| Missile Command 3D | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Virtuality Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Corporation |
| Producer(s) | John Skruch |
| Designer(s) | James Tripp Mark Brown Martin Brownlow Robert Powers Scot Jones |
| Programmer(s) | Martin Brownlow |
| Artist(s) | Mark Brown Scot Jones |
| Composer(s) | Dale Robins |
| Series | Missile Command |
| Platform(s) | Atari Jaguar |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Missile Command 3D is a 1995 shoot 'em up video game developed by Virtuality Entertainment and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. Part of Atari's 2000 series of arcade game revivals, it is an update of Dave Theurer's arcade game Missile Command (1980). The plot takes place in a country attacked by foreign nations and on a distant planet where alien forces invade a human colony. Gameplay is divided into three modes, with the player defending six cities from incoming missiles by launching anti-ballistic missiles from three bases. It is the only officially released game compatible with the unreleased Jaguar VR peripheral.
In 1993, Atari announced a virtual reality peripheral for the Jaguar and approached Virtuality but no agreement was settled. Discussion between both companies resumed in 1994 and they later announced their partnership to create a domestic VR headset for Jaguar. In 1995, a deal was reached whereby Atari would finance Virtuality's production of two Jaguar VR games, including Missile Command. Missile Command 3D was programmed by Martin Brownlow, who had previously written the arcade games Buggy Ball and Virtuality Boxing. A PC port was to be released by Atari Interactive but it was never published.
Missile Command 3D met with mixed reception from critics; Reviewers were divided regarding the "Original" mode, but gave more favorable comments to the "3D" mode, while others considered the "Virtual" mode to be the best variant. The deal between Atari and Virtuality collapsed in 1996, while the Jaguar VR headset was cancelled due to health cocerns but some working prototypes were recovered by collectors. Virtuality sold the unused Jaguar VR technology to Takara and Philips, resulting in the Dynovisor TAK-8510 and Scuba Visor headsets respectively. Retrospective commentary for the game has been generally favorable. In 2022, it was included in the Atari 50 compilation.
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