Comix Zone
Encyclopedia
Comix Zone is a arcade
-style action game
. The game's unique feature is that it is set within the panels of a comic book
. Each level
consists of two pages and secrets are discovered by shredding the paper and revealing items. The unique dialogue is rendered within talk bubbles with the typical comic font. Sprites and backgrounds possess the bright colors and dynamic drawing style favored by superhero
comics.
Comix Zone was criticized for being released too late and for being too hard and short, but it was positively received, and praised for its great gameplay, graphics, and soundtrack .
The music was composed by Howard Drossin
, a known video game and movie composer. Graphics were done mainly by comic artists.
The game was originally from a concept video animated by Peter Morawiec titled "Joe Pencil Trapped In The Comix Zone". The video was made in 1992, displaying the animation of how the gameplay and the comic book elements would blend in.
" and freelance rock musician, is working on his newest comic book, named the "Comix Zone." Comix Zone is the story of the New World Empire's attempt to defend Earth from an invasion of alien renegades, with inspiration coming from Sketch's (oddly vivid) dreams and nightmares.
One night, while Sketch is working on Comix Zone during a thunderstorm, a lightning bolt strikes a panel of his comic. In this instant, the main villain of Comix Zone - a powerful mutant
named Mortus - manages to escape the comic book's pages, and hurl the stunned Sketch into the world of Comix Zone. Because he does not possess any power in this reality, Mortus intends to free himself by destroying Sketch in the comic book, and make himself real in the process.
Inside the comic book, Sketch meets General Alissa Cyan, who believes he is a superhero ("the chosen one") who has come to save their post-apocalyptic world from the evil of Mortus and the alien invaders. Ignoring Sketch's protests, Alissa sends him on his mission, keeping in touch with instructions and hints via radio.
Now that Mortus has a physical presence outside of Comix Zone, he is free to change the world as he wishes, simply by drawing in enemies for Sketch to face - or in one instance burn up part of a page.
In the final (and partly unfinished) panel, Sketch finds a nuke ready to launch, and Alissa is working on defusing it. Enraged, Mortus zaps himself back into the Comix Zone and shuts Alissa inside the nuke, which starts to fill with liquid. Sketch must now defeat Mortus for good and try and prevent Alissa from drowning.
after reaching the end of each page. His super hero meter fills up as he makes progress.
Alissa Cyan: General of the New World Empire. She is confronted by Sketch in the command center when he lands in front of her. Alissa believes Sketch is the "Chosen One" and sends him on his mission against alien forces.
Roadkill: Sketch Turner's pet rat
in the real world. Sketch finds him teleported into the comic book world and trapped in a cage and rescues him. Roadkill's tail was grazed during the lighting strike, electrifying it and allowing him to shock enemies if he's let free. Often, Roadkill must help his master get past obstacles and find hidden items to solve problems.
Strigil: A shadowed alien renegade. He is known to teleport all around by merging with the ground. He also carries his namesake weapon and uses them to fire blasts or to hook onto bars.
Gravis: A giant, muscled alien renegade. Steam often comes out of the vents on his back. He relies on his ability to generate explosive springs and launch them at his foes.
Styx: A monk
found in the Tibetan city. He wields a powerful staff which he uses to either fire blasts or hop upon as a pole.
Mongoria: A dangerous woman warrior who uses a hook attached to her long, braided hair. She also has a fear of mice
... sometimes.
Pelagus: This renegade prefers to grasp onto anything used for climbing. His methods of attacking involve slime balls and springs that will turn into mines.
Spawn Mutant: These mutants are spawned from ooze. Try to grab them, and they might become something stronger!
Cocoon Crawler: The source of food for newly spawned mutants, these creatures will try and sting you.
Flying Creature: Not very tough, but these winged mutants can prove to be real nuisances.
Big Mama Dragon: A giant reptilian creature who hangs from the ceiling in the mutant base. She becomes upset after Sketch destroys her children. In the hopes of avenging her slain offspring, she vows to get rid of her foe. This fire-breathing reptile will also chomp at her enemy. The flaming barrel can easily get rid of her. When defeated, Big Mama comes bursting apart.
Kung-Fung: Master of the Temple on the mountains. He is in charge of training Mortus' people to fight in the Tournament. After Sketch comments on his long fingernails, he decides to teach Sketch a lesson. He sends balls of fire into the water on the chamber floor and also launches explosive fingernails at his opponent. Kung-Fung sinks into the water and comes apart.
Mortus: The main villain of the Comix Zone. He emerges from the pages of Sketch's comic after it is hit by lightning. After hurling his creator, Sketch, into the book, Mortus picks up a pen and draws in enemies with it, hoping to kill Sketch so that he can become real. He becomes the final boss when Sketch discovers his plan to launch a nuke upon the New World Empire. He teleports around at random during the final battle and constantly taunts Sketch. When defeated, Mortus explodes.
Sketch is capable of tearing shreds out of the backdrop and folding them into paper planes to throw at enemies as a weapon. Because this paper world is also part of everything within Comix Zone (as they are drawn on it), this action takes a significant slice off the player's health bar. Certain combos will send enemies hurtling, and if a fragile border between frames is in the way, the enemy crashes through it, tearing it to shreds. When confronted with an unbreakable frame barrier, the hero merely swings himself out of the frame, over the top of the border, and back down into the next scene. Sketch's pet rat Roadkill (whom he saved from certain doom in a garbage truck) is also capable of operating switches and discovering items hidden in panels, making him useful in helping Sketch's progress through Mortus' traps.
The game has multiple endings decided by actions taken during the final fight with Mortus. In the "good" ending, which is triggered by defeating Mortus and freeing Alissa in time, shows Sketch and Alissa leaving Comix Zone. Comix Zone becomes the highest selling comic of all time, Alissa joins the military and becomes the head of U.S Security, and Roadkill gets 100 pounds of mozzarella
donated to him; the game, however, ends on a cliffhanger, claiming that "they all lived happily ever after until...". In the bad ending, Sketch escapes Comix Zone, but because the player doesn't save Alissa, she dies and Comix Zone is destroyed. The story ends with Sketch contemplating re-releasing the evil to re-live his adventure in hope of a better ending.
If Sketch ever dies before reaching the final panel, Mortus will turn from ink and paper to flesh and bone, and announces, "I'm going to rock this world!"
As part of Sketch's travel into Comix Zone, he takes the hero's role in the story, giving him access to typical superhero fighting skills far beyond his regular abilities. If he attacks an immobile object, Sketch's health will diminish slightly, meaning that if he is low on health other tools such as explosives should be used to continue instead. One power-up - a collectible fist - temporarily transforms Sketch into Super Sketch, who shreds the page and destroys all enemies and obstacles in his path.
Comix Zone is designed to be used with the 6-button gamepad: buttons X, Y and Z correspond to the three inventory slots Sketch has. If used with a 3-button gamepad, button C cycles through the items, and button A activates the item. Button C on a 6-button gamepad is used for a custom action, blocking by default - on a 3-button gamepad, Sketch blocks automatically.
Sketch can utilize the background of the comic as a weapon. By holding down the attack button, Sketch will start tearing at the background (which uses life). Once torn, Sketch will make a paper plane out of the torn background and launch it at the enemies and objects in front of him.
Sketch's rat, "Roadkill", can be deployed to electrocute enemies or pull switches in low clearing areas which Sketch might otherwise not be able to reach. It can also be used for finding hidden items in such areas just by releasing it.
If the player keeps tapping down in the control pad, Sketch will sometimes break wind, although this has no known use in the game. When left idle, he will also sometimes smell his shoes, and say, "Aw, man!"
were already released, meaning only few gamers heard about it and even fewer purchased it. However based on the game's merits, the game has since received cult status.
only in Europe on September 11, 2002, which was developed by Virtucraft and published by Sega. Although this version's music was also composed by Howard Drossin, fans criticized this port because of its music being very different compared to the Mega Drive/Genesis version's. Also, while having a significantly smaller screen size that allowed much less onscreen, this was said to lessen the effect of seeing into the other frames around the player, making it more like a traditional platform game
.
The game is also featured hidden within the Japan
ese version of Sonic Mega Collection
and is an unlockable game in all versions of Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is unlockable with having a Sonic Heroes
game save
, or is unlocked after starting all other Mega Drive game at least 50 times. The game is also a part of the Sega Genesis Collection
for the PlayStation 2
and PlayStation Portable
.
On January 29, 2007, Comix Zone was released for the Wii
's Virtual Console
and Xbox Live Arcade
on June 10, 2009.
The game recently appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
(for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
) and on 03/06/2010 it was made available through Steam. It is also included in the Sega Mega Drive pack.
In August 2011 the game was made available for download on PlayStation®Network as part of the SEGA Vintage Collection.
and Soundgarden
. The bonus CD had twelve music tracks from these American Recordings artists:
"Into the Zone" is a vocal version of the music heard in the games' Options screen (which is itself an extended version of the title screen music); "Feed my Disease" is based on the music heard in Episode 1, Page 2-1; "10,000 Knives" is based on the music heard in Episode 2, Page 2-2; "Seen It For Days" is based on the music heard in Episode 1, Page 1-2; "Woe Is The World" is based on the game's Boss theme; and "Last to Follow" is based on the song heard in Episode 2, Page 1-3.
The printing also reveals the artists behind the music:
Lyrics & Vocals: Howard Drossin, Tim P.
Guitar: Howard Drossin; Solos on 2 & 5: Philip Stevenson
Bass Guitar: Weird Guy
Drums: Philip Stevenson
Producers: Howard Drossin, Tim P., Philip Stevenson
Executive Producer: Roger Hector
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
-style action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
. The game's unique feature is that it is set within the panels of a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
. Each level
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
consists of two pages and secrets are discovered by shredding the paper and revealing items. The unique dialogue is rendered within talk bubbles with the typical comic font. Sprites and backgrounds possess the bright colors and dynamic drawing style favored by superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comics.
Comix Zone was criticized for being released too late and for being too hard and short, but it was positively received, and praised for its great gameplay, graphics, and soundtrack .
The music was composed by Howard Drossin
Howard Drossin
Howard Drossin is a music composer for film, television, commercials, and video games. He is best known for his score on the Tony Jaa martial arts film, The Protector, which he co-composed with hip-hop producer RZA....
, a known video game and movie composer. Graphics were done mainly by comic artists.
The game was originally from a concept video animated by Peter Morawiec titled "Joe Pencil Trapped In The Comix Zone". The video was made in 1992, displaying the animation of how the gameplay and the comic book elements would blend in.
Story
Sketch Turner, a "starving artistCartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
" and freelance rock musician, is working on his newest comic book, named the "Comix Zone." Comix Zone is the story of the New World Empire's attempt to defend Earth from an invasion of alien renegades, with inspiration coming from Sketch's (oddly vivid) dreams and nightmares.
One night, while Sketch is working on Comix Zone during a thunderstorm, a lightning bolt strikes a panel of his comic. In this instant, the main villain of Comix Zone - a powerful mutant
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
named Mortus - manages to escape the comic book's pages, and hurl the stunned Sketch into the world of Comix Zone. Because he does not possess any power in this reality, Mortus intends to free himself by destroying Sketch in the comic book, and make himself real in the process.
Inside the comic book, Sketch meets General Alissa Cyan, who believes he is a superhero ("the chosen one") who has come to save their post-apocalyptic world from the evil of Mortus and the alien invaders. Ignoring Sketch's protests, Alissa sends him on his mission, keeping in touch with instructions and hints via radio.
Now that Mortus has a physical presence outside of Comix Zone, he is free to change the world as he wishes, simply by drawing in enemies for Sketch to face - or in one instance burn up part of a page.
In the final (and partly unfinished) panel, Sketch finds a nuke ready to launch, and Alissa is working on defusing it. Enraged, Mortus zaps himself back into the Comix Zone and shuts Alissa inside the nuke, which starts to fill with liquid. Sketch must now defeat Mortus for good and try and prevent Alissa from drowning.
Episodes
There are three episodes in the game, each consisting of two pages in a distinct area (levels):- Episode 1: "Night of the Mutants" (Newer York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
)- Deceased streets/Sewers
- Mutant base
- Episode 2: "Welcome to the Temple" (HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
)- Mountain path/TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an city - Kung-Fung's Temple
- Mountain path/Tibet
- Episode 3: "Curse of the Dead Ships" (Zealand AtollsNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
)- Dried atolls/Caves
- "Abandoned" ship graveyardShip graveyardA ship graveyard or ship cemetery is a location where the hulls of scrapped ships are left to decay and disintegrate, or left in reserve...
Cast
- Howard DrossinHoward DrossinHoward Drossin is a music composer for film, television, commercials, and video games. He is best known for his score on the Tony Jaa martial arts film, The Protector, which he co-composed with hip-hop producer RZA....
: Sketch Turner - Deborah Costa: General Alissa Cyan
- Howard DrossinHoward DrossinHoward Drossin is a music composer for film, television, commercials, and video games. He is best known for his score on the Tony Jaa martial arts film, The Protector, which he co-composed with hip-hop producer RZA....
: Kung-Fung - Howard DrossinHoward DrossinHoward Drossin is a music composer for film, television, commercials, and video games. He is best known for his score on the Tony Jaa martial arts film, The Protector, which he co-composed with hip-hop producer RZA....
: Strigil - Peter Morawiec: Gravis
- Fei Cheng: Styx the Monk
- Sue Ortlip: Mongoria
Characters
Sketch Turner: The game's protagonist. He is a comic book artist and rock musician, and is working on the Comix Zone. Sketch is hurled into the Comix Zone by Mortus and must fight his way out by defeating anything put in his way. He briefly transforms into his super hero alter egoAlter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
after reaching the end of each page. His super hero meter fills up as he makes progress.
Alissa Cyan: General of the New World Empire. She is confronted by Sketch in the command center when he lands in front of her. Alissa believes Sketch is the "Chosen One" and sends him on his mission against alien forces.
Roadkill: Sketch Turner's pet rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
in the real world. Sketch finds him teleported into the comic book world and trapped in a cage and rescues him. Roadkill's tail was grazed during the lighting strike, electrifying it and allowing him to shock enemies if he's let free. Often, Roadkill must help his master get past obstacles and find hidden items to solve problems.
Strigil: A shadowed alien renegade. He is known to teleport all around by merging with the ground. He also carries his namesake weapon and uses them to fire blasts or to hook onto bars.
Gravis: A giant, muscled alien renegade. Steam often comes out of the vents on his back. He relies on his ability to generate explosive springs and launch them at his foes.
Styx: A monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
found in the Tibetan city. He wields a powerful staff which he uses to either fire blasts or hop upon as a pole.
Mongoria: A dangerous woman warrior who uses a hook attached to her long, braided hair. She also has a fear of mice
Fear of mice
Fear of mice and rats is one of the most common specific phobias. It is sometimes referred to as musophobia or murophobia , or as suriphobia, from the French souris, meaning mouse. Dr...
... sometimes.
Pelagus: This renegade prefers to grasp onto anything used for climbing. His methods of attacking involve slime balls and springs that will turn into mines.
Spawn Mutant: These mutants are spawned from ooze. Try to grab them, and they might become something stronger!
Cocoon Crawler: The source of food for newly spawned mutants, these creatures will try and sting you.
Flying Creature: Not very tough, but these winged mutants can prove to be real nuisances.
Big Mama Dragon: A giant reptilian creature who hangs from the ceiling in the mutant base. She becomes upset after Sketch destroys her children. In the hopes of avenging her slain offspring, she vows to get rid of her foe. This fire-breathing reptile will also chomp at her enemy. The flaming barrel can easily get rid of her. When defeated, Big Mama comes bursting apart.
Kung-Fung: Master of the Temple on the mountains. He is in charge of training Mortus' people to fight in the Tournament. After Sketch comments on his long fingernails, he decides to teach Sketch a lesson. He sends balls of fire into the water on the chamber floor and also launches explosive fingernails at his opponent. Kung-Fung sinks into the water and comes apart.
Mortus: The main villain of the Comix Zone. He emerges from the pages of Sketch's comic after it is hit by lightning. After hurling his creator, Sketch, into the book, Mortus picks up a pen and draws in enemies with it, hoping to kill Sketch so that he can become real. He becomes the final boss when Sketch discovers his plan to launch a nuke upon the New World Empire. He teleports around at random during the final battle and constantly taunts Sketch. When defeated, Mortus explodes.
Gameplay
The game is an action platformer which finds the player progressing through panels not unlike the pages in a comic book. To progress, the player has to fight their way past monsters and solve puzzles. Sketch is able to perform punch and kick combos, as well as jump attacks, and is also able to use items stored in his inventory like bombs and knives as weapons and iced tea for health. Sketch is only able to store three items in his inventory at any given time.Sketch is capable of tearing shreds out of the backdrop and folding them into paper planes to throw at enemies as a weapon. Because this paper world is also part of everything within Comix Zone (as they are drawn on it), this action takes a significant slice off the player's health bar. Certain combos will send enemies hurtling, and if a fragile border between frames is in the way, the enemy crashes through it, tearing it to shreds. When confronted with an unbreakable frame barrier, the hero merely swings himself out of the frame, over the top of the border, and back down into the next scene. Sketch's pet rat Roadkill (whom he saved from certain doom in a garbage truck) is also capable of operating switches and discovering items hidden in panels, making him useful in helping Sketch's progress through Mortus' traps.
The game has multiple endings decided by actions taken during the final fight with Mortus. In the "good" ending, which is triggered by defeating Mortus and freeing Alissa in time, shows Sketch and Alissa leaving Comix Zone. Comix Zone becomes the highest selling comic of all time, Alissa joins the military and becomes the head of U.S Security, and Roadkill gets 100 pounds of mozzarella
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is an Italian Traditional Speciality Guaranteed food product. The term is used for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
donated to him; the game, however, ends on a cliffhanger, claiming that "they all lived happily ever after until...". In the bad ending, Sketch escapes Comix Zone, but because the player doesn't save Alissa, she dies and Comix Zone is destroyed. The story ends with Sketch contemplating re-releasing the evil to re-live his adventure in hope of a better ending.
If Sketch ever dies before reaching the final panel, Mortus will turn from ink and paper to flesh and bone, and announces, "I'm going to rock this world!"
General notes on the game
Mortus does intend to give Sketch a 'sporting chance'. After the first chapter, if Sketch dies, Mortus will allow Sketch another chance to complete the page from the first panel, stating "Oh, come on -- that was just too easy!" After the second chapter, Sketch will get one more chance. If Sketch still has a chance at completing the game, his last words will be "Is this the end of the story?" If he has no such chances, his last words will simply be "Game over, man. The end."As part of Sketch's travel into Comix Zone, he takes the hero's role in the story, giving him access to typical superhero fighting skills far beyond his regular abilities. If he attacks an immobile object, Sketch's health will diminish slightly, meaning that if he is low on health other tools such as explosives should be used to continue instead. One power-up - a collectible fist - temporarily transforms Sketch into Super Sketch, who shreds the page and destroys all enemies and obstacles in his path.
Comix Zone is designed to be used with the 6-button gamepad: buttons X, Y and Z correspond to the three inventory slots Sketch has. If used with a 3-button gamepad, button C cycles through the items, and button A activates the item. Button C on a 6-button gamepad is used for a custom action, blocking by default - on a 3-button gamepad, Sketch blocks automatically.
Sketch can utilize the background of the comic as a weapon. By holding down the attack button, Sketch will start tearing at the background (which uses life). Once torn, Sketch will make a paper plane out of the torn background and launch it at the enemies and objects in front of him.
Sketch's rat, "Roadkill", can be deployed to electrocute enemies or pull switches in low clearing areas which Sketch might otherwise not be able to reach. It can also be used for finding hidden items in such areas just by releasing it.
If the player keeps tapping down in the control pad, Sketch will sometimes break wind, although this has no known use in the game. When left idle, he will also sometimes smell his shoes, and say, "Aw, man!"
Reception
Comix Zone was positively received and praised for its gameplay, graphics and music. It was however criticized for being too hard and its short length. There have also been some arguments made that the game was released too late into the Mega Drive lifespan. By the time the game came out, the Playstation and Sega SaturnSega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
were already released, meaning only few gamers heard about it and even fewer purchased it. However based on the game's merits, the game has since received cult status.
Ports and related releases
The game was ported to the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
only in Europe on September 11, 2002, which was developed by Virtucraft and published by Sega. Although this version's music was also composed by Howard Drossin, fans criticized this port because of its music being very different compared to the Mega Drive/Genesis version's. Also, while having a significantly smaller screen size that allowed much less onscreen, this was said to lessen the effect of seeing into the other frames around the player, making it more like a traditional platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
.
The game is also featured hidden within the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese version of Sonic Mega Collection
Sonic Mega Collection
is a video game compilation for the Nintendo GameCube.The compilation contains twelve to fourteen games depending on the region, all originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console...
and is an unlockable game in all versions of Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is unlockable with having a Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
game save
Saved game
A saved game is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. This saved game can be reloaded later, so the player can continue where he or she had stopped...
, or is unlocked after starting all other Mega Drive game at least 50 times. The game is also a part of the Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
On January 29, 2007, Comix Zone was released for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
and Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on June 10, 2009.
The game recently appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
(for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) and on 03/06/2010 it was made available through Steam. It is also included in the Sega Mega Drive pack.
In August 2011 the game was made available for download on PlayStation®Network as part of the SEGA Vintage Collection.
Bonus CD
The North American release of Comix Zone included a heavy rock soundtrack, similar in style to early-1990s rock artists NirvanaNirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. The bonus CD had twelve music tracks from these American Recordings artists:
- DanzigDanzig (band)Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
- "Going Down To Die" - Lordz of BrooklynLordz of BrooklynLordz Of Brooklyn now known as The Lordz are an American crossover Hip hop/Rock group composed of brothers and childhood friends of mostly Irish American and Italian American descent from Brooklyn, New York...
- "Saturday Night Fever" - MC 900 Ft. JesusMC 900 Ft. JesusMC 900 Ft. Jesus is the stage name of Mark Griffin, a classically trained musician turned rapper and experimental musician born in Dallas, Texas....
- "Buried at Sea" - Jesus and Mary Chain - "I Hate Rock and Roll"
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Soundtracks
The European release of the Mega Drive and the Windows PC versions of the game included the Sega Tunes: Comix Zone soundtrack, which contains 'enhanced' music taken from the game's soundtrack and played by a full rock band with vocals named 'Roadkill' (the main character's pet rat, as well as a playable item; see above). The soundtrack was later released in North America under the Sega Tunes label."Into the Zone" is a vocal version of the music heard in the games' Options screen (which is itself an extended version of the title screen music); "Feed my Disease" is based on the music heard in Episode 1, Page 2-1; "10,000 Knives" is based on the music heard in Episode 2, Page 2-2; "Seen It For Days" is based on the music heard in Episode 1, Page 1-2; "Woe Is The World" is based on the game's Boss theme; and "Last to Follow" is based on the song heard in Episode 2, Page 1-3.
The printing also reveals the artists behind the music:
Lyrics & Vocals: Howard Drossin, Tim P.
Guitar: Howard Drossin; Solos on 2 & 5: Philip Stevenson
Bass Guitar: Weird Guy
Drums: Philip Stevenson
Producers: Howard Drossin, Tim P., Philip Stevenson
Executive Producer: Roger Hector