Matrix Runner
From Sega Retro
Matrix Runner is an unreleased game created for the Sega VR. There are no known screenshots of the game, but it is described in the August/September 1993 issue of Sega Visions magazine as "play an elite superhacker in this unique cyberspace voyage. You have to explore the dark, winding databanks of the Matrix to solve the mysterious disappearance of your colleagues, knowing that you might be the next victim. In your travels, you will collide with strange semi-humans and vulture-like beings."[1]
Overview
Announced for the Sega VR head-tracking virtual reality headset at the CES show in Summer 1993, Matrix Runner was to be a cyberpunk adventure game with polygon 3D graphics, where the player must solve a murder mystery by entering a cyberspace called the Matrix. It was reported to be a cyberpunk adventure game inspired by Hideo Kojima's Snatcher.[2]
It was one of several games announced for the Sega VR head-tracking virtual reality headset. It was planned to be bundled with the Sega VR.[3] Following the cancellation of the Sega VR headset, however, the game was never heard from again, essentially becoming vaporware.
Legacy
The game has similarities to the later Sega Saturn game Free Runner, which was also cancelled.
Matrix Runner's attempt at visualizing a cyberspace called the Matrix in turn appears to anticipate The Matrix franchise of films and games, which later began in 1999 and includes a Sega MMO game, The Matrix Online.
Promotional material
Template:File=1993 Sega Catalog.pdf&page=73
References
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Topics | Technical specifications | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Ono-Sendai Corporation |
Games | Iron Hammer | Matrix Runner | Nuclear Rush | Outlaw Racing |