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Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings

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Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings
North American Genesis cover art
Developer(s)Alexandria
Publisher(s)U.S. Gold
Platform(s)Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release1995 (Genesis)
1996 (SNES)
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings is a 1995 platformer video game developed by Alexandria and published by U.S. Gold for the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Gameplay

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In the game, the player controls Izzy, the mascot of the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics.[1][2]

Development and release

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In early 1994, British publisher U.S. Gold signed an exclusive licensing agreement with the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Summer Olympics to develop video games tied to the event, including one based on its official mascot Izzy.[3] Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings was contracted to Los Osos-based start-up Alexandria, which was a subsidiary of Creative Programming and Technology Ventures (CPTV).[4] Alexandria was a young group of designers that included producer and programmer Matt Powers, who took on a leadership role starting with their first project Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers. Powers was one of two programmers on teams consisting of only five to ten people.[5][6] Some of the staff at Alexandria overlapped with another CPTV subsidiary, Oddworld Inhabitants, who later created the Oddworld series.[7][8]

Alexandria became wholly-owned by CPTV in November 1994.[4] After strong initial sales of Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers, CPTV projected a first quarter 1995 launch for Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings and other titles to avoid competition around Christmas 1994.[9] SNES and Sega Genesis versions were reported for April 1995 and a Sega 32X version for June of that year.[10][11] Some magazines pushed the 16-bit ports to May or June.[12][13][14][15] In July, CPTV announced a "broad market release" of the game for fall 1995.[16] The company finally settled on a launch for the week of November 6, 1995 for the SNES edition and the following week for the Genesis edition with plans to ship 35,000 copies for each console.[17] The 32X version of the game never materialized. CPTV announced net losses for the first quarter of its fiscal year 1996 and corporate restructuring that ultimately led to the closure of Alexandria.[18]

Reception

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Next Generation rated the Genesis version two stars out of five, finding that with the oversaturation of mascot platformers, the game is "another side-scrolling action game that leaves a bad taste in your mouth."[22] Game Informer gave an overall score of 5.75 out of 10 noting the game geared for younger players, the gameplay being too easy and noting that the game does not offer anything new or innovative although the game was well designed for an action platformer concluding “it captures the quality of Sonic the Hedgehog and promises the wholesomeness and entertainment of the Olympic Games themselves.”[20]

References

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  1. ^ Nintendo Power staff (June 1995). "Take 2 Review: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Nintendo Power. No. 73. Nintendo of America. pp. 82–3. ISSN 1041-9551.
  2. ^ Nintendo Power staff (June 1996). "Super NES Olympic Celebration: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Nintendo Power. No. 85. Nintendo of America. pp. 52–3. ISSN 1041-9551.
  3. ^ Worley, Joyce; Chamberlain, Ross (April 1994). "Hotline: U.S. Gold Wins '96 Olympics". Electronic Games. Vol. 2, no. 7. Decker Publications. p. 10. ISSN 0730-6687.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (August 31, 1996). "Annual Report — Small Business — Form 10-KSB". Fran Finnegan & Company LLC. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Powers, Matt (May 23, 2014). "The Road : My Journey from Programmer to Producer". Game Developer. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Powers, Matt (February 28, 2014). "A Brief History of Video Game Development". Game Developer. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Brandon (September 21, 2007). "High Moon Shining: Inside Sierra's San Diego Outpost". Game Developer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Saltzman, Marc (2000). Game Design: Secrets of the Sages (2nd ed.). BradyGames. p. 182. ISBN 1-56686-987-0.
  9. ^ "CPTV Announces New Commercial Contracts for Celluloid; Strong Initial Sales for Cagey Capers Video Game". PR Newswire. December 7, 1994. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  10. ^ VideoGames staff (May 1995). "Preview: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". VideoGames. Vol. 7, no. 5. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 62. ISSN 1059-2938.
  11. ^ Pilkington, Mark (May 1995). "Preview: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Sega Pro. No. 44. Paragon Publishing. p. 32—3. ISSN 0964-2641.
  12. ^ Swan, Gus; Merrett, Steve (April 1995). "In Progress: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Mean Machines Sega. No. 30. EMAP. pp. 32–3. ISSN 0960-4952.
  13. ^ NMS staff (April 1995). "Nintendo News Network: Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Busy". Nintendo Magazine System (UK). No. 31. Future plc. ISSN 1750-9998.
  14. ^ a b Tommy Glide (May 1995). "ProReview: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". GamePro. No. 70. IDG. p. 84. ISSN 1042-8658.
  15. ^ Consoles + staff (April 1995). "Reportage: US Gold: Au Bout Du Tunnel (Sous La Manche)" [At the End of the Tunnel (Under the Channel)]. Consoles + (in French). No. 42. Yellow Media. p. 70. ISSN 1162-8669.
  16. ^ PRNewswire (July 18, 1995). "CPTV REPORTS SIGNIFICANT REVENUE GAINS FOR THIRD ... Announces New Contracts For Alexandria Studios, Inc". STR Publishing Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Archive.org.
  17. ^ PRNewswire (November 1, 1995). "CPTV ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATES FOR TWO GAMES". STR Publishing Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Archive.org.
  18. ^ PRNewswire (January 16, 1996). "CPTV ANNOUNCES LOSS FOR FIRST QUARTER OF FISCAL 1996; RESTRUCTURING PLAN PROCEEDING". Bankrupt.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  19. ^ Tommy Glide (April 1995). "ProReview: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". GamePro. No. 69. IDG. p. 46. ISSN 1042-8658.
  20. ^ a b VanDerSchaegen, Ross; McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul (April 1995). "Genesis Reviews: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Game Informer. No. 24. Sunrise Publications. p. 18. ISSN 1067-6392.
  21. ^ Dimiceli, Vinny (May 1995). "Genesis review: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings" (PDF). Game Players. Vol. 8, no. 5. Imagine Media. p. 58. ISSN 1087-2779. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2024.
  22. ^ a b Next Generation staff (May 1995). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 5. Imagine Media. p. 99. ISSN 1078-9693.
  23. ^ Total! staff (June 1996). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Total!. No. 57. Future plc. pp. 66–7. ISSN 0964-9352.
  24. ^ Ação Games staff (January 1996). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Ação Games (in Portuguese). No. 99. Editora Azul. pp. 26–7. ISSN 0104-1630.
  25. ^ Elvira (October 1995). "Super Nintendo Review: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Consoles + (in French). No. 47. M.E.R.7. p. 101. ISSN 1162-8669.
  26. ^ Yates, Laurie (May 1995). "Consoles: Five Olympic Rings... Quest for Gold takes Izzy through Torch World". Electronic Games. Vol. 3, no. 8. Decker Publications. p. 74. ISSN 0730-6687.
  27. ^ Prince (January 1996). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Game Power (in Italian). No. 48. Studio Vit. pp. 110–1. OCLC 955565950.
  28. ^ Ripley, Teniente (January 1996). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). No. 52. Hobby Press. pp. 94–5. OCLC 436479097.
  29. ^ Morgan (October 1995). "Izzy's Olympic Quest". fr:Joypad (magazine) Joypad. No. 46. Yellow Media. p. 45. ISSN 1163-586X.
  30. ^ Ehrle, Oliver (January 1996). "Spiele-Tests: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". MAN!AC (in German). No. 27. Cybermedia. p. 64. ISSN 2191-012X.
  31. ^ Sariban, Mark (May 1995). "Mega Drive Review: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". MegaZone. No. 51. Mason Stewart Publishing. pp. 28–9. ISSN 1321-8131.
  32. ^ Mega Force staff (October 1995). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". Mega Force (in French). No. 43. MegaPress. pp. 98–9. ISSN 1161-4412.
  33. ^ Souleiman, Sandrie (March 1996). "Test: Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings" (PDF). Mega Fun. Computec. p. 84. ISSN 0946-6282. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2022.
  34. ^ Sauer, Dirk (February 1996). "Reviews: Izzy's Quest". Video Games (in German). No. 42. Future Verlag. ISSN 0946-0985.
  35. ^ Higgins, Geoff (August 1995). "Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings". VideoGames. No. 79. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 74. ISSN 1059-2938.
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