The Lawnmower Man (Mega Drive)
From Sega Retro
- For the Sega Mega-CD game, see The Lawnmower Man (Mega-CD).
The Lawnmower Man is an action video game based on the movie of the same name. The game features a mixture of 2D action platforming segments and pseudo-3D first-person virtual reality segments. This version of the game was released for the Sega Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Boy, with a different game being released for the Sega Mega-CD and IBM PC computers.
Curiously this game was originally announced as The Lawnmower Man II, many years before the film sequel was released. The numeral was eventually dropped.
A Sega port of a sequel called Cyberwar was announced but never materialised.
Contents
Story
Dr. Lawrence Angelo is a scientist working for Virtual Space Industries (VSI) in "Project 5," a secret research facility that attempts to increase the intelligence of primates using psychotropic drugs and virtual reality (VR) training. Dr. Angelo is reluctant to use the research for military purposes, and after one of the chimps escapes and shoots a guard, Dr. Angelo is given a forced vacation. While taking notes on the need for experiment with a human subject, he discovers Jobe Smith, a man with an intellectual disability who makes his living by doing odd jobs such as mowing the grass. Angelo takes in Jobe, subjecting him to VR treatment. The first experiments quickly increase Jobe's intelligence, but after an accident, Dr. Angelo stops the experiments. The Shop, a secret agency overseeing Project 5, reinserts the drugs responsible for Jobe's violent behavior into the program and speeds up the treatment. As Jobe develops telekinetic powers, he starts to take revenge on those who abused him before he began the treatments and plots to take over all of the computers in the world.
Gameplay
Players take control of either Dr. Angelo or Carla Parkette (the mother of Jobe's best friend). Gameplay is split between side-scrolling run-and-gun levels and Virtual Reality sections, which are entered by portals in the platforming levels. Players visit several locations from the movie, such as Harley's Gas 'Er Up and the VSI headquarters. There is a two-player mode, where the side-scrolling levels are played simultaneously but the players take turns playing the Virtual Reality segments. There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, and Hard).
The goal of the run-and-gun levels is to explore the area for a portal to provide access to a Virtual Reality world. Along the way, characters must shoot various enemies and fight bosses. Characters move with 
and 
, duck with 
, and jump with 
. Characters fire their main guns with 
. The guns fire a tall spread of bullets. They are also armed with "bit stream weapons," a more powerful shot that can be charged by holding 
and fired by releasing. The characters collect weapon upgrades or data discs by shooting enemies and certain objects in the levels. Though enemies require multiple hits to destroy, a character loses a life when hit only one time, whether by a weapon or by contact with the enemy. The character respawns immediately if the player has extra lives remaining. Once the player has collected a number of data discs, the discs morph into a Virtual Cyber Suit that gives the character protection from one hit. Falling into bottomless pits in the warehouse levels causes the character to respawn on the nearest platform without costing a life.
The Virtual Reality segments are 3D segments based on the CG sequences of the movie. Players have no control over the forward momentum of their characters in these sections, with the D-Pad used to move in any direction. There are three different types of Virtual Reality segments. The Virtual World uses a first-person perspective, and the objective is to dodge obstacles such as trees and arches to get to the exit. Cyber War is similar to Virtual World but stops at set points to shoot "battle chimps." Cyber Run and Cyber Tube are set in the third person and involve fast travel through a VR environment and occasional shooting of obstacles. Shooting is done with , , or . In all segments, players have a limited number of hit points and lose a life and restart the section upon losing all of them.
Players start the game with three continues with three lives each. There is no penalty for using a continue (characters restart from the same point as if they only lost a life, and the player's score is not reset).
Items
These items are found in the platforming levels.
| Compact Disc | |
|---|---|
| Increases the Data Encryption level (a gauge seen next to the player's lives). Once the gauge reaches the green section, the discs morph into a Virtual Cyber Suit that protects the character from a hit. | |
| Extra Life | |
| Gives the player an extra life. | |
| Energize | |
| Temporarily grants the character invincibility and causes the character's gun to disintegrate enemies. | |
| Increase Firepower | |
| Increases the damage and density of the character's weapon fire. | |
| Homing Bullets | |
| Changes the character's weapon to a shot that seeks enemies. | |
| Pulse Weapon | |
| Changes the character's weapon to a shot that resembles a digital signal. | |
| Rear-Firing Bullet | |
| Changes the character's weapon to a shot that shoots to the rear. | |
| Rover | |
| Changes the character's weapon to a large, ring-shaped shot. The rings close in on enemies upon contact. | |
| Smart Bomb | |
| Explodes in a radius that destroys any enemies it touches. | |
| Score Multiplier | |
| Adds to the player's score multiplier (seen in between the Data Encryption gauge and the score). Any points earned are multiplied by this number. |
Objects
These objects are found in the platforming levels.
| Portal | |
|---|---|
Ends the platforming level and enters a Virtual Reality section. Shoot to change from "Access Denied" to "Access Granted," then enter by pressing  when standing over it.
| |
| Computer Terminal | |
| Provides access to a mini-game that awards power-ups if successfully completed. Enter by pressing when standing in front of it.
|
Levels
| Industrial Zone | |
|---|---|
| Suburbia 1 | |
| Virtual Atlantis | |
| Suburbia 2 | |
| Cyberwar Zone 1 | |
| Suburbia 3 | |
| The Cyber Run | |
| VSI Warehouse 1 | |
| Cyber Dusk | |
| The Roof | |
| VSI Warehouse 2 | |
| Concrete Jungle | |
| Cyberwar Zone 2 | |
| VSI Warehouse 3 | |
| Cyber Office | |
| The Shop 1 | |
| Cyber Egypt | |
| The Shop 2 | |
| Cyberwar Zone 3 | |
| The Shop 3 | |
| Cosmic City | |
| The Shop 4 | |
| The Cyber Tube | |
| Cyber Jobe | |
Computer terminals
There are several computer terminals found in the platforming levels that can be entered to play a mini-game, resembling an IQ test. The tests require completing a pattern of shapes or numbers in the top row by selecting a tile on the bottom row (using and to choose a tile and , , or to select it). The tests are timed; choosing correctly adds more time while choosing incorrectly costs time. There are five tests in all.
If the player is successful, the character is returned to the platforming level and the terminal is destroyed, releasing a cache of power-ups (including an extra life). Otherwise, if the player runs out of time, the test ends with no reward given.
Production credits
- Game Designer: Simon Pick
- Programmers: Kev Brady, Chris Nilsson, Kevin Parker
- Graphic Artist: Rob Whittaker, Porl Perrot
- Original Music and Sound Effects: Allister Brimble
- SEGA Music and Sound Effects: Teque London
- Producer: Sean Kelly
- Executive Producers: Jane Cavanagh, Rob Henderson
- Play Testers: Chris Lipscombe, Matt Sansom, Mike Wolliston, Rob Boone, Nick Ryan
- TWI Producer: Ken Humphries
- Manual Editing: Jon Mongelluzzo
- Manual Design: Beeline Group
Magazine articles
- Main article: The Lawnmower Man (Mega Drive)/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)[8]
Physical scans
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66 |
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| Based on 20 reviews | |
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 Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, EU |
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 Cover
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 Cart  Manual  PCB |
| Mega Drive, PT |
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 Cover
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| Mega Drive, PT (alt) |
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 Cover
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| Mega Drive, AU |
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 Cart  Manual |
Technical information
- Main article: The Lawnmower Man (Mega Drive)/Technical information.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Atod
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 10 October 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 12
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Computer & Video Games, "August 1994" (UK; 1994-07-15), page 46
- ↑ Sega Power, "September 1994" (UK; 1994-08-04), page 29
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 File:NewReleases 1994-11 AU Catalogue.pdf, page 13
- ↑ Sega Megazone, "January 1995" (AU; 199x-xx-xx), page 26
- ↑ File:Lawnmowerman MD US Manual.pdf, page 12
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 147
- ↑ Velikiy Drakon, "" (RU; 1997-09-01), page 2
- ↑ Velikiy Drakon, "" (RU; 1997-10-18), page 78
- ↑ Velikiy Drakon, "" (RU; 1997-12-07), page 89
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 113
- ↑ Electronic Games (1992-1995), "December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 166
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 46
- ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 325
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 10 October 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 113
- ↑ GamePro, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 136
- ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-xx), page 15
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 118
- ↑ Joypad, "Novembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 57
- ↑ MAN!AC, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-09), page 84
- ↑ Mega Fun, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 124
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-09-30), page 92
- ↑ Play Time, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-09), page 106
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "Dezember 1994" (DE; 1994-11-17), page 83
- ↑ Sega Power, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-10-20), page 82
- ↑ Sega Pro, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-11-03), page 76
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Mayo 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 50
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 18
- ↑ Video Games, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 94
- ↑ VideoGames, "December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 128
| The Lawnmower Man (Mega Drive) | |
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