Play Maximum Force Online Free for Sega Saturn.

Maximum Force is a light gun shooter arcade game developed by Mesa Logic for Atari Games in 1997. In 1998, Atari Games re-released the game as part of one machine called Area 51/Maximum Force Duo that also included Area 51, and later ported the game to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

How to Play Maximum Force

The RetroPlayers.Club Player ships with Maximum Force already mapped — the layout below is the default, and Controller Mapping in the app rebinds any of it.

The Story Behind Maximum Force

The game made its world debut on January 21, 1997 at the Amusement Trades Exhibition International show in London. Maximum Force is a light gun shooter arcade game developed by Mesa Logic for Atari Games in 1997. In 1998, Atari Games re-released the game as part of one machine called Area 51/Maximum Force Duo that also included Area 51, and later ported the game to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

Like its predecessor Area 51, Maximum Force uses digitized video stored on an on-board hard disk, and red gibs into which every enemy blows apart when shot, in exactly the same way. While enemies, innocents, and explosions are 2D digitized video sprites, the levels and vehicles are pre-rendered in 3D. Released into markets increasingly dominated by games with polygon graphics, Maximum Force was a critical failure, with many citing generic and dated gameplay, unrealistic death animations, and short length, but a commercial success.

What You'll Play

These areas are under siege by terrorists and the player must kill the terrorists before they take aim and fire at the player character. In 1998, Atari Games re-released the game as part of one machine called Area 51/Maximum Force Duo that also included Area 51, and later ported the game to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Like its predecessor Area 51, Maximum Force uses digitized video stored on an on-board hard disk, and red gibs into which every enemy blows apart when shot, in exactly the same way.

While enemies, innocents, and explosions are 2D digitized video sprites, the levels and vehicles are pre-rendered in 3D. Shooting hostages or getting shot by terrorists causes the player to lose lives. The player(s) play the role of an unnamed counter-terrorist agent who engages in three major combat zones: a cargo ship at a dock, a large bank, and a jungle.

Why It Still Hits

While enemies, innocents, and explosions are 2D digitized video sprites, the levels and vehicles are pre-rendered in 3D. Like its predecessor Area 51, Maximum Force uses digitized video stored on an on-board hard disk, and red gibs into which every enemy blows apart when shot, in exactly the same way. Gamers will be better served by picking up Virtua Cop 2 or even Die Hard Trilogy." Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly summarized, "I suppose if you take this game for what it is (a standard B-movie type gun game), then it's not half bad.

However, if you're looking for a real evolutionary step in this genre, you'll have to keep looking." Maximum Force was a moderate success in arcades. Jeff Gerstmann commented in GameSpot that it "simply falls short.

Maximum Force — Frequently Asked Questions