Here’s one for fans of mid 90’s PC games. Some of you may remember the publisher Segasoft, the independent publishing arm set up by Sega of America to develop and publish games, not just for Sega Saturn, but also for Windows PCs and for competing consoles. (Though they never got to release anything on other consoles in the end.) Many of their games have been lost to time since Segasoft closed down in 2000, but two of their most beloved PC classics have been saved from the game preservation crisis. Rocket Jockey (1996) and Obsidian (1996) are coming to modern PC game platforms Steam and Zoom on August 28th, 2023, published by Zoom Platform and another company named Call Your Vegetables.
You may have heard of Steam, but what is Zoom Platform, you may ask? The short answer is that they’re another web storefront for PC games, mostly for retro PC games, created by the Jordan Freeman Group. Saturn era Sega of America President/COO Bernie Stolar, who sadly passed away last year, actually served as the original Executive Chairman. You can read more about them from their “About Us” page.
You can see more information on each of these games, along with links to buy them from either Steam or Zoom, past the break.
Rocket Jockey was a wacky rocket propelled sports game released to Windows in 1996. It centered around three main modes: Rocket Ball, Rocket Racing, and Rocket War, all with you playing as a character riding on top of a rocket that included a grappling hook for grabbing onto poles for tight turns or for grabbing items like the ball in Rocket Ball. The game also includes a surf rock soundtrack by well known surf guitarist Dick Dale.
While the Steam page for Rocket Jockey currently says the game is single player only, the game did have a LAN multiplayer feature for up to six players introduced in a post-release patch. Zoom Platform advertises the game as being single-player and multiplayer, so it’s not clear yet if the LAN multiplayer will be included on both platforms. What is currently clear is that Zoom Platform is the only platform offering a “Deluxe Digital Version”, which includes a FLAC soundtrack and scans of the US box art, manual, and quick keyboard control reference card.
Click here for the Zoom Platform Rocket Jockey page. Click here for the Steam Rocket Jockey page.
Obsidian, from the same developer as Rocket Jockey, Rocket Science Games, is a graphical adventure/puzzle game similar to the Myst series, released to Windows in 1996 and Mac in 1997. Originally packaged on 5 separate CD-ROMs, Obsidian saw you whisked away into dreamlike realms and tasked you to explore the environment and solve its many puzzles to find your partner, Max. This game also boasts an original soundtrack by Thomas Dolby.
Zoom Platform is selling an exclusive Digital Deluxe version of Obsidian, just like with Rocket Jockey. Buying from Zoom earns you scans of the American and Japanese box art, manuals, and concept art, the “Obsidian Realm Artwork Collection”, beta video footage with developer commentary, and video trailers.
Click here for the Zoom Platform Obsidian page. Click here for the Steam Obsidian page.
If you like these games, you’ll be happy to know they’re not the only SegaSoft PC games available to purchase from Steam or Zoom Platform. Both platforms also have The Space Bar (1997) and Zoom Platform also has Emperor of the Fading Suns (1997) and Plane Crazy (1998). You can see all SegaSoft games on Zoom Platform here and check out The Space Bar on Steam here. Keep in mind that Zoom Platform has extra bonus items included with each of these games that are not available on Steam.
If you want to learn more about SegaSoft, I wrote a lot about their history in a previous article about a cancelled game of theirs called The Sacred Pools.
Are you excited to see all these SegaSoft games available for sale? Did you play any of these games before? Let us know in the comments below. Lets hope more SegaSoft classics are coming back soon too.
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