Vectorman is a series of run and gun platform games developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released on October 24, 1995 in North America and on November 30, 1995 in Europe. The games have since appeared on several game compilations, including the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, the Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Vectorman was added to the Wii Virtual Console on February 27, 2007, in Japan and April 5, 2007, in Europe, and in North America on September 22, 2008. It was also released on the digital distribution service Steam as part of the "SEGA Genesis Classics Pack" and as a standalone title.
In 2049, the human population of Earth embarks on a migratory voyage to try to colonize other planets. They leave mechanical "orbots" to clean up the mess they made on Earth through littering and pollution. Raster, a high-level orbot who watches Earth through a planetwide computer network, is accidentally attached to a working nuclear missile by a lesser orbot and goes insane, becoming an evil dictator named Warhead. He declares himself ruler of Earth, and begins preparing to execute any humans who dare return to their planet.
Enter Vectorman, a humble orbot in charge of cleaning up toxic sludge by simply discharging it into the sun. As he lands on Earth after his last trip, he finds chaos and confusion. Because all the other Orbots are controlled by Warhead (Vectorman having not been affected because he was away), Vectorman takes it upon himself to destroy the errant orbot and restore peace to Earth.
Vectorman uses pre-rendered 3D models in its level and character designs. This gives the game a smooth, computer-generated feel. The original name of the villain, Warhead, was Raster (as in raster graphics, the opposite of vector graphics). Vectorman was considered the answer to Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country at the time, as they both used graphical tricks to show graphics beyond what the console was thought capable of.
The game itself is a straightforward 2D action platformer. Vectorman is an "orbot" (a robot whose body is composed entirely of orbs) powered with a ball gun in his hand; powerups include a machine gun, "bolo" gun, and triple-fire guns.
Vectorman possesses the ability to transform, through the use of powerups, into several different forms: including a drill, to cut through floors; a bomb, to destroy all surrounding enemies or breakable walls; and an aquatic form, useful for swimming underwater. In addition to powerup transformations, three levels host unique morphed forms with which to combat bosses in. Overall, the game consists of 16 levels.
The original Vectorman was both a critical and commercial success, being praised for its level design, pre-rendered graphics, and soundtrack. The game was awarded Best Sega Mega Drive Game of 1995 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.
