XDR (video game)
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| Developer(s) | Affect |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | UNIPACC |
| Programmer(s) | Tsutomu Yoshikawa[1] |
| Artist(s) | M. Esaki |
| Composer(s) | S. Kaneda |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
XDR (エックス・ディー・アール) (short for "X-Dazedly-Ray") is a horizontally scrolling shooter released in Japan in 1990 for the Mega Drive. It contains six levels.
Plot
[edit]On the terrestrial planet Sephiroth, which is home to a variety of peaceful and prosperous advanced societies, an ancient evil has returned. A long time ago, a warmonger known only as Guardia was banished from the planet, but has finally returned with an entire space military. The Guardia Military soon invades Sephiroth and crushes its defenses with its long hardened space technology. Within time, a space fighter was developed to match the power of the Guardia Military. Based on Guardia's unknown desire for destruction and its own might, the ship was named the "XDR", or "X-Dazedly-Ray".
Gameplay
[edit]Players pilot the titular ship through six different checkpoint-heavy levels, blasting various ground and sky forces. Rather than having Bomb weapons, the ship is equipped to fire a variety of different shots and smaller bombs. Players can collect power ups such as different firing weapons, ground-force bombs, a shield and Options, all of which are upgradable to three levels. Players can also change the ship's speed through four variations. Many of the end-level bosses require timed shots in exact hit points, similar to Gradius.
The XDR can use three different weapons from item pick-ups including its standard upgradable shot, missile pick-ups and Options. The ship can collect the Wide Beam/Vulcan shot, Laser and the Wave Shot. The missile pick-ups actually fire as ground force bombs that fire in four directions once fully upgraded. The ship's Options power up strangely in that the first selected Option encircles the ship, but the second and third power-ups cause the Option to follow the ship from behind rather than encircle it as well as multiply. The ship can also collect items such as a temporary shield and 1 Up icons.
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Aktueller Software Markt | 0/12[2] |
| Beep! MegaDrive | 6.3/10[3] |
| Computer and Video Games | 47%[4] |
| Joystick | 48%[5] |
| Mean Machines Sega | 47%[6] |
| Raze | 60%[7] |
| Tilt | 8/20[8] |
| Mega Drive Advanced Gaming | 43%[9] |
| MegaTech | 47%[10] |
| Power Play | 52%[11] |
| Sega Power | 2/5[12] |
| Sega Pro | 54%[13] |
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked XDR seventh in popularity in its November 1990 issue.[14] The game received a 10.40/30 score in a poll conducted by Mega Drive Fan and a 3.0176/10 score in a 1995 readers' poll conducted by the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine, ranking among Sega Mega Drive titles at the number 519 spot.[15][16] It also garnered generally unfavorable reviews from critics.[3][7][13][17]
References
[edit]- ^ XDR (SMD) Credits Screenshot on VGMPF
- ^ Oppermann, Torsten (October 1990). "Konsolen: Find' ich doof". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 5, no. 10. Tronic Verlag. p. 102.
- ^ a b "BEメガ･ドッグレース: XDR". Beep! Mega Drive (in Japanese). Vol. 6, no. 8. SoftBank Creative. September 1990. p. 23.
- ^ "The Complete Games Guide: Megadrive". Computer and Video Games (special). Vol. 4 (Complete Guide To Consoles ed.). EMAP. November 1990. pp. 26–39.
"The Complete Guide To Sega Games Buyer's Guide: Megadrive". Computer and Video Games (special) (Complete Guide To Sega ed.). EMAP. May 1991. pp. 44–51. - ^ Demoly, Jean-Marc (October 1990). "Consoles News: XDR". Joystick (in French). No. 9. Sipress. p. 122.
- ^ "Games Index: Megadrive". Mean Machines Sega. No. 1. EMAP. October 1992. pp. 137–143.
- ^ a b Ellis, Les (December 1990). "Reviews: XDR". Raze. No. 2. Newsfield. pp. 38–39.
- ^ Scamps, Olivier (December 1990). "Rolling Softs: Exhaustilt!". Tilt (in French). No. 84. Éditions Mondiales S.A.. pp. 120–121.
- ^ "The Incredibly Complete Mega File". Mega Drive Advanced Gaming. No. 5. Maverick Magazines. January 1993. pp. 90–95.
- ^ "Game Index". MegaTech. No. 6. EMAP Images. June 1992. pp. 76–81.
- ^ Hengst, Michael (November 1990). "Power Tests / Videospiele: XDR". Power Play (in German). No. 32. Markt & Technik. p. 140.
- ^ Jarratt, Steve (October 1991). "The Hard Line: Mega Drive". Sega Power. No. 23. Future Publishing. pp. 52–55.
- ^ a b "The ProFile: Mega Drive". Sega Pro. No. 18. Paragon Publishing. April 1993. pp. 64–68.
- ^ Munepi (November 1990). "Super Soft Hot Information: Mega Drive 今月の人気ソフト・ランキング". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 101. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 250.
- ^ "Mega Drive & Game Gear All Catalog '93 7月号特別付録". Mega Drive Fan (in Japanese). Vol. 5, no. 7. Tokuma Shoten. July 15, 1993. p. 52.
- ^ "メガドラ読者レース". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 11, no. 9. SoftBank Creative. September 1995. pp. 82–85.
- ^ Continue [in Japanese] (September 29, 2004). "Chapter 02 1989年". メガドライブ大全 (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 9784872338805.
