T-MEK

T-MEK is a two-player, sit-down, virtual reality fighting arcade game developed by Atari Games and published by Time Warner Interactive in 1994.

T-MEK
Developer(s)Atari Games[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Time Warner Interactive
Midway (MS-DOS)
Producer(s)Gary Stark
Designer(s)Matthew Ford
Programmer(s)John Grigsby
Artist(s)Rhizaldi Bugawan
Composer(s)Brad Fuller
Platform(s)32X, Arcade, MS-DOS
ReleaseArcade
Sega 32X
MS-DOS
Genre(s)First-person shooter, mech simulator
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (up to six players via link-up)
Arcade systemAtari GT

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot, showing the game's HUD.

Each player can choose their MEK (a hovering tank with special weapons and abilities). One player can play against 6 AI players and the occasional boss, or two players can play against each other and 4 AI players. There is a special tournament mode where two players can go one on one. Up to three T-MEK cabinets can be linked for six-player competitions. T-MEK featured surround sound, which Time Warner Interactive advertised as "CAGE Audio".[3] Each player's station had four speakers; two in front and two behind the player, and a subwoofer mounted directly below the seat. T-MEK has no background music soundtrack, which was a departure for "deluxe" arcade games in the coming-of-age era of digitally sampled audio, and instead relied upon the sound to help aid the player in finding enemies.

Development and release

In 1995 Time Warner Interactive released an updated version called T-MEK: The Warlords.[4] In addition to the ability to play as a boss MEK by entering his name, the update added a "beginner" difficulty mode, instructional screens on how to play the game, new combos moves and more.[5] T-MEK was later ported to MS-DOS and the Sega 32X; rather than linking multiple systems together, the home versions featured split-screen multiplayer for two players. A conversion for the Atari Jaguar was being developed and planned to be published by Time Warner Interactive, but development on the port was terminated sometime in 1995, with no reason given to the cancellation of this version.[6][7]

Reception

T-MEK garnered positive reception from critics upon its original arcade release.[20] Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the arcade original's visuals and compared it favorably to Namco's Cyber Sled.[3] GamePro's The Obliterator gave the arcade version a perfect score, citing easy to learn controls, the excitement added by the surround sound and "rumble seat", and the detailed visuals. He commented that "While T-MEK's graphics are not groundbreaking, they sizzle with depth and realism."[9] Next Generation reviewed the arcade version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "With new graphics and special effects, T-Mek is an old game given new life."[12] The Atari Times' Darryl Brundage commended the visuals, sound design and controls but noted its high difficulty during single-player.[13]

The 32X version was met with mixed response from reviewers.[18] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the 32X port a 6.125 out of 10, commenting that the arcade game was great fun but that its excitement and intensity is lost in the translation to home console. Most of them were also critical of the port's technical aspects, with one going so far as to say that an equally good or even better port could have been done on the Genesis.[8] A reviewer of VideoGames regared the 32X port to be a solid but average conversion, praising the presentation and visuals.[19] GamePro's Air Hendrix had a similar assessment. Hendrix said the slowdown and cramped split-screen in the two-player mode ruin the multiplayer experience, which he felt was the main draw of the arcade version, and that "With awful pixelation and weak detail, the graphics don't even pretend to be 32-bit."[10] The Atari Times' Darryl Brundage commended the 32X port for being faithful to the arcade original in terms of visuals and praised the addition of new arenas but criticized its controls for being too sensitive.[14] IGN's Levi Buchanan was overly critical of the 32X port, stating that "the charms of the arcade game, an over-the-top Battlezone update with network play, are nowhere to be found."[11]

The MS-DOS version received negative reviews.[17] Games Domain's Chris McMullen criticized the DOS port for its poor visuals, dodgy audio design, lack of replay value and unoriginality, stating that "I tried to find something good about this game, but there is nothing at all to recommend T-MEK."[21] The Marauder of online magazine Game-Over! heavily criticized the DOS port for being a straightfoward conversion without new additions, its complicated installation setup and lack of network multiplayer.[15] A reviewer of PC Gameworld commended the DOS for its two-player mode and framerate but criticized the visuals for being poor and the limited gameplay, stating that "he promise of a decent 'mech fighter is lost in the reality of this lackluster shooter."[16]

Notes
  1. Ported to 32X and MS-DOS by Bits Corporation[1]

References
  1. "CVG Preview - PC/32X - T-Mek". Computer and Video Games. No. 167. EMAP. October 1995. p. 46.
  2. "32X Preview - T-MEK". Mean Machines Sega. No. 36. EMAP. October 1995. pp. 46–47.
  3. "Arcade Action - T-MEK by Atari Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 60. Sendai Publishing. July 1994. p. 62.
  4. "T-MEK - The Warlords". arcade-history.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  5. "Arcade Action - T-MEK/Warlord Update by TWI". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 67. Sendai Publishing. February 1995. p. 60. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. "Dossier - Ils Arrivent Sur Jaguar - T-Mek / Jaguar". CD Consoles (in French). No. 5. Pressimage. March 1995. p. 74. Archived from the original on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  7. Dragon, Lost (July 5, 2017). "The Ultimate Jaguar Unreleased/Beta/Source/Dev Master List! - Page 5". atari.io. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  8. Baran, Andrew; LeFebvre, Mark; Desmond, Mike; Parus, Scott (November 1995). "Review Crew - 32X: T-MEK". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 76. Sendai Publishing. p. 44.
  9. Obliterator, The (November 1994). "Hot At The Arcades: T-MEK (ProReview)". GamePro. No. 64. IDG. p. 38.
  10. Hendrix, Air (February 1996). "ProReview - 32X: T-MEK". GamePro. No. 79. IDG. p. 66.
  11. Buchanan, Levi (December 4, 2008). "T-Mek 32X Review - An arcade port without the feature that made the arcade game cool". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  12. "Finals - Arcade - T-Mek". Next Generation. No. 2. Imagine Media. February 1995. p. 103.
  13. Brundage, Darryl (14 November 2005). "Arcade Reviews: T-Mek - Lots of wrecks with T-Mek". The Atari Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  14. Brundage, Darryl (10 March 2008). "Other Reviews: T-Mek - A bit of a wrek (wreck)". The Atari Times. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  15. Marauder, The (May 1997). "Reviews - T-Mek". Game-Over!. Game-Over. Archived from the original on 27 April 2005. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  16. "Game Review: T-MEK". PC Gameworld. IGN. 1997. Archived from the original on 2001-04-18. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  17. Smidt, Ulrich (March 1997). "Test (Vorsicht! Schrott): T-Mek". Power Play (in German). No. 108. Magna Media. p. 112.
  18. "32X Review - T-MEK". Ultimate Gamer. No. 6. Larry Flynt Publications. January 1996.
  19. "Power Reviews - 32-X: T-MEK". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 83. Larry Flynt Publications. December 1995.
  20. Semino, Manuel (December 1994). "IMA '93 In Frankfurt - Coin Op Special". Amiga Joker (in German). No. 52. Joker-Verlag. p. 114.
  21. McMullen, Chris (March 1997). "Reviews: T-Mek". Games Domain. Attitude Network, Ltd. Archived from the original on 2000-08-18. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
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