Missile Command 3D

 

 

 

Top: Original mode gameplay
Middle: 3D mode gameplay
Bottom: Virtual mode gameplay

Missile Command 3D is a shoot 'em up game based on the arcade game Missile Command, where the player defends a city by firing missiles at incoming targets.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The player's anti-ballistic missiles also leave a temporary trail of fire, which destroys enemy missiles caught within range.^[6] Each base becomes useless when all of its missiles have been deployed or if it is destroyed by enemy missiles.^[2][6] Other hazards include bomber planes and satellites, as well as smart missiles that can evade the player's missiles.^[3][6] The player can rebuild destroyed cities by reaching certain high scores at the end of each level.^[3][6]

The game offers three modes: "Original", "3D", and "Virtual".^[1][4][5][7] Original mode is a recreation of Missile Command, offering graphics and gameplay similar to the arcade original.^[2][4][8] 3D mode is similar to the original mode but with three-dimensional visuals.^[1][2][3][4] Virtual mode departs from the original gameplay by introducing a first-person perspective, power-ups, varied stages and bosses.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} In all three game modes, the goal is to defend six cities from incoming missiles by launching anti-ballistic missiles from three bases.^[2][3][4][5] The game is set in a country attacked by foreign nations and on a distant planet where alien forces invade human colonies.^[6]

In Virtual mode, players mainly defend the cities using lasers, with missiles becoming a secondary defense mechanism.^[1][6][7][8] Power-up items offer upgrades such as improved lasers, smart bombs, and repairs.^[4][5][6] There are three stages in virtual mode, each divided into three waves with a boss encounter.^[4][5][9] There are also three difficulty levels in virtual mode, however, the game ends after finishing the first stage if played on the easiest difficulty.^[5][6] The game is over once all bases or cities in the stage are destroyed.^[4][6] The game features support for the ProController.^[5][6] If a Jaguar VR headset is detected, it can be played with in both 3D and Virtual modes.^[10]

Missile Command 3D is an update of Dave Theurer's arcade game Missile Command (1980).^[8][11] It was developed by Virtuality Entertainment (previously W Industries), a Leicester-based virtual reality (VR) developer founded in 1987.^{[12][13][14][15]} In 1993, Atari announced a VR peripheral for the Atari Jaguar and approached Virtuality to produce it, but no agreement was settled.^[13][16][17] After discussions resumed in 1994, the companies announced a partnership in 1995, leading to the production of a VR headset for the Jaguar based on Virtuality's technology.^{[13][18][19][20]} According to the terms of the deal, Virtuality would develop software that would allow Atari and third-party developers to produce VR-compatible titles, while Atari would finance Virtuality's production of two VR games for Jaguar, including Missile Command.^{[11][21][22][23]}

 

Missile Command became part of a series of arcade game revivals from Atari, a strategy initiated by producer John Skruch after the release of Tempest 2000.^[24][25] The game was programmed by Martin Brownlow, who had previously written the VR arcade games Buggy Ball and Virtuality Boxing.^[10][14] Brownlow also acted as co-designer of the "Virtual" mode alongside James Tripp, as well as artists Mark Brown and Scot Jones.^[10][14] Robert Powers of Atari was responsible for designing the "3D" mode, while the soundtrack was composed by Dale Robins.^[10][14]

Despite his initial skepticism towards adapting Missile Command into virtual reality, Brownlow eventually agreed to take part in the project.^[10] According to Brownlow, the 3D mode was written in two weeks, but he did not receive support for the Original mode from Atari, which instead provided him with a design document for the Microsoft Arcade iteration of Missile Command for reference.^[10] Atari demanded that he implement texture mapping even though Brownlow explained that texture-mapped polygons would cause performance issues.^[10] Near the end of the project, Skruch wanted a type of missile similar to a MIRV that would target the player's bases and said to call it "SWIRV", but the name was changed by Brownlow to "Unknown".^[10] Brownlow found it difficult to develop for the Jaguar hardware due to its limited GPU memory, as well as a bug in the blitter processor.^[10] Production of the game took six months and development was completed by December 11, 1995.^[10][26]

The game was first showcased at E3 1995 under the name Missile Command 2000, intended for release with the Jaguar VR peripheral in Christmas 1995.^[23][27][28] It made appearances between 1995 and 1996 at Atari Corporation during "Fun 'n' Games Day", an event to showcase upcoming Atari Jaguar games to journalists.^[29][30][31] The game was released under its final name, Missile Command 3D, in North America on December 12, 1995, followed by Europe the same month.^[32][33] After the game's release, the Jaguar VR headset was cancelled.^[3][5][34] A PC port was to be published by Atari Interactive, but it was never released due to the division's closure in 1996.^[35][36][37] In 2022, Missile Command 3D was re-released for the first time as part of the Atari 50 compilation, porting the game to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs.^[38][39]

Missile Command 3D received mixed reviews, with journalist divided in their opinion of the "Original" mode.^{[44][45][46][47]} Game Players' Chris Charla said that the mode was fun from a nostalgic viewpoint, while Game Zero Magazine described it as a faithful port of the arcade original.^[40][42] However, Ultimate Future Games saw it as nothing more than a nostalgic novelty.^[34] ST Format's Iain Laskey felt that the original mode was a poor replica of Missile Command, while Digital Press' Edward Villalpando felt that the different background borders added nothing to the original mode.^[3][7] Marc Abramson of the French ST Magazine criticized the original mode as slow and unplayable.^[43]

Meanwhile, the "3D" mode received more favorable commentary.^[3][42][45] Computer and Video Games' Paul Davies praised its audiovisual presentation.^[12] Charla found the updated polygonal graphics to be enjoyable.^[40] VideoGames thought the explosion effects in 3D mode were impressive but the lens flare effect seemed artificial.^[1] Abramson said that the 3D mode was an improvement over the Original mode.^[43] Villalpando found it difficult to get into the 3D mode due to the lack of a missile launch sound cue.^[7] Ultimate Future Games felt that the 3D mode is the same as the original mode in terms of content.^[34] Next Generation noted that it offers a convincing three-dimensional feel but not enough to become boring after a few rounds.^[41]

The Virtual mode received mostly positive reception.^[3][5][45] Next Generation regarded Virtual mode to be the best of the three versions, while feeling that its gameplay deserved to be expanded.^[41] Davies felt that the mode updated the game with the first-person perspective, while Charla saw that it did a good job of updating the arcade original with power-ups and different stages.^[12][40] Villalpando considered it to be the most interesting variant due to the bosses, but disliked the mechanics for manually detonating missiles.^[7] Ultimate Future Games regarded Virtual mode to be the most fun of the three variants but they still found it very repetitive, while Abramson found it to be boring after a few minutes.^[43][34] Game Zero Magazine criticized the mode's frame rate, while German publication ST-Computer noted crashes and instability on European Atari Jaguar consoles.^[9][42]

Retrospective commentary for Missile Command 3D has been generally favorable.^{[8][48][49][50]} The Atari Times' Bruce Clarke felt that the Virtual mode showed off the Jaguar's capabilities, comparing it favorably to contemporary games for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64.^[48] Polish magazine Click! Konsole highlighted the graphics in 3D mode as well as the large final bosses in Virtual mode.^[49] GamesTM regarded it as one of the six best games for the Jaguar.^[51] Retro Gamer called it "a worthy update of one of the greatest arcade games of all time", while PCMag found it fun to play.^[8][50] In contrast, neXGam commended its three distinct modes and graphical effects but criticized its sluggish controls and poor gameplay variety.^[2]

Missile Command 3D was one of two games planned to launch with the Jaguar VR peripheral, but it was the only one released officially compatible with it.^{[23][28][52][53]} The deal between Atari and Virtuality Entertainment was falling through in 1995 and collapsed in 1996, with Atari cancelling the Jaguar VR due to health concerns.^{[54][55][56][57]} An arcade game based on the game titled Missile Command VR was developed by Simon Fox of Virtuality and released under the Atari Games license.^[10][58][59] In 2023, video game programmer Rich Whitehouse implemented VR support in Missile Command 3D for the Atari Jaguar emulator BigPEmu, allowing use of modern headsets such as the HTC Vive.^[60]

• Missile Command 3D at AtariAge
• Missile Command 3D at GameFAQs
• Missile Command 3D at Giant Bomb
• Missile Command 3D at MobyGames