Unreleased Atari Jaguar FMV Game ‘American Hero’ Gets New Life

The fine folks over at Ziggurat Interactive have announced the upcoming release of the previously unfinished Atari Jaguar Full-Motion-Video (FMV) game, American Hero, for multiple digital platforms, and an exclusive physical release through Limited Run Games this summer.

This lost gem is a true product of its time, complete with sleazy dives, lovely ladies, a brain-washing villain, and Golden Globe Award nominee Timothy Bottoms as the lead. Ziggurat has worked with Empty Clip Studios to reengineer the game from the ground up, including Timothy Bottoms’ return to his starring role with all-new voiceover recordings to complete the original script.



“With American Hero, we sought to balance conservation of the project’s original vision with editorial restoration wherever game assets were incomplete,” said Matt Shores, CEO of Empty Clip Studios. “We feel that this was the best approach to resurrect the game and allow players a chance to experience a title that was never released to the public.”

Written in the 1990s, American Hero is a satire of over-the-top 80’s action films which has itself aged into a caricature of 90’s cinema. This ‘playable movie’ features the talents of professional actors, including Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture ShowElephant), Daniel Roebuck (The FugitiveFinal Destination), and Musetta Vander (O Brother, Where Art ThouWild Wild West).“

American Hero is a buried treasure from the Atari archives that was nearly lost to time after the Jaguar CD’s abrupt end,” said Michael Devine, SVP of Business Development at Ziggurat Interactive. “To be in a position to restore and complete this game, and preserve a unique part of video game history is exactly what Ziggurat is all about.”

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In American Hero, players take on the role of former American intelligence officer Jack on a mission to stop the malicious virologist Krueger who plans to unleash a sinister virus upon the Los Angeles water supply. Players will face spur-of-the-moment decisions that will help or hinder Jack as he tries to protect the only scientist who has the cure for this deadly pathogen.

Features of American Hero Include:

  • A fully realized Hollywood-level script with player directed plot and dialogue choices
  • A gritty, adult-oriented action story with violence and sex appeal
  • A unique, virtually seamless FMV format that plays smoothly like watching a film
  • The return of Hollywood actor Timothy Bottoms as Jack with newly recorded voiceover 

Ziggurat Interactive has over 40 retro classic games in development, with new games releasing every month. Keep up to date on the latest news from Ziggurat on FacebookTwitter, and the company’s official website.

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