You’d be right to think that the FMV game has seen a bit of an injection of life in recent times. Much of that is down to the brilliance of Wales Interactive and their plethora of full-motion video affairs. But back in the 1990s, FMV was on the verge of going stratospheric and American Hero promised to take it to the next level. Until it was cancelled. That was then though, and this is now – a time when American Hero is back!
Available to purchase and download today on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC and the Atari VCS, American Hero is a long-lost Atari Jaguar project that has been picked up and revived by the team at Ziggurat Interactive.
Priced at £12.49 from the Xbox Store (other prices may vary), American Hero plays out as an over-the-top 1990s Hollywood action movie; one which combines action, madness, thrills and humour as one. It sees you playing as Jack, a former intelligence officer who is taking on one final mission – that of stopping an evil virologist from taking control of the citizens of LA.
The thing is, this means Jack has people on his tail and he’ll need to do anything and everything he can in order to shift them. It’ll be your decisions that dictate how this happens.
“It’s been an incredible journey to preserve, enhance and complete this unique and ambitious FMV project,” said Michael Devine, SVP of Business Development. “This has been our most challenging restoration so far and getting to release American Hero today is an example of the ethos that drives us to preserve our gaming history.”
If you’re a fan of an FMV – and god knows, we are! – then we’re pretty sure there’s going to be some serious fun and humour found in American Hero. After previously never seeing the light of day, it’s great that Ziggurat and the development team at Empty Clip Studios have seen fit to put it all together, finalise things and get it out to the world. Whether you’re going in for the high-octane action, the diabolic plots or the steamy romances, matters little – just get involved.
The key features of how this plays out are…
- • An explosive and adult-oriented Hollywood production with intense action, spicy encounters, and gut-busting laughs
- • A winding player-directed plot with multiple paths and endings
- • A unique FMV format that plays smoothly like watching a film
- • The return of Hollywood actor Timothy Bottoms as Jack with newly recorded voiceover
We’ll be sure to get on the review of American Hero asap, letting you know how this lost adventure plays on Xbox.
For now though, you’ll find it on the digital stores for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC and that Atari VCS.
Let us know in the comments if you decide to grab it.
Game Description:
American Hero is the never-released outrageous and unforgettable FMV game that lets you play as the star in an over-the-top 1990s Hollywood action movie. Get a babysitter for the kids, this game is a madcap, mile-a-minute spree of spies, dives, and gun-toting bad guys that will have you on the edge of your seat. You take on the role of Jack, a handsome, jaded former intelligence officer pulled out of his retired life as a strip club regular for one last mission to stop the villainous virologist Krueger, who plans to unleash a mind-controlling virus on the unsuspecting citizens of L.A. Everyone is out to kill Jack now that he’s hot on Krueger’s trail, and he’ll need to use his mind, muscles, and mojo to stay alive long enough to stop Kruger’s plot. Your spur-of-the-moment decisions will help or hinder Jack as he tries to find and protect the only scientist who has the cure to counter Krueger’s deadly bioweapon. A restoration and remaster of a game lost to time for over 25 years, American Hero was originally designed for the Atari Jaguar CD as a “playable movie” with a groundbreaking, more fluid presentation than the FMV games of its time. The game features the talents of professional actors, including Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show, Johnny Got His Gun), Daniel Roebuck (The Fugitive, Final Destination), and Musetta Vander (O Brother, Where Art Thou, Wild Wild West). For this restoration, Timothy Bottoms reprises his role in newly recorded voiceovers of Jack’s inner thoughts heard throughout the game. This restoration was rebuilt from the ground up with new game logic that delivers on the ambitious promise of the original game. This edition of the game includes new voicework from star Timothy Bottoms to accompany the original footage, completing the American Hero experience for the first time.
