Nuclear Rush
From Sega Retro
| Nuclear Rush |
|---|
| System(s): Sega Mega Drive |
| Developer: FutureScape Productions |
| Genre: Action |
| Number of players: 1 |
| Status of prototype(s): Source code compiled |
| Peripheral(s): Sega VR |
| Sound driver: GEMS |
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Nuclear Rush is an unreleased Sega Mega Drive tank combat virtual reality game for use with the Sega VR headset, developed by FutureScape Productions and slated to be published by Sega. Intended to be the hardware’s pack-in game, it features gameplay similar to Battlezone and Stellar-Fire.
It is the only Sega VR game to be accurately preserved, and a playable version was publicly released in November 2020.[1]
Contents
Plot
As “nuclear pirates”, players navigate an attack hovercraft across a post-apocalyptic United States, defeating the legions of armed robots that guard former nuclear reactors to scavenge any remaining radioactive waste.[2]
Development
FutureScape Productions artist Rick Lucey states that work on Nuclear Rush was completed; however, numerous lingering hardware glitches would eventually see the game's release permanently shelved.[3]
Preservation
On November 20, 2020, the Video Game History Foundation and Gaming Alexandria announced the release of a late prototype of Nuclear Rush. FutureScape Productions co-founder Kenneth Hurley had retained his copy of the game’s source code, and was able to successfully compile a working ROM image.[1]
Quotes
| “ | ... Kevin spent much of the Nuclear Rush development cycle working without access to Sega VR hardware. Prior to receiving the Sega VR prototype headset, Kevin even tried to rig up his own solution to simulate a stereo flicker effect by rapidly flipping a composite signal between monitors.
Difficulty obtaining prototype hardware may have been a common theme among developers, given Kevin’s experience in conjunction with another account from Alex Smith, lead programmer on the Sega VR title Outlaw Racing. In response to one of Dylan’s questions about the headset, Alex shared that he never saw the prototype hardware. This would seem to further narrow the list of games which actually implemented Sega VR support, even among the games developed with Sega VR in mind. We’re all the more fortunate to have come upon one of the games which did manage to fully implement support for the headset! |
„ |
— The Video Game History Foundation Head of Digital Conservation Rich Whitehouse[1] | ||
Production credits
- Developed By: FutureScape Productions
- Programmed By: Kevin Mcgrath, Matthew Hubbard
- Graphics By: Tom Collie, Rick Lucey
- Music By: Davorin Kuchan
- Design By: Kevin Mcgrath
- Produced By: Carl Mey
Promotional material
Images
Various models produced by artist Rick Lucey.
Technical information
ROM dump status
| System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
4MB | 1994-08-06 | Compiled source code | Unmodified | Page |
External links
- Sega VR Revived: Emulating an Unreleased Genesis Accessory article and release page at Video Game History Foundation
- Nuclear Rush release page at Hidden Palace
- Artist Rick Lucey's Nuclear Rush page
References
| Sega VR | |
|---|---|
| Topics | Technical specifications | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Ono-Sendai Corporation |
| Games | Iron Hammer | Matrix Runner | Nuclear Rush | Outlaw Racing |