Digital Pictures
Encyclopedia
Digital Pictures was a worldwide American
video game developer, founded in 1991 by Ken Melville and Tom Zito.
On the Sega CD versions of certain games, if they are played on the systems "audio CD" mode, there is a short track of a phone ringing with a male voice answering "Good afternoon, Digital Pictures", followed by a backwards playback of several voices saying "number nine" ("enin rebmun"), a reference to The Beatles
song Revolution 9
. The message is a hint for Sewer Shark
; if the player turns left (referred to as "niner" in the game) three times the player will not hit a wall.
's NEMO
video game system that used VHS tapes rather than cartridges, which allowed the game to offer live action and interactive full motion video
. While NEMO was not successful, Digital Pictures would later convert this game in 1992 for Sega's new Mega CD home console system under the new name; Night Trap
.
Throughout the 1990s, Digital Pictures continued to design interactive full motion video games for the CD-ROM format. Several popular actors, including Mark Wahlberg
, Steve Eastin
, Corey Haim
and Dana Plato
, appeared in Digital Pictures games.
was singled out by numerous interest groups and by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Herbert Kohl as evidence that the video game industry was marketing games with graphic violence and other adult content to minors. Concern about Night Trap
and several other games such as Midway
's Mortal Kombat, Konami
's Lethal Enforcers
, and id Software
's Doom helped to bring about the creation of the ESRB
video game rating system.
- also known as Maximum Surge Movie. This used footage from an unreleased video game called Maximum Surge
as well as brief clips from other Digital Pictures games. Although the film boasted stars such as Yasmine Bleeth
and Walter Koenig
, they actually only appeared in the segments that had been pulled from the FMV sequences of the game, which themselves were easily spotted due to their varying image quality.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
video game developer, founded in 1991 by Ken Melville and Tom Zito.
On the Sega CD versions of certain games, if they are played on the systems "audio CD" mode, there is a short track of a phone ringing with a male voice answering "Good afternoon, Digital Pictures", followed by a backwards playback of several voices saying "number nine" ("enin rebmun"), a reference to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song Revolution 9
Revolution 9
"Revolution 9" is a recorded composition that appeared on The Beatles' 1968 self-titled LP release . The sound collage, credited to Lennon–McCartney, was created primarily by John Lennon with assistance from George Harrison and Yoko Ono. Lennon said he was trying to paint a picture of a revolution...
. The message is a hint for Sewer Shark
Sewer Shark
Sewer Shark is a first-person rail shooter game, the first video game for a game console to use full-motion video for its primary gameplay. It was originally slated to be the flagship product in Hasbro's NEMO video game system, which would use VHS tapes as its medium. However, Hasbro cancelled the...
; if the player turns left (referred to as "niner" in the game) three times the player will not hit a wall.
Full motion video games
In the 1980s the company designed the video game, Scene Of The Crime for HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's NEMO
Nemo
Nemo is a Latin word meaning "no man" or "no one". "Nemo" may also refer to:-Fiction:* Captain Nemo, captain of the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Mysterious Island...
video game system that used VHS tapes rather than cartridges, which allowed the game to offer live action and interactive full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
. While NEMO was not successful, Digital Pictures would later convert this game in 1992 for Sega's new Mega CD home console system under the new name; Night Trap
Night Trap
Night Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
.
Throughout the 1990s, Digital Pictures continued to design interactive full motion video games for the CD-ROM format. Several popular actors, including Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
, Steve Eastin
Steve Eastin
Steve Eastin is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career....
, Corey Haim
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
and Dana Plato
Dana Plato
Dana Michelle Plato was an American actress notable for playing the role of Kimberly Drummond in the U.S. television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.Plato appeared in over 100 television commercials as a young girl...
, appeared in Digital Pictures games.
Controversy
In the early 1990s, Night TrapNight Trap
Night Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
was singled out by numerous interest groups and by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Herbert Kohl as evidence that the video game industry was marketing games with graphic violence and other adult content to minors. Concern about Night Trap
Night Trap
Night Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
and several other games such as Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
's Mortal Kombat, Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
's Lethal Enforcers
Lethal Enforcers
Lethal Enforcers is a 1992 shooting game released for the arcades by Konami. It is best known for its revolver-shaped light gun known as the Konami Justifier, its digitized graphics, and the controversy over its content.Home versions were released for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD during...
, and id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
's Doom helped to bring about the creation of the ESRB
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
video game rating system.
Decline
By the late 1990s, consumer interest in full-motion video games, which accounted for the majority of the company's profits, was in decline. After the collapse of the company, its assets were acquired by Cyber Cinema Interactive. The new company intended to re-release the games for DVD but that never came about. The only actual production for Cyber Cinema was the direct to video film Game OverGame Over (film)
Game Over is a 2003 direct to video film starring Yasmine Bleeth, Walter Koenig, Woody Jeffreys and Dominika Wolski. It is notable for incorporating footage originally shot for several video games released by Digital Pictures.- Plot :...
- also known as Maximum Surge Movie. This used footage from an unreleased video game called Maximum Surge
Maximum Surge
Maximum Surge is a cancelled game by Digital Pictures. Planned for release in 1996 for the 3DO, Mac, PC and Sega Saturn. It features full-motion video in the same way that many of Digital Pictures' releases of the time did. The game featured Walter Koenig, Yasmine Bleeth, and Michael Champion. The...
as well as brief clips from other Digital Pictures games. Although the film boasted stars such as Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth is an American actress. Her television roles include Caroline Holden in the long-running series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
and Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and director, known for his roles as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Alfred Bester in Babylon 5. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.-Early life:...
, they actually only appeared in the segments that had been pulled from the FMV sequences of the game, which themselves were easily spotted due to their varying image quality.
Games developed
- 3DO3DO Interactive MultiplayerThe 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
- Corpse KillerCorpse KillerCorpse Killer is a game released for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers that features full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Each version of the game is identical except for two major differences. The quality...
- Night TrapNight TrapNight Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
- Quarterback AttackQuarterback AttackQuarterback Attack was the only quarterback-only football game for the Sega Saturn and 3DO. It featured Mike Ditka as head coach of the player's team. The only player you could control was the quarterback, and the defense was full motion video...
- Sewer SharkSewer SharkSewer Shark is a first-person rail shooter game, the first video game for a game console to use full-motion video for its primary gameplay. It was originally slated to be the flagship product in Hasbro's NEMO video game system, which would use VHS tapes as its medium. However, Hasbro cancelled the...
- Supreme WarriorSupreme WarriorSupreme Warrior is a full-motion video action game developed by Digital Pictures and was released in 1995 for North America and Europe. It was released for multiple consoles, including the Sega CD 32X.-Story:...
- Maximum SurgeMaximum SurgeMaximum Surge is a cancelled game by Digital Pictures. Planned for release in 1996 for the 3DO, Mac, PC and Sega Saturn. It features full-motion video in the same way that many of Digital Pictures' releases of the time did. The game featured Walter Koenig, Yasmine Bleeth, and Michael Champion. The...
- Corpse Killer
- Mega-CD
- Corpse KillerCorpse KillerCorpse Killer is a game released for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers that features full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Each version of the game is identical except for two major differences. The quality...
- Double Switch
- Ground Zero: TexasGround Zero: TexasGround Zero: Texas is a full motion video game, released for the Sega Mega-CD in November 1993. The game relies heavily on video footage, with which the player interacts. It contains 110 minutes of interactive footage from four different cameras. It was directed by Dwight H...
- INXS: Make My Video
- Kids on Site
- Kris Kross: Make My Video
- Marky Mark: Make My Video
- Night TrapNight TrapNight Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
- Power Factory Featuring C+C Music FactoryPower Factory Featuring C+C Music FactoryPower Factory Featuring C+C Music Factory is a 1992 video game developed by Digital Pictures and published bySony Imagesoft for the Sega CD...
- Prize Fighter
- Sewer SharkSewer SharkSewer Shark is a first-person rail shooter game, the first video game for a game console to use full-motion video for its primary gameplay. It was originally slated to be the flagship product in Hasbro's NEMO video game system, which would use VHS tapes as its medium. However, Hasbro cancelled the...
- Slam City With Scottie Pippen
- Supreme WarriorSupreme WarriorSupreme Warrior is a full-motion video action game developed by Digital Pictures and was released in 1995 for North America and Europe. It was released for multiple consoles, including the Sega CD 32X.-Story:...
- Corpse Killer
- Mega-CD/Sega 32XSega 32XThe Sega 32X, codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console by Sega. Its aim was to increase the lifespan of the aging Mega Drive/Genesis system, which was facing stiff competition from the SNES...
- Corpse KillerCorpse KillerCorpse Killer is a game released for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers that features full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Each version of the game is identical except for two major differences. The quality...
- Night TrapNight TrapNight Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
- Slam City With Scottie Pippen
- Supreme WarriorSupreme WarriorSupreme Warrior is a full-motion video action game developed by Digital Pictures and was released in 1995 for North America and Europe. It was released for multiple consoles, including the Sega CD 32X.-Story:...
- Corpse Killer
- Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
- Corpse KillerCorpse KillerCorpse Killer is a game released for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers that features full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Each version of the game is identical except for two major differences. The quality...
- Double Switch
- Quarterback AttackQuarterback AttackQuarterback Attack was the only quarterback-only football game for the Sega Saturn and 3DO. It featured Mike Ditka as head coach of the player's team. The only player you could control was the quarterback, and the defense was full motion video...
- Maximum SurgeMaximum SurgeMaximum Surge is a cancelled game by Digital Pictures. Planned for release in 1996 for the 3DO, Mac, PC and Sega Saturn. It features full-motion video in the same way that many of Digital Pictures' releases of the time did. The game featured Walter Koenig, Yasmine Bleeth, and Michael Champion. The...
- Corpse Killer
- PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
- Corpse KillerCorpse KillerCorpse Killer is a game released for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers that features full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Each version of the game is identical except for two major differences. The quality...
- Double Switch
- Kids on Site
- Night TrapNight TrapNight Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
- Quarterback AttackQuarterback AttackQuarterback Attack was the only quarterback-only football game for the Sega Saturn and 3DO. It featured Mike Ditka as head coach of the player's team. The only player you could control was the quarterback, and the defense was full motion video...
- Supreme WarriorSupreme WarriorSupreme Warrior is a full-motion video action game developed by Digital Pictures and was released in 1995 for North America and Europe. It was released for multiple consoles, including the Sega CD 32X.-Story:...
- Corpse Killer
- MacintoshMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
- Double Switch
- Night TrapNight TrapNight Trap is a video game that was released in North America on October 15, 1992 originally for the Sega Mega-CD. It was filmed over a three week period in 1987 for an unreleased game entitled "Scene of the Crime"...
- Prize Fighter
- Quarterback AttackQuarterback AttackQuarterback Attack was the only quarterback-only football game for the Sega Saturn and 3DO. It featured Mike Ditka as head coach of the player's team. The only player you could control was the quarterback, and the defense was full motion video...
- Supreme WarriorSupreme WarriorSupreme Warrior is a full-motion video action game developed by Digital Pictures and was released in 1995 for North America and Europe. It was released for multiple consoles, including the Sega CD 32X.-Story:...
- Kids on Site
- What's My Story?