32X prototype cover

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 25 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 58 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 78 Joypad (FR) 60 MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-U 64 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 64 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 25 Player One (FR) 60 Sega Magazin (DE) PAL 66 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 70 Sega News (CZ) 70 Sega Power (UK) PAL 30 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 81 Super Juegos (ES) 55 Video Games (DE) PAL 9 VideoGames (US) 30

	53
Based on 16 reviews

Midnight Raiders

Mega-CD, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, EU
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, PT
Cover
Disc Manual EU Manual

Mega-CD, AU

Mega-CD, BR
Cover
Disc

Technical information

Main article: Midnight Raiders/Technical information.