Software:Return Fire 2

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Return Fire 2
ReturnFire2BoxShotPC.jpg
Developer(s)Silent Software
Publisher(s)Ripcord Games
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • NA: September 21, 1998[1]
Genre(s)Strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Return Fire 2 is a computer game developed by Silent Software and published for Windows by Ripcord Games in 1998. It is a sequel to Return Fire.

Gameplay

The game simulates a vehicle-based capture the flag competition.

Upon starting the game players are directed to their in game bunker. There, they can view the battleground with a radar and access a limited supply of vehicles: tanks, armored support vehicles (ASVs), helicopters, jets, jeeps and PT boats. The vehicles have a limited supply of fuel and ammo, and the player can only control one vehicle at a time.

The objective is to enter the enemy's base, capture their flag and bring it back to the player's base. The flag is always located in a 'flag tower', which must be destroyed before the flag can be picked up. There may be more than one enemy flag tower, but only one of them contains the flag. Although the flag may be discovered using any vehicle it can only be carried by the jeep, which is the weakest vehicle in the game. Thus, the player must destroy the enemy flag's defenses using stronger vehicles before attempting to take it.

The game retains the classical soundtrack of its predecessor, with each vehicle having its own 'theme' which is heard when the player is using that vehicle.[2]

Development

The game was showcased at E3 1997.[3] It was originally scheduled to release in late 1997 by MGM Interactive.[3] It was initially announced for the Panasonic M2 console,[4] which was aborted in mid-1997, forcing M2 to developers to either convert their M2 projects to other platforms or cancel them.[5] Towards the end of development it was announced that Return Fire 2 would instead be released for the PC and PlayStation,[6] but ultimately only the PC version was released.[7]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGSP2.5/5 stars[9]
CGW3.5/5 stars[10]
Game Informer8/10[11]
GamePro4.5/5 stars[12][lower-alpha 1]
GameSpot8.1/10[2]
GameStar52%[13]
IGN7.8/10[14]
PC Gamer (US)88%[16]

The game received favorable to average reviews.

Notes

  1. GamePro gave the game three 4.5/5 scores for graphics, sound, and overall fun factor, and 3.5/5 for control.

References

  1. IGN staff (September 16, 1998). "News Briefs". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/09/17/news-briefs-323. "Return Fire 2 from Ripcord Games has gone gold and should be hitting stores on the 21st." 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Gregson, Chris (October 9, 1998). "Return Fire 2 Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "May 5, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/return-fire-2-review/1900-2532789/. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Johnston, Chris (June 9, 1997). "MGM's E3 Lineup". Archived from the original on January 19, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19980119052411/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_06/09_mgm/index.html. Retrieved July 26, 2022. 
  4. "3DO's M2 prepares for its debut". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (10): 14–15. October 1995. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_10/page/n15/mode/2up. Retrieved April 3, 2021. 
  5. "Matsushita: Finally Pulling the Plug". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (33): 20–21. September 1997. 
  6. "In the Studio". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (36): 24. December 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_36/page/n25/mode/2up. Retrieved April 3, 2021. 
  7. Johnston, Chris (May 4, 1998). "Return Fire II PS Nixed". Archived from the original on October 8, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001008074912/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_05/04_return/index.html. Retrieved November 14, 2022. 
  8. Falk, Hugh (November 17, 1998). "Return Fire 2". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-2268,00.html. 
  9. D'Aprile, Jason (December 7, 1998). "Return Fire 2". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/001/returnf2_review.html. 
  10. May, Scott A. (January 1999). "Third Time's a Charm (Return Fire 2 Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (174): 322, 324. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_174.pdf. Retrieved April 3, 2021. 
  11. Bergren, Paul (January 1999). "Return Fire II [sic]". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (69): 62. 
  12. Dan Elektro (December 1998). "Return Fire 2". GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (123): 112. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_113_December_1998/page/n115/mode/2up. Retrieved April 4, 2021. 
  13. "Return Fire 2" (in de). GameStar (Webedia). November 1998. 
  14. Baggatta, Patrick (November 2, 1998). "Return Fire 2". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/03/return-fire-2. 
  15. O'Connor, Frank (November 1998). "Return Fire 2". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (3): 95. https://archive.org/details/PCXL03Nov1998/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved April 3, 2021. 
  16. Poole, Stephen (December 1998). "Return Fire 2". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 5 (12): 195–96. https://archive.org/details/pcgamer199812/page/n225/mode/2up. Retrieved April 3, 2021. 

External links