Time to party like it’s 1994. Qubyte Interactive has revealed a new gameplay trailer for the up-and-coming re-release of the classic first-person shooter, Zero Tolerance. This Sega Genesis classic is coming back from the past to be released on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation on July 7th.
The news comes complimented with a new trailer for the Zero Tolerance Collection, showing the old-fashioned first-person interface and some of the combat that awaits players. The Zero Tolerance Collection trailer showcases large, labyrinthian levels, grotesque enemies, and a bevy of weapons to use, all the while keeping an eye on the information displayed below as you slowly make your way across the gargantuan spaceship, the Europa-1. The Zero Tolerance Collection is presented in its original 16-bt format, complete with the jagged presentation of early 3D graphics. The Zero Tolerance Collection contains three games: Zero Tolerance, the finished but unreleased sequel Zero Tolerance: Underground, and the prototype of the unreleased third game, Beyond Zero Tolerance. The Collection contains 40 levels to complete, as well as old-fashioned alien blasting, but it also comes equipped with a few modern featurism such as the ability to use up to five save slots and multiple filters to best suit your needs.
Zero Tolerance puts players on the fringes of the space frontier, as mankind has colonized various worlds. The massive capital ship, Europa-1, is the flagship of the Planetary Defense Corps, keeping the colonized worlds safe. Suddenly, all contact is lost and the last transmission reveals a hostile alien force that has seized control of the ship, not only eliminating personnel but also infecting them into grotesque mutants. As a member of the Zero Tolerance squad, the goal is to infiltrate the ship, wipe out the alien threat, terminate any mutated persons, and escape before the Europa-1 is set to explode.
Originally released in 1994, Zero Tolerance was a response to 1993’s Doom. Doom changed the video game world forever and spearheaded a push for 2D and 3D visuals in games. Many games would come to become greatly inspired in the immediate release of Doom, from Star Wars: Dark Forces to Rise of the Triad. For Zero Tolerance, the game had the rare distinction of being made available on the Sega Genesis. For those unable to obtain a desktop computer, which was quite expensive at the time, Zero Tolerance was what players could contend with until a console port of Doom was available. Zero Tolerance wasn’t merely a clone though and provides its own unique alien horror.
Released like Zero Tolerance Collection are enthralling to me. There are so many games out there we haven’t heard of, some likely laying dormant on a hard drive or being conceptualized on paper and placed into a manila folder to collect dust in storage. What games are out there waiting to be made or uncovered remains to be seen but I encourage anyone in the developing world to please find them and bring them back to life. Each game is a part of human history. I’m thrilled that Zero Tolerance is coming to modern platforms, and I encourage everyone to check it out.
Zero Tolerance Collection launches Thursday, July 7th, 2022 digitally for the PlayStation Network and Nintendo eShop, with a physical release by Strictly Limited Games.
