IRVINE, Calif., March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Interplay Productions' highly anticipated title "Descent(TM)" smashed into the retail channel today, D-Day, in the wake of the largest marketing campaign in the company's history. Interplay's "Descent" brings arcade/action gaming to the forefront as an original title for IBM and 100% compatible computers with 30 mind-scrambling levels in a 3-D first-person arcade/action game and a full 360-degree stomach-turning environment.
Currently #1 on the Internet's Top 100 Games for the sixth week in a row, "Descent" arrives on shelves with the full force of $1.5 million in marketing support, the largest marketing launch for a PC title in the history of the company, and quite possibly the industry. The launch includes a national TV, print and radio campaign. The marketing campaign also includes a partnership with Intel's Pentium line, a heavy- up in-store point of purchase campaign and more.
"`Descent' has far surpassed our initial expectations," said Jerry Luttrell, marketing manager for Interplay. "We knew gamers would go for it in a big way, but this kind of attention is unprecedented! The retail channel obviously couldn't wait as we have had numerous reports of retailers breaking the street date and selling it as early as March 15th."
With its outstanding and highly-advanced enemy artificial intelligence, "Descent" offers multi-player action with up to 8-person network play, head-to-head and modem support, tournament mode and death match. Another highlight of this advanced arcade/action game is the outstanding 3-D automap feature. These are just a few samplings of the exceptional features that gives players what they're looking for in a frenzied, hair-raising, stomach-turning action/arcade game.
The first glimpse gamers got of this hot title was the shareware version first released on Dec. 21 via the Interplay BBS and other computer bulletin boards and on-line services worldwide. That's when the pandemonium began. Interplay's BBS has been constantly busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week since the shareware was uploaded. But gamers patiently waited it out until they could get in and download the shareware game that everyone on the net was raving about.
"Descent," developed by Parallax Studios, is set deep in the mines of Lunar Base I where an unknown alien race has taken over the outposts of the Post Terrain Mineral Corporation. Players must rescue stranded hostages, destroy each command center and get out alive. Boasting 30 mind-scrambling levels, players must adjust as top becomes bottom and hang onto their senses as they scream straight down intense texture- wrapped mine shafts in their fully self-contained futuristic sub-light fighter.
Players can expect to be outwitted by phenomenal artificial intelligence where enemies and creatures strategize against their human opponent, morphing and adjusting their actions based upon the player's. With a simple keystroke, players can access the outstanding 3-D automap to orient themselves at any time throughout the game. Additionally, light source shading and directional sound effects add a sense of reality to the game play. Multi-channel, digital sound effects and an industrial rock score, screams as players plunge down the 3-D texture- mapped passages of "Descent."
"Descent" was produced by veteran Interplay producer Rusty Buchert. His past achievements include "Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space CD-ROM(TM)" "Star Trek: Judgement Rites(TM)" and "BattleChess 4000(TM)."
"Descent" is available now for IBM and 100% compatible systems. A CD-ROM version with an additional 30 levels will be available in the third quarter. A Macintosh version is currently in production and will be available early fourth quarter. "Descent" is Interplay's first virtual reality game that supports the VFX-1 VR-Helmet by Forte Technologies and the Cybermaxx VR-Helmet by Vectormaxx.
Founded in 1983, Interplay Productions is a company dedicated to manufacturing and distributing a wide range of award-winning entertainment and educational software designed for gamers, by gamers. Interplay, its MacPlay division and their affiliates release products for IBM and compatibles, CD-ROM and Macintosh as well as CD-i, 3DO, SEGA and Nintendo game platforms. Interplay's OEM division represents over 200 titles from publishers including Davidson & Associates Inc., LucasArts, Viacom New Media and Accolade to hardware manufacturers. Interplay titles include "Descent(TM)," "Cyberia(TM)," "Boogerman(TM)," "Voyeur(TM)," "BattleChess(R)" and "C2: Judgement Clay(TM)."
Interplay offers its own web site on the Internet, reachable at http://www.interplay.com, where visitors can access the latest in company and product information, technical support and customer service as well as downloadable product demos and shareware.
-0- 3/17/95
/CONTACT: Kirk Green of Interplay, 714-553-6655/
CO: Interplay Productions ST: California IN: CPR SU: PDT
BB-JP -- LA022 -- 8285 03/17/95 16:17 EST
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