Menacer

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Menacer
Plastic, gray toy gun with orange highlights and attached black shoulder stock and white scopes.
DeveloperMac Senour
ManufacturerSega
TypeLight gun
Release date1992 (1992)
Introductory priceUS$59.99 (equivalent to $130 in 2023)[1][2]
PowerSix AAA batteries[3]
PlatformSega Genesis

The Menacer is a

shooting gallery games. Sega also released a Menacer bundle with Terminator 2: The Arcade Game
.

Sega producer Mac Senour was responsible for the Menacer project and designed the six-game pack. He originally proposed non-shooting

first-party release for the Menacer apart from the included multicart
. Compatible games were published through 1995.

The Menacer is remembered as a critical and commercial flop. Critics found the six-game pack subpar and repetitive, and criticized the peripheral's lack of games. The ToeJam & Earl spinoff game was held in the highest regard, and reviewers recommended the Menacer-compatible Terminator 2 game. A direct-to-TV light gun that includes the six-game Menacer pack was released in 2005.

Description

infrared beam[5] with a trigger on the back grip.[7] There are three buttons on the pistol's front grip: one pauses the game and the other two provide game-specific functions.[7] Unlike the Super Scope, the Menacer has two infrared transmitters.[8] The optional skeletal shoulder stock and binocular[6] twin sights were designed to improve the aim. Digital Spy reported that the twin sights never worked as intended,[5] and Sega Force wrote that the gun must be recalibrated when adding or removing the sights.[3] Calibration is performed by aiming at a bullseye target to adjust the gun's sensitivity.[7] The gun was designed to be reassembled to suit the player.[9]

The light gun's shots are controlled by its aim towards the television.

crosshairs on the screen to eliminate the need to aim manually through the sights.[9] The gun does not have a "turbo" mode for continuous fire, unlike the Super Scope.[8]

History

Bazooka-shaped, gray light gun with built-in shoulder support and orange accents, gray scope attached and forward grip
Nintendo Super Scope, the peripheral that prompted the Menacer
Chunky, bright orange light gun with black RCA cables attached
Radica's 2005 direct-to-TV dedicated console plays the Menacer's six-game cartridge without a Sega Genesis.

The Menacer was produced in response to the Nintendo

Master System's Light Phaser.[7]

Mac Senour, a producer at Sega,

first-party releases for the Menacer—Senour recollected that "they laughed when I proposed more."[11]

Sega announced the Menacer alongside the

television advertisements directed by Danny Boyle.[17] Playthings reported that Chicago toy retailers promoted Sega electronics including the Menacer over Nintendo's during their 1992 Thanksgiving promotions.[18] Sega's sales exceeded Nintendo's during the 1992 Christmas season, and gained cultural cachet for the Menacer among other peripherals.[19] Electronic Gaming Monthly reported in March 1993 that the Menacer would not have a new game for six months.[20] Compatible games were published through 1995.[21]

Mac Senour left Sega in 1993

Virgin Megastore display. His translators told the clerk that Senour was responsible for the Menacer, and when Senour offered to autograph their stock, the clerk replied in slow English that Senour could autograph the items he purchased.[11]

In 2005, Radica created a Menacer-based direct-to-TV dedicated console with the original six-game cartridge built into a light gun controller[23] as part of their Play TV Legends line of Sega Genesis dedicated consoles.[24] Retro Gamer wrote that Radica's gun is based on the Sega Saturn light gun's design and not the Menacer's.[25]

Games

shooting gallery games:[5]

Digital Spy mentioned

Wild West shoot 'em up for the Sega CD, used either a controller or a choice of several light guns: the Menacer, the Konami Justifier, or the game developer's own compatible light gun.[29] In the 1994 Body Count, the player defends Earth from an alien invasion. The Irish Times wrote that the game is "ideally suited for the ... Menacer" and is "to be avoided" otherwise.[30] The Menacer is also compatible with Corpse Killer and American Laser Games' other titles, such as Who Shot Johnny Rock?[31] The light gun does not work with Konami's Lethal Enforcers games or Snatcher,[31] which use the Konami Justifier.[32]

List of Menacer-compatible games by release date
Title Release date (console)
Menacer 6-game cartridge[5] June 1, 1992[33] (Genesis)
Terminator 2: The Arcade Game[9] June 6, 1992[34] (Genesis)
Mad Dog McCree[29] April 22, 1993[35] (Sega CD)
Body Count[30] 1994
Mega Drive, Sega Channel[36]
)
Who Shot Johnny Rock?[37] September 21, 1994[35] (Sega CD)
Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold[38] September 27, 1994[35] (Sega CD)
Corpse Killer[21] November 7, 1994
Sega 32X[21]
)
Crime Patrol[40] December 16, 1994[35] (Sega CD)

Reception

Matthew Reynolds of Digital Spy wrote that the Menacer was a poorly executed "flop" that is much less likely to be remembered than its Super Scope competitor, even though the latter did not fare much better. Reynolds added that the Menacer was hurt by the poor quality of the pack-in six-game cartridge and a lack of titles in support of the peripheral.[5] Will Smith of The Hawk Eye concurred, calling the peripheral "a commercial and critical flop".[10] The Menacer's original reviewers pinned the device's success on the strength of its developer support,[3][7][8] and multiple reviewers cited the Menacer's lack of good games as the cause for its decline.[5][31][41]

Writing for the Chicago Tribune on the 1992 Consumer Electronics Show, Dennis Lynch saw the Super Scope and Menacer as a continuation of a Nintendo–Sega arms race and wrote that the peripheral's "Uzi attachment" was "just what every kid needs".[42] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Andy Pargh said the Menacer was "definitely a winner" in comparison to the Super Scope.[43] Toronto Star's William Burrill wrote that the "Great Zapper War"[44] would be decided by the strength of the light guns' supporting games.[8][44] Multiple reviewers ultimately recommended that players wait for more games to be released before purchasing the Menacer.[3][7][8][9] William Burrill of the Toronto Star said not to bother unless the player "absolutely love[s] target shooter games".[8] Mean Machines called the Menacer "an expensive novelty" until it had more games.[7] The Herald Sun wrote in August 1993 that the Menacer looked to be "an expensive, limited-use fad".[45]

GamePro considered the gun "well-designed" and "fairly good-looking", though they wrote that the gun's options buttons were inconvenient and that the Menacer's lengthy recalibrations before play sessions without Accu-Sight were tedious.

launch titles. He added that the Menacer was less tiring to use than the Super Scope, praised the Menacer's infrared, and criticized the gun's lack of available software.[7]

Multiple reviewers found the pack-in six-game cartridge games subpar

1UP.com wrote that the Menacer's games were "duller" than its competitor Super Scope's already dull games, but Tomatoes! gave Sega's cartridge "some pittance of value".[46] Mega rated the ToeJam & Earl spin-off at 62%, calling it "fun and strange" though "rather repetitive".[9] Sega Force thought the game's graphics were the pack's best, and its audio to be of high quality, though the magazine also considered the game repetitive.[3] GamePro thought the game's colors were oversaturated.[4]

As for the other six-pack titles, Mega called Rockman's Zone "not a very inspiring game" for its slow pacing and "bland" graphics.[9] Reviewers compared the game to Hogan's Alley[4][7][8][47] and Empire City: 1931.[7] Mega called Space Station Defender's concept "incredibly daft".[9] GamePro criticized Space Station Defender's "washed-out and ugly" graphics and "obnoxious" audio. The magazine thought poorly of most of the cartridge's audio.[4] Mega found Whack Ball easy and did not expect players to maintain interest in it for longer than an hour.[9] Sega Visions compared Whack Ball to Arkanoid.[6] Mega wrote that Front Line was programmed poorly with "the appearance of having never met up with a gamestester", calling it "truly awful".[9] Electronic Gaming Monthly[47] and GamePro compared the game to Operation Wolf.[15] Sega Force rated Front Line lowest within the six-pack, with a score of 22%. The magazine wrote that the bug game, Pest Control, would make players bored after ten minutes,[3] and Mega said the game was not worth loading even once, giving it their lowest rating of the bunch: 12%.[9] Sega Force wrote in February that the games were only fun for an hour and that the peripheral's success would depend on its future games, adding, "Without that [developer] support, it will die as surely as all other attempts at light guns have done."[3] The magazine ultimately recommended against purchase until more games were released.[3]

Sega Force's Paul Wooding considered Terminator 2 a "must" for Menacer owners, adding that it far surpassed the quality of the six-pack games.

The Centre for Computing History has said that the museum's Menacer is his favorite piece in the collection when used with the Aura Interactor haptic suit.[49]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Mark Voorsanger.[13]
  2. ^ GamePro reported its release to be in late October,[4][15] but Mean Machines wrote that the Menacer was released in December.[7]
  3. ^ The 6-game cartridge was developed by Western Technologies.[26]
References
  1. ^ "OPEN-DOOR ELECTRONICS". Post-Tribune. June 4, 1992. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  2. ISSN 0734-7456 – via LexisNexis
    .
  3. ^
    ISSN 0964-2552
    .
  4. ^
    ISSN 1042-8658
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Reynolds, Matthew (March 16, 2013). "Menacer retrospective: The Mega Drive's light-gun flop". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  6. ^
    OCLC 794192137
    .
  7. ^
    ISSN 0960-4952
    .
  8. ^
    ISSN 0319-0781 – via LexisNexis
    .
  9. ^
    ISSN 0966-6206
    .
  10. ^
    McClatchy - Tribune Business News – via LexisNexis
    .
  11. ^ a b c d e Horowitz, Ken (October 23, 2013). "Interview: Mac Senour". Sega-16. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Campbell, Colin (October 25, 2013). "How Sega almost rejected Genesis classic Gunstar Heroes". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  13. ^ Fahs, Travis (January 15, 2009). "Funkotronics 101". IGN. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  14. ^ Van Buskirk, Ellen Beth (May 28, 1992). "Sega Announces New $99.99 (a) Packages for Genesis and Game Gear". Business Wire – via ProQuest.
  15. ^
    ISSN 1042-8658
    .
  16. ISSN 0888-4501
    .
  17. ISSN 1055-9825 – via Factiva
    .
  18. ^ Rakstis, Ted (January 1, 1993). "Chicago: holiday toyland trade takes off. (What's Selling)". Playthings. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  19. ^ Battelle, John (December 1993). "The Next Level: Sega's Plans for World Domination". Wired. Vol. 1, no. 6. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  20. ISSN 1058-918X
    .
  21. ^
    AllGame. Archived from the original
    on November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  22. ^ Sheffield, Brandon (August 18, 2011). "Getting into Sega QA in the Genesis era". Insert Credit. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  23. ^ Harris, Craig (February 22, 2005). "Sega's Menacer Returns". IGN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  24. ^ "Radica Games Limited". Thomson Reuters Knowledge Direct. Thomson Financial. January 15, 2014 – via LexisNexis.
  25. ISSN 1742-3155
    .
  26. AllGame. Archived from the original
    on November 14, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  27. ^
    ISSN 0964-2552
    .
  28. OCLC 794192137
    .
  29. ^
    ProQuest 751019740
    .
  30. ^ a b Rowe, Garrett (August 27, 1994). "GAMEZONE: Pitching for a World Series". The Irish Times. p. 11. Retrieved February 15, 2015 – via LexisNexis.
  31. ^ a b c d e Horowitz, Ken (October 23, 2013). "Sega Gear: Menacer Light Gun". Sega-16. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  32. 1UP.com. Archived from the original
    on June 26, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  33. ^ "Sega Games". IGN. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  34. ^ a b "Probe Games". IGN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  35. ^ a b c d "American Laser Games Games". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  36. Good Game. September 13, 2011. Archived
    from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  37. ^ Who Shot Johnny Rock? manual. 1994. p. 7. The FRONT bottom button can be used to pause the game with the Menacer. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  38. ^ Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold manual. 1994. p. 8. The FRONT bottom button can be used to pause the game with the Menacer. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  39. ^ "Digital Pictures Games". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  40. ^ Crime Patrol manual. 1994. p. 6. Reload by shooting off screen (the Menacer box that sits above your TV must detect that the menacer has fired, so point in its direction). {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  41. Nintendo Life. Archived
    from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  42. ^ Lynch, Dennis (June 26, 1992). "The Best and Worst of CES". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  43. ISSN 1539-7459 – via LexisNexis
    .
  44. ^
    ISSN 0319-0781 – via LexisNexis
    .
  45. ^ Calegari, D. (August 25, 1993). "Menacing, but it just might become a fad". Herald Sun – via LexisNexis.
  46. ^
    1UP.com. Archived from the original
    on December 31, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  47. ^
    ISSN 1058-918X
    .
  48. ISSN 0966-6206
    .
  49. Nintendo Life. Archived
    from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.

External links

Media related to Sega Menacer at Wikimedia Commons

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