| Ultra Vortek | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Jim Meier | |
| Developer(s) | Beyond Games |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Corporation |
| Producer(s) | Kris N. Johnson |
| Designer(s) | Curt Hatch D. Christopher Salmon Kris N. Johnson |
| Programmer(s) | Kris N. Johnson |
| Artist(s) | Dale Meier Jim Meier |
| Writer(s) | Tim Huntsman |
| Composer(s) | William C. Walker |
| Platform(s) | Atari Jaguar |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Ultra Vortek (also released as Ultra Vortex) is a fighting game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in North America and Europe on September 5, 1995.[1] It was the second fighting game released for the Jaguar after Kasumi Ninja and unsuccessfully sought to capitalize on the trend of violent fighting games started by Midway Games's Mortal Kombat in 1992.[2] It was the only officially released game that supports the unreleased Jaguar Voice Modem peripheral for online play.[3][4]
Set in a dystopian future, Ultra Vortek follows seven fighters from three groups as they enter a tournament held by a demonic being known as the Guardian. He is protector of the titular ancient tablet that will grant full power to the winning victor capable of defeating him and save Earth from being consumed by the artifact. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main three-button configuration, featuring special moves and finisher techniques, as well as two playable modes.
After the launch of BattleWheels, Atari Corporation was impressed with the work of Beyond Games and invited their founder, Kris N. Johnson, to see their new hardware that would later become the Jaguar. Intrigued by the hardware specifications during this invitation, Johnson's company signed on to be one of the first third-party developers for the platform. Atari Corp. requested them to create a fighting game project and with the success of releases like Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and Mortal Kombat, the team settled on developing a title which combined several art styles to showcase the system's capabilities and would become Ultra Vortek.
Ultra Vortek garnered mixed reception from critics.[5] Some praised the mixed visual style and audio department while others panned the slow controls, choppy character animation and gameplay, deeming it as a Mortal Kombat rip-off. A version for the Atari Lynx was also in development but never released, though Songbird Productions announced plans to publish it under the title Ultravore after acquiring the rights to the project from Beyond Games in 2000.
- ^ Castle, Justin (July 21, 2018). "Historical Atari Jaguar UK Magazine Advert/Reviews Collection" (PDF). Issuu. p. 340. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ Imgur. "Ultra Vortek - videogames advert in the mid '90s (Atari Jaguar)". Imgur. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "Short ProShots – Jaguar – Ultra Vortex". GamePro. No. 78. IDG. March 1995. p. 152.
- ^ Vinciguerra, Robert (December 5, 2007). "A Complete History of Online Console Gaming in the United States". The Rev. Rob Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ Hawken, Kieren (July 2013). "Minority Report Special: Jaguar – Ultra Vortek". Retro Gamer. No. 118. Imagine Publishing. p. 44.