Return Fire
Encyclopedia
Return Fire is a 1995 video game developed by Silent Software, Inc. for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
and later ported to the PC
and PlayStation in 1996. It was preceded by Fire Power (1987) and followed by Return Fire 2
(1998). Return Fire is a vehicular shooter from a 3D bird's eye view, in which the player's goal is to capture the enemy flag and return with it to their base. It is remembered as one of the 3DO's "best games" in its Home of the Underdogs
entry.
If a land vehicle runs out of fuel it stops and the driver jumps out and runs away. If a player's vehicle is destroyed, a skull wearing an army helmet materializes, taunting the player with laughter.
The Tank can carry up to 150 shells and can travel the greatest distance of all vehicles on a full fuel tank. Five tank shells are required to neutralize a tower.
The Helicopter can carry up to 100 shells and 50 rockets. It runs out of fuel faster than all other vehicles, and fuel and ammunition cannot be resupplied unless it returns to base. Two rockets or five shells are required to neutralize a tower.
Helicopters can strafe at an angle, a maneuver consuming no fuel (although this can be debated as a glitch). A helicopter may be slightly deflected or stunned momentarily when hit by ammunition.
is the most armored vehicle and is able to fire at land or air units as long as they are not too close. It is the slowest moving vehicle, but has the ability to lay mines which can instantly destroy any land vehicle.
The HRSV can carry up to 100 rockets and ten mines. Mines are the only non-restockable ammo, and once placed can only be safely detonated by a rocket from a helicopter. Three HRSV rockets are required to neutralize a tower.
/Buggy is the fastest land vehicle and solely possesses the strategic ability to pick, move, and drop flags. Jeeps have the ability to over-inflate their tires and travel across deep water. They are the weakest vehicles, requiring only one hit to destroy. If a Jeep is facing in the direction of the discovered opposing flag, a red light on the dash board will light up and a bell is heard.
The Jeep can carry up to 16 grenades, which have the same strength as a tank shell. Grenades have a more limited range than other ammo. Five grenades are required to neutralize a tower.
mode, the game lacks real AI opponents. Only rotating missile turret
s and drones are a regular threat to the player in the single player mode, except if he exceeds the boundaries of the map, where a submarine emerges and fires a heat-seeking missile against the player. Of least danger are infantry troops.
s arrive on the map if a players vehicle stops moving for too long. It will continue to hail the player with sweeps of bullets until it is destroyed. More drones will arrive if the player persists to remain stationary.
's Ride of the Valkyries
when using the helicopter (in homage to Apocalypse Now
), Flight of the Bumblebee when driving the jeep, Holst's Mars from The Planets
when driving the tank or the William Tell Overture
by Gioacchino Rossini
when riding with the flag. When driving in the Armored Support Vehicle, Edvard Grieg
's In the Hall of the Mountain King
plays. During the opening title screen Verdi
's "Dies Irae
" plays as the "Return Fire" logo appears, engulfed in flame. At the completion of each level, a sequence of unrelated vintage black and white short clips greets the player.
famous Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth speech.
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
and later ported to the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and PlayStation in 1996. It was preceded by Fire Power (1987) and followed by Return Fire 2
Return Fire 2
Return Fire 2 is a computer game developed by Silent Software and published for the PC by Ripcord Games in 1998.-Summary:The game simulates a vehicle-based capture the flag competition.Upon starting the game players are directed to their in game bunker...
(1998). Return Fire is a vehicular shooter from a 3D bird's eye view, in which the player's goal is to capture the enemy flag and return with it to their base. It is remembered as one of the 3DO's "best games" in its Home of the Underdogs
Home of the Underdogs
Home of the Underdogs was an abandonware archive founded by Thai Sarinee Achavanuntakul , aka: Underdogs or Fringer on her own blog, in September 1998, and grew to be one of the most significant abandonware websites on the Internet, despite losing its domains to cybersquatters and then briefly...
entry.
Vehicles
Return Fire has four specialized vehicles, each one with unique abilities for a different mission. Each vehicle can carry a limited amount of fuel and ammo (which can be refilled at ammo tents and fuel depots) and can withstand different amounts of damage.If a land vehicle runs out of fuel it stops and the driver jumps out and runs away. If a player's vehicle is destroyed, a skull wearing an army helmet materializes, taunting the player with laughter.
Tank
The Tank is the most flexible land unit. It is highly maneuverable, with a 360º rotating turret and the ability to fire at land or air targets.The Tank can carry up to 150 shells and can travel the greatest distance of all vehicles on a full fuel tank. Five tank shells are required to neutralize a tower.
Helicopter
The Helicopter is the fastest vehicle, but it is relatively weak.The Helicopter can carry up to 100 shells and 50 rockets. It runs out of fuel faster than all other vehicles, and fuel and ammunition cannot be resupplied unless it returns to base. Two rockets or five shells are required to neutralize a tower.
Helicopters can strafe at an angle, a maneuver consuming no fuel (although this can be debated as a glitch). A helicopter may be slightly deflected or stunned momentarily when hit by ammunition.
Heavy Rocket Support Vehicle
The HRSV/M270 Multiple Launch Rocket SystemM270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System is an armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher; a type of rocket artillery.Since the first M270s were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1983, the MLRS has been adopted by several NATO countries. Some 1,300 M270 systems have been manufactured in the...
is the most armored vehicle and is able to fire at land or air units as long as they are not too close. It is the slowest moving vehicle, but has the ability to lay mines which can instantly destroy any land vehicle.
The HRSV can carry up to 100 rockets and ten mines. Mines are the only non-restockable ammo, and once placed can only be safely detonated by a rocket from a helicopter. Three HRSV rockets are required to neutralize a tower.
Jeep
The JeepJeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
/Buggy is the fastest land vehicle and solely possesses the strategic ability to pick, move, and drop flags. Jeeps have the ability to over-inflate their tires and travel across deep water. They are the weakest vehicles, requiring only one hit to destroy. If a Jeep is facing in the direction of the discovered opposing flag, a red light on the dash board will light up and a bell is heard.
The Jeep can carry up to 16 grenades, which have the same strength as a tank shell. Grenades have a more limited range than other ammo. Five grenades are required to neutralize a tower.
Enemies
As the game is focused on the two player, split-screenSplit screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
mode, the game lacks real AI opponents. Only rotating missile turret
Missile turret
thumb|French [[Malafon]] Anti Submarine Missile on its turretA missile turret is a specific type of weapon turret -- a device for aiming missiles towards their intended target before launch. Similarly to gun turrets they have been used on warships and vehices on the ground. In most roles...
s and drones are a regular threat to the player in the single player mode, except if he exceeds the boundaries of the map, where a submarine emerges and fires a heat-seeking missile against the player. Of least danger are infantry troops.
Turret Towers
Turret Towers belong to either to green or brown team. They are capable of firing missiles at land or air units in any direction. Missiles are as equally powerful as tank shells. Turrets will fire automatically in the direction of an enemy vehicle, sometimes regardless if another structure is in the line of sight. They are usually positioned close to flag positions or on peninsulas connecting walls to slow enemy advancement. The main weakness of a tower is its speed in reloading and rotating, both of which can be taken advantage of by the faster vehicles.Drones
These machinegun-wielding Unmanned combat air vehicleUnmanned Combat Air Vehicle
An unmanned combat air vehicle or combat drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is designed to deliver weapons without an onboard pilot. Currently operational UCAVs are under real-time human control, but future version may enable autonomous operation, for example with pre-programmed route and...
s arrive on the map if a players vehicle stops moving for too long. It will continue to hail the player with sweeps of bullets until it is destroyed. More drones will arrive if the player persists to remain stationary.
Submarine
If a player takes a vehicle out of the map into the sea (only possible with the helicopter or jeep), a submarine will surface and launch a single heat-seeking missile towards that players vehicle. However, if the missile finds another target (a drone or the other player helicopter) between him and the player, it will start chasing the closer target instead.Troops
Troops escape from critically damaged buildings and belong to either the brown or green team. Armed only with grenades, they flee from player-controlled vehicles even if it means swimming out to sea. They throw grenades in the same fashion as the jeep, at hostile vehicles. They can be killed by helicopter fire, by being run over by a vehicle or by tank shells as they swim for safety.Music
Also notable was the game soundtrack, composed exclusively by classical pieces such as Richard WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Ride of the Valkyries
Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
when using the helicopter (in homage to Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
), Flight of the Bumblebee when driving the jeep, Holst's Mars from The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
when driving the tank or the William Tell Overture
William Tell Overture
The William Tell Overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera Guillaume Tell by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal...
by Gioacchino Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
when riding with the flag. When driving in the Armored Support Vehicle, Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
's In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
plays. During the opening title screen Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's "Dies Irae
Requiem (Verdi)
The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
" plays as the "Return Fire" logo appears, engulfed in flame. At the completion of each level, a sequence of unrelated vintage black and white short clips greets the player.
Massive explosion
A massive explosion occurs when both players' HRSVs sit alongside each other and place all their mines on that spot then moving simultaneously.Parked vehicles
When a land vehicle runs out of fuel, it becomes invincible and as long as it remains in sight of one player, may sit on that spot until the end of the game.Helicopter perch
If a vehicle obstructs the path of a helicopter attempting to land or trying to take off, the helicopter will be suspended in midair and uncontrollable.Video
When a level is completed in the PC or PlayStation version a short video clip is shown. One of these is a clips features Lou Gehrig'sLou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
famous Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth speech.