Red Zone

From Sega Retro

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Red Zone Title.png

Red Zone
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Time Warner Interactive
Developer:
Sound driver: Zyrinx/Jesper Kyd
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
T-48376
Sega Mega Drive
EU
T-48376-50
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Mega Drive
KR
HIC-95001

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Red Zone, known as Hardwired during development, is a Sega Mega Drive game released in 1994 by Zyrinx.

It is noteworthy for achieving sprite rotations, 3D vectors and full motion video; things that were often considered impossible to do on Mega Drive hardware. No additional hardware (such as an extra chip in Virtua Racing is used. The game proudly annouces this technical achivement before the title screen.

Zyrinx were previously responsible for Sub-Terrania, and the two games share similar graphics and logos. The soundtrack was again composed by Jesper Kyd.

Gameplay

The player controls an AH-64B Apache helicopter in an attempt to stop the dictator Madman Ivan Retovitz from taking over the world. The helicopter has both a normal gun (fired with A) and a variety of weapons (fired with B and switched between with C) that target a crosshair that is at a fixed distance from the front of the helicopter, which can be steered with the D-pad.

Around half of the game consists of flight missions.

Armor, weaponry and fuel need to be replentished by picking up items (marked with letters on the games map, accessable via the  START  button.

There are also on-foot missions, with three selectable soldiers. In this mode, the game also uses a lot technical tricks to simulate a 3D environment similar to e.g. Loaded on Sega Saturn. A defeated character is permanently dead.

Overall the game is rather puzzle oriented. Strict ammo limits and low health as well as limited fuel require a well planed approach.

A password system is used to record progress. The game has no score system.

Production credits

  • Code: David Guldbrandsen, Karsten Hvidberg, Jens Bo Albretsen
  • Graphics': Mikael Balle, Jesper Vorsholt Jørgensen
  • Music: Jesper Kyd
  • Additional Code: Thomas Risager (Guz)
  • Character Animation: Dan Harder
  • Acting & Math Support: Haissam Badawi


Magazine articles

Main article: Red Zone/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)
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Print advert in Mean Machines Sega (UK) #26: "December 1994" (1994-10-28)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
93 №156, p60[2]
68
80
72 №8, p15
86
92 №25, p66-69[3]
92 №27, p52/53
60 №2, p101[4]
90 №48, p126/127
94 №10, p96/97
78 №61, p76
70 №71, p80[5]
Sega Mega Drive
81
Based on
12 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
30
[6]
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
60
[7]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
78
[8]
Cool Gamer (RU)
70
[9]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
93
[2]
Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U
75
[10]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
68
[11]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
60
[12]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 3 (RU)
60
[13]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
80
[14]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
68
[15]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
72
[16]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
69
[17]
Joypad (FR)
86
[18]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
74
[19]
Mega (UK) PAL
92
[20]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
76
[21]
Micro Kid's Multimédia (FR)
75
[22]
Micromanía (tercera época) (ES)
90
[23]
Magazina Igrushek (RU)
90
[24]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
92
[3]
Next Generation (US)
50
[25]
Player One (FR)
90
[26]
Play Time (DE) PAL
76
[27]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
94
[28]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
78
[29]
Sega Megazone (AU)
81
[30]
Todo Sega (ES)
92
[31]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
72
[32]
Video Games (DE) PAL
84
[33]
VideoGames (US)
70
[5]
Sega Mega Drive
76
Based on
31 reviews

Red Zone

Mega Drive, US
Redzone md us cover.jpg
Cover
Redzone md us cart.jpg
Cart
Red Zone MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Redzone md eu cover.jpg
Cover
Redzone md eu cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, AU

RedZone MD AU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, KR
RedZone MD KR cover.jpg
Cover

References

  1. File:GamePlayers US 0712.pdf, page 11
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 File:CVG UK 156.pdf, page 60 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 156.pdf_p60" defined multiple times with different content
  3. 3.0 3.1 File:MeanMachinesSega25UK.pdf, page 66 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega25UK.pdf_p66" defined multiple times with different content
  4. File:NextGeneration US 02.pdf, page 101
  5. 5.0 5.1 File:VideoGames US 71.pdf, page 80 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:VideoGames US 71.pdf_p80" defined multiple times with different content
  6. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 135
  7. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 186
  8. Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 80
  9. Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 167
  10. Electronic Games (1992-1995), "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 86
  11. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 46
  12. Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 352
  13. Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 3, "" (RU; 2000-xx-xx), page 220
  14. Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 12 December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 142
  15. GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 50
  16. Games World: The Magazine, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-xx), page 15
  17. Game Informer, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 12
  18. Joypad, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 55
  19. MAN!AC, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-09), page 42
  20. Mega, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-11-30), page 52
  21. Mega Fun, "01/95" (DE; 1994-12-21), page 34
  22. Micro Kid's Multimédia, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 52
  23. Micromanía (tercera época), "Febrero 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 105
  24. Magazina Igrushek, "4/1995" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 62
  25. Next Generation, "February 1995" (US; 1995-01-24), page 103
  26. Player One, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 126
  27. Play Time, "2/95" (DE; 1995-01-04), page 108
  28. Sega Magazine, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-15), page 96
  29. Sega Power, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-10-20), page 76
  30. Sega Megazone, "February 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 32
  31. Todo Sega, "Enero 1995" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 46
  32. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 22
  33. Video Games, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 95