''Wirehead'' is a 1995
interactive film
An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, o ...
developed by
The Code Monkeys and published by
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
for the
Sega CD
The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...
. It was produced by
MGM Interactive
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro- ...
. ''Wirehead'' was one of the last games released for the Sega CD, and one of the platform's most ambitious
full-motion video
Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games feature FMVs as a way to present information duri ...
productions.
Gameplay
Ned Hubbard (
Steve Witting
Steve Witting is an American actor. He began his career in the 1980s comedy series '' Valerie'' (1987) as David Hogan's (Jason Bateman) nerdy friend Bert.
Early life
Witting began acting by joining Richmond Hill High School drama club in Qu ...
) is a mild-mannered family man who has a wireless device implanted into his brain. When strange men attempt to kidnap Ned from his home, he flees for his life. The player guides Ned by manipulating his
brain–computer interface
A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI), is a direct communication link between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic limb. BCIs are often dire ...
. Every few seconds, the player must react quickly to an audiovisual prompt, and guide Ned in one of three or four possible directions. In most cases, one option advances the game, and the others lead to Ned's downfall. Although Ned's evasive maneuvers are almost invariably non-violent, a few circumstances instigate "combat mode", in which the player has two attack options: punch or kick.
Development
The
Sega CD
The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...
version was released in September 1995. A version for the
Sega CD 32X was announced, but never released.
Reception
''Defunct Games'' gave the game a C+ review score.
[http://www.defunctgames.com/review/752/wirehead]
References
External links
* {{MobyGames, id=/sega-cd/wirehead , name=Wirehead
1995 video games
The Code Monkeys games
Cyberpunk video games
Full motion video based games
Interactive movie video games
MGM Interactive games
North America-exclusive video games
Sega CD games
Sega CD-only games
Sega video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom