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The Flintstones (1994 Ocean Software video game)

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Not to be confused with the 1993 Genesis game by Taito also titled The Flintstones.
The Flintstones
SNES box art
North American SNES box art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Ocean Software
Platform(s)
ReleaseGame Boy
  • NA: December 1994
  • EU: 1994
SNES
Genre(s)Platform game
Mode(s)Single-player

The Flintstones is a 1994 video game adaptation of the live-action 1994 film The Flintstones.[2] It was released on Super NES and Game Boy.

Gameplay

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As Fred Flintstone, the player must save Fred's family from Cliff Vandercave.

The Flintstones is a 2D platforming game where the player controls Fred Flintstone who must rescue Pebbles, Bam-Bam, Barney, and Wilma from the evil Cliff Vandercave. All three versions feature different levels and enemies.[3][4][5]

Development and release

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The Flintstones is based on the live-action 1994 film adaptation of The Flintstones animated sitcom from Hanna-Barbera. UK-based Ocean Software, which had a penchant for releasing licensed games based on intellectual properties, acquired the rights to the game tie-in. Versions were developed for the SNES (by Ocean themselves), Game Boy (by Twilight), and Sega Genesis (at least partially by Foley Hi-Tech[6]). Mark Rogers was the development manager and chief programmer for the 16-bit ports.[7][8][9] Throughout the game's production the design team kept in close contact with the studio behind the film, United International Pictures (UIP), which provided them with the script, costume designs, and early showings. The developers were expected to match the character sprites with the movie's actors rather those of the original cartoon.[7] Ocean sales manager Paul Patterson recalled The Flintstones was an example of why their products were sometimes delayed. He explained, "In the game we had Fred Flintstone walking away with his back to the screen. Unfortunately there was no artwork available from the studio because Fred Flintstones back was never seen on TV and this became a real problem getting it signed off."[10]

Ocean published the Game Boy and SNES renditions in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Various magazines of the time projected the Genesis port for release between November 1994 and December 1995.[7][11][12][13] It never receiving a physical release, but was instead briefly distributed digitally, exclusively via the Sega Channel in North America in 1995.[14] While the full Genesis version of the game is considered lost media, a prototype allegedly taken from an EPROM surfaced online in 2019, containing no sound and only two levels.[15]

Reception

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Next Generation reviewed the SNES version, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "the game (as the movie) could've used more innovation, but it looks good, and plays well".[2] GamePro praised its graphics, multi-layered parallax scrolling, and "solid" controls, calling it overall a "fun" and "lightweight" game.[22] Electronic Gaming Monthly's review crew gave it an average score of 5.8/10 from five reviewers, calling the game just a "routine sidescroller", and said that Taito's previous Flintstones games with graphics based on the cartoon were better, and that the graphics based on the movie "really [don't] work".[4] VideoGames gave it an overall score of 8 out of 10, calling it a "solid" platformer with good replay value and particularly praising the "fluid" animations and "satisfying" sound effects.[19] GameFan gave it an average score of 82% from three reviewers, who praised its difficulty and varied gameplay mechanics. All three reviewers heavily praised the graphics, with one comparing Fred's fluid animations to that of Prince of Persia (1989).[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Skid; Nick Rox; Takahara (February 1995). "Viewpoint: The Flintstones". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 2. Die Hard Publishing. p. 22. ISSN 1070-3020.
  2. ^ a b c "Finals - SNES: The Flintstones". Next Generation. No. 4. GP Publications. April 1995. p. 100. ISSN 1078-9693.
  3. ^ "The Flintstones". Consoles + [fr] (in French). No. 42. EMAP France [fr]. April 1995. p. 156. ISSN 1162-8669. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Ed Semrad; Danyon Carpenter; Al Manuel; Sushi-X; Mike Weigand (March 1995). "Review Crew: Major Mike's Game Roundup - The Flintstones". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 68. Sendai Publishing Group. p. 34. ISSN 1058-918X.
  5. ^ "Flintstones". Total! (German Edition) (in German). MVL-Verlag. May 17, 1995. ISSN 0944-534X. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  6. ^ Foley, David (January 17, 1997). "David Foley, Resume': Work Experience - 1983-Present Foley Hi-Tech (Founder)". David Foley, President. FHT Development Corporation. Archived from the original on February 10, 1997. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Merrett, Steve (September 1994). "Cover Story: The Flintstones". Mean Machines Sega. No. 23. EMAP. pp. 16–20. ISSN 0967-9014.
  8. ^ Staff (November 1994). "Work in Progress: The Flintstones". Super Gamer. No. 8. Paragon Publishing. p. 31.
  9. ^ Electronic Games staff (September 1994). "Summer CES Round Up". Electronic Games. Vol. 2, no. 12. Decker Publications. p. 40. ISSN 1063-8326.
  10. ^ Wilkins, Chris; Kean, Roger M. (December 1, 2013). The History of Ocean. Fusion Retro Books. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-99-313151-6.
  11. ^ Sega Visions staff (September 1995). "incoming". Sega Visions. No. 25. IDG. p. 96. OCLC 794192137.
  12. ^ MegaZone staff (May 1995). "The 'Coming Soon' bit". MegaZone. No. 51. Mason Stewart Publishing. p. 11. ISSN 1321-8131.
  13. ^ CVG staff (April 1995). "Yabba Dabba Didn't". Computer and Video Games. No. 161. Future plc. p. 8. ISSN 0261-3697.
  14. ^ Scullion, Chris (2021). The Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Encyclopedia. England: Pen & Sword Books Limited. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-52674-6597.
  15. ^ "News/Holiday 2019 (Day 7) - Flintstones". HiddenPalace.org. December 31, 2019. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Flintstones". Consoles + (in French). No. 42. April 1995. p. 156. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  17. ^ Markus (April 1995). "The Flintstones". Mega Fun (in German). p. 29. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Andy (May 1995). "The Flintstones". Total!. No. 41. p. 51. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Hallock, Betty; Loftus, Jim; Soria, Gabe (April 1995). "Super NES: The Flintstones". VideoGames. No. 75. L.F.P., Inc. p. 63. ISSN 1059-2938.
  20. ^ "Flintstones". Video Games (in German). April 1995. p. 105. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "The Flintstones". GB Action. No. 33. December 1994. pp. 24–25. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  22. ^ Sarah Nade (March 1995). "ProReview: The Flintstones". GamePro. No. 68. Infotainment World. p. 66. ISSN 1042-8658.
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