The Pagemaster
From Sega Retro
The Pagemaster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
System(s): Sega Mega Drive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Fox Interactive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Probe Software | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Fox Video (US) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: Twentieth Century Fox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sound driver: GEMS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.
The Pagemaster is a Sega Mega Drive platform game based on the film with the same name.
Contents
Gameplay
This video game interpretion of The Pagemaster has players control Richard Tyler (in his cartoon form - Macaulay Culkin who played the live action version in the film is left uncredited in this release), traversing 2D maps (based on areas of the film) in a similar manner to other platforms of the era. Hidden in each stage is a library card - collecting all of them unlocks the "good" ending.
Production credits
- Software: Paul Carruthers
- Bonus Game: Christoffer Nilsson
- Producer: Tony Beckwith
- Graphic Artists: Phil Hip Williams, Mark Knowles, Jason Green, Lloyd Baker, Terry Ford, Mark Frazer, Hayon Dalton, Blizzard
- Animators: Darren Goodacre, Emil Sergiev, Jason McDonald, Dimitri Baralov
- Mapping: Nick Baynes
- Additional Maps: Mark Viccary, Mark Hill, Tony Beckwith, Andy McCarthy
- Music and Sound Effects: Steve Collett, Nick Stroud
- QA Manager: Tim Bradstock
- QA Dept: James Stewart, Nick McGee, Ben Oreilly, Mark Viccary
- Compression: Rob Northern, Nick Pelling
- Fox Interactive Liason: Scott Marcus
Versions
The Pagemaster was released simultaneously on the Mega Drive and Super NES in late 1994 (with a simplified version appearing on the Game Boy). By and large, both console versions are the same, however while the Super NES uses more colours, the Mega Drive version runs with a 320x224 screen resolution (versus 256x224). As the art was not optimised for the Super NES, this means graphics are "fatter" than perhaps originally intended, and less of the play area is visible at any one time.
The Mega Drive version features more animations, while the SNES uses an extra background layer (which is drawn in front of regular play, and can in some respects be seen as a disadvantage as is more likely to obscure the player's view. Bonus stages use the SNES' "mode 7" graphics mode, which offer a smoother gameplay experience than on the Mega Drive, which reverts to a system more similar to early Mega Drive titles such as Space Harrier II and Super Thunder Blade.
There are also subtle changes in presentation. The Mega Drive is a fraction quicker to enter levels and shows the words "Game On" at the start of every stage, while the Super NES announces the levels' names.
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
---|---|---|
English (US) | The Pagemaster | The Pagemaster |
Spanish | El Guardián de las Palabras | The Guardian of Words |
Magazine articles
- Main article: The Pagemaster/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)[4]
- GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)[5]
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
70 | |
---|---|
Based on 22 reviews |
Mega Drive, US |
---|
50x50px Manual |
Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
✔ |
|
2MB | 1994-08 | Cartridge (US) | ||||||||||
✔ |
|
2MB | 1994-08 | Cartridge (EU) | ||||||||||
? |
|
2MB | 1994-08 | Page |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Press release: 1994-11-15: YOU'VE NEVER CHECKED OUT A LIBRARY LIKE THIS: 'THE PAGEMASTER'
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mean Machines Sega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-30), page 80
- ↑ File:SegaMegazone AU 49.pdf, page 25
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 13
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 238
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 108/109 (108)
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-30), page 80-82 (80)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sega Power, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-17), page 75
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 172
- ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-08-xx), page 17
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 108
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 151
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 42
- ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 346
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 60
- ↑ MAN!AC, "01/95" (DE; 1994-12-07), page 72
- ↑ Mega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 22
- ↑ Mega Force, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-12-02), page 90
- ↑ Mega Fun, "01/95" (DE; 1994-12-21), page 40
- ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 130
- ↑ Play Time, "1/95" (DE; 1994-12-07), page 102
- ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, December 17, 1994" (UK; 1994-12-17), page 1
- ↑ Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 3, Februari 1995" (NL; 1995-01-25), page 36
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-15), page 96
- ↑ Sega Pro, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-01), page 42
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Abril 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 48
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 20
- ↑ Video Games, "2/95" (DE; 1995-01-18), page 99
The Pagemaster | |
---|---|
Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs
Prototypes: Prototype
|
- 1 player games
- US Mega Drive games
- EU Mega Drive games
- PT Mega Drive games
- AU Mega Drive games
- Mega Drive games
- 1994 Mega Drive games
- All 1994 games
- Mega Drive action games
- All action games
- Old content rating field
- All games
- Sub-stubs
- Credits without reference
- Pages with broken file links
- GalleryPrintAd file defined
- Old-style rating (consolesplus)
- Old-style rating (mega)
- Rating without PDF source
- Old-style rating (mms)
- Old-style rating (playerone)
- Old-style rating (segapower)
- Old-style rating (segapro)
- Update ratings template
- 6 old ratings
- Games with known prototypes
- Old technical information
- The Pagemaster