AirCars
Post-apocalyptic hovercraft shooter with LAN multiplayer.
AirCars is a 1995 first-person shooter for the Atari Jaguar, developed by MidNite Entertainment Group and released by ICD. The game takes place after a nuclear war, where the player flies a hovercraft to stop the E.B.N.E.R.S. organization from taking over the world. Missions involve destroying specific targets and bosses across multiple levels. Two players can team up via JagLink, and up to eight can compete in deathmatch using the CatBox LAN peripheral—a device designed by Tom Harker that made AirCars the first game to support it.
The story follows a government that placed spies inside E.B.N.E.R.S., a group originally formed to promote peace. The spies discovered the organization had developed force fields, teleporters, and armored aircars, and planned to use them to dominate humanity. The player pilots a prototype aircar, teleported into enemy bases to destroy key facilities and vehicles. The vehicle can strafe, switch camera angles, and fire weapons like shotguns, machine guns, cannons, missiles, mines, and smoke screens. Power-ups either take effect immediately or are stored for later. The dashboard shows a target arrow, radar, speed, and armor. After destroying all targets, the player exits through a teleport gate. Unlimited continues let the player respawn at a random point if destroyed. Some missions include color-coded teleporters.
Development began under MidNite Entertainment Group, which had previously made games for Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, and Atari Lynx. The project was first announced as *Car Wars* at the 1994 Winter CES, with CatBox planned for mid-1994. It was shown as *AirCars* at ToadFest '94, targeting a January 1995 release. After a poor reception at the 1995 Winter CES, the launch slipped to April 1995, with Telegames planning a European version. It appeared nearly complete at E3 1995, scheduled for July, but MidNite cancelled it at the last minute due to indifferent press and financial trouble, even though it was finished and certified. The trademark was abandoned in 1996. ICD then acquired the rights and published the game in 1995 in a small run, though specific release date and quantity details are unverified. Each cartridge came with a full-color label and manual but no outer box. The limited run makes copies sought after by collectors.
Critics generally disliked the game.
Quick Facts
- Title
- AirCars
- Developer
- MidNite Entertainment Group
- Publisher
- ICD
- Platforms
- Atari Jaguar
- Released
- NA · June 18, 1997
- Genre
- Shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
AirCars was developed by the American company MidNite Entertainment Group, one of the initial third-party developers for the Atari Jaguar. The game was first announced at the 1994 Winter Consumer Electronics Show under the name Car Wars, and later shown at ToadFest '94 under its final title. It was planned for release on January 30, 1995, but after a poor press response at the 1995 Winter CES and financial difficulties, MidNite cancelled the title at the last minute despite it being finished and passing certification. ICD acquired the rights and published the game in 1995 in a small run, though specific release date and quantity details are unverified.
Reader's Guide
AirCars received generally unfavorable reception from critics, who highlighted the networked multiplayer as a positive but criticized the required setup, controls, polygonal visuals, and soundscapes. Retrospective commentators have called it the worst shooter on the Jaguar. Despite its poor critical reception, the game's very limited print run has made copies sought after by collectors, commanding high prices on the secondary market. In 2010, a version submitted to the ESRB for review, containing several differences from the original, was discovered and released as KA AirCars. The game's legacy is tied to its role as the first title compatible with the CatBox peripheral, which allowed LAN play with other Jaguar consoles, and to its status as a rare collector's item.
Did You Know?
- AirCars was originally announced under the name Car Wars at the 1994 Winter CES.
- The game was finished and passed certification before being cancelled by MidNite Entertainment Group due to financial troubles.
- ICD published AirCars in 1995 in a limited run, making it a sought-after collector's item.
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