Lock-On

Lock-On

Manufacturer: Sega
Distributor: Bandai (North America, Western Europe), Halifax (Italy), Bug Multisystem (Israel), DDC Agency (Czechia/Slovakia)

Lock-On (ロックオン) (originally titled Virtual Shooting Lock-On (バーチャルシューティング・ロックオン) in Japan before the name was shortened) is a simple laser tag game originally released by Sega in January 1993.^[1]

Lock-On exists in a variety of forms. For most of the world, Lock-On existed solely as a simplistic, "fair" game of laser tag - each player is equipped with a sensor (to be strapped to the head) and an infra-red light gun - when hit, a number decreases and the player who sustains the least "damage", wins. Some years later (around 1997) the package was upgraded under the name Lock-On 2, with the guns and headsets replaced with less bulky versions, presumably to cut costs. In North America and Europe, distribution was handled by Bandai. The Lock-On 2 was priced £29.99 (or £59.99 for a twin pack) in the United Kingdom.^[2]

In Japan, the game was made more elaborate with the introduction of the Lock-On Bazooka (ロックオンバズーカ), and then the Voice Lock-On (ボイスロックオン) in 1997. Here Lock-On sets are grey/black as opposed to the standard blue used everywhere else.