''E.S.S Mega'' (''European Space Simulator Mega'') is a space simulation game published by Tomahawk and developed by
Coktel Vision
Coktel Vision (also known as Coktel and Coktel Studio) was a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. It was best known for its educational and adventure games.
History
Coktel Vision was founded in 1984 by Roland Oskian, a ...
. ''E.S.S. Mega'' recreates
ESA
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1 ...
's space vehicle concepts of the early 1990, specially the
Hermes Shuttle
Hermes was a proposed spaceplane designed by the French Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) in 1975, and later by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was superficially similar to the American Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar and the larger Space S ...
. The game was released for
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...
and
Atari ST in 1991, and
Commodore CDTV
The CDTV (from Commodore Dynamic Total Vision, later treated as a backronym for Compact Disc Television) is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional ...
in 1992.
Gameplay
According to game's manual, the simulated timeline runs from January 2010 to December 2013. During that time the players need to make money by placing satellites into orbit, building a space station to run experiments and performing a successful shuttle landings.
The game balances realism and playability, offering real-time 3D graphics and management of many mission details. For example, the player needs to set up space shuttle cargo, crew and fuel. Mission steps include launch, orbital piloting (deploying or maintaining satellites, building and visiting a space station) and landing on a carrier.
Reception
''
Joystick
A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...
'' magazine gave the PC floppy version an 89% score and the CD-Rom version 91%. Amiga Joker gave the CDTV version a 3/5 score. Génération 4 reviewed the PC and Atari ST versions and gave them 77%.
See also
* ''
Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space
''Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space'', frequently abbreviated ''BARIS'', is a 1993 space simulation strategy game for MS-DOS. The player takes the role of Administrator of NASA or head of the Soviet space program with the ultimate goal of being the f ...
'' — a US-Soviet Space Race simulator
* ''
Project Space Station
''Project Space Station'' is a simulation game written for the Commodore 64 computer published in 1985 by HESware. It was ported to the Apple II and DOS.
Summary
In the game the player is put in control of NASA and tasked with building and ma ...
''
*
''Shuttle'' (video game)
References
External links
*
{{simulation-videogame-stub
1991 video games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
Commodore CDTV games
DOS games
Coktel Vision games
Space flight simulator games
Realistic space simulators
Video games developed in France