<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
is	O
a	O
1993	O
first-person	O
vehicular	O
combat	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
project	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
dystopian	O
future	O
where	O
civilization	O
has	O
been	O
reduced	O
to	O
a	O
Mad	O
Max-inspired	O
landscape	O
and	O
players	O
take	O
the	O
wheel	O
of	O
heavily	O
armed	O
and	O
armored	O
cars	O
called	O
Hi-Tech	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
either	O
computer-controlled	O
opponents	O
or	O
other	O
human	O
players	O
using	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
's	O
ComLynx	O
system	O
in	O
matches	O
set	O
across	O
multiple	O
post-apocalyptic	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
founder	O
Kris	O
N	O
.	O
Johnson	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
developing	O
a	O
vehicular	O
combat	O
game	O
along	O
with	O
his	O
colleagues	O
after	O
playing	O
several	O
multiplayer	O
titles	O
on	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
Warbirds	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
a	O
source	O
of	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
project	O
alongside	O
Steve	O
Jackson	O
Games	O
 '	O
Car	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
later	O
agreed	O
and	O
signed	O
Kris	O
 '	O
company	O
as	O
a	O
licensed	O
developer	O
for	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
was	O
released	O
to	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
the	O
pseudo-3D	O
visuals	O
,	O
sound	O
design	O
,	O
gameplay	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
six	O
people	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
in-game	O
music	O
during	O
matches	O
was	O
noted	O
as	O
a	O
negative	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Updated	O
conversions	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
and	O
PC	B-Device
were	O
in	O
development	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
never	O
received	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
,	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
Redline	B-Device
and	O
Motor	B-Application
Mayhem	I-Application
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
respectively	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
considered	O
spiritual	O
successors	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
vehicular	O
combat	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Interstate	B-Application
'	I-Application
76	I-Application
and	O
Twisted	B-Application
Metal	I-Application
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
warriors	O
taking	O
the	O
wheel	O
of	O
heavily-armored	O
automobiles	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
kill	O
other	O
opponents	O
at	O
the	O
titular	O
sport	O
to	O
emerge	O
as	O
a	O
winning	O
victor	O
of	O
the	O
match	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
post-apocalyptic	O
dystopia	O
on	O
the	O
year	O
2019	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
world	O
has	O
been	O
reduced	O
to	O
a	O
Mad	O
Max-inspired	O
setting	O
and	O
humanity	O
has	O
now	O
turned	O
towards	O
more	O
violent	O
sports	O
for	O
entertainment	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
both	O
technological	O
advancements	O
and	O
nationwide	O
reorganization	O
of	O
the	O
political	O
structure	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
new	O
kinds	O
of	O
sports	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
titular	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
being	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
of	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
starting	O
a	O
match	O
in	O
either	O
mode	O
,	O
players	O
have	O
the	O
option	O
of	O
choosing	O
an	O
arena	O
to	O
battle	O
in	O
and	O
adjust	O
multiple	O
default	O
settings	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
difficulty	O
level	O
for	O
AI-controlled	O
opponents	O
,	O
their	O
number	O
during	O
single-player	O
,	O
number	O
of	O
kills	O
to	O
be	O
reached	O
,	O
and	O
player	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
to	O
six	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
by	O
connecting	O
six	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
units	O
via	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
ComLynx	O
port	O
during	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
in	O
either	O
single	O
or	O
team	O
deathmatches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kris	O
Johnson	O
began	O
coding	O
with	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
on	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
and	O
slowly	O
built	O
an	O
understanding	O
in	O
how	O
to	O
program	O
games	O
and	O
despite	O
reaching	O
several	O
companies	O
to	O
publish	O
his	O
works	O
,	O
none	O
of	O
them	O
ever	O
reached	O
the	O
market	O
after	O
multiple	O
unsuccessful	O
attempts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
released	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
in	O
1989	O
,	O
he	O
took	O
an	O
interest	O
towards	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
proceeded	O
to	O
contact	O
Atari	O
Corp	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
propose	O
them	O
several	O
projects	O
that	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
capabilities	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
eventually	O
agreed	O
to	O
and	O
offered	O
Kris	O
a	O
development	O
kit	O
for	O
US$1000	O
,	O
becoming	O
a	O
licensed	O
developer	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
despite	O
his	O
lack	O
of	O
professional	O
experience	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
mean	O
of	O
recruiting	O
staff	O
for	O
his	O
company	O
,	O
among	O
them	O
being	O
future	O
WildWorks	O
CEO	O
Clark	O
Stacey	O
and	O
designer	O
Tim	O
Huntsman	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
would	O
later	O
play	O
a	O
role	O
during	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
,	O
Kris	O
developed	O
various	O
multiplayer	O
prototype	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
on	O
his	O
own	O
during	O
the	O
day	O
before	O
bringing	O
them	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
units	O
for	O
testing	O
purposes	O
with	O
colleagues	O
on	O
his	O
nightclub	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
and	O
his	O
friends	O
played	O
various	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
such	O
as	O
Epyx	O
's	O
Todd	B-Application
's	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
in	I-Application
Slime	I-Application
World	I-Application
and	O
Atari	O
's	O
Warbirds	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
serving	O
as	O
a	O
source	O
of	O
ideas	O
for	O
him	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
showcase	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
capabilities	O
that	O
would	O
lead	O
to	O
the	O
conception	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
as	O
a	O
result	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kris	O
desired	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
vehicular	O
combat	O
game	O
project	O
after	O
obtaining	O
a	O
development	O
kit	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
Huntsman	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
also	O
an	O
avid	O
tabletop	O
player	O
of	O
games	O
like	O
Car	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
offered	O
his	O
help	O
in	O
developing	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
programming	O
and	O
sound	O
effects	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
were	O
handled	O
solely	O
by	O
Kris	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
hand-drawn	O
graphics	O
were	O
created	O
by	O
artist	O
Lorin	O
Nelson	O
and	O
the	O
cover	O
art	O
for	O
packaging	O
was	O
drawn	O
by	O
Curt	O
Hatch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
spent	O
half	O
a	O
year	O
being	O
tested	O
by	O
Kris	O
and	O
his	O
colleagues	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
volunteers	O
who	O
were	O
recruited	O
via	O
online	B-Application
forum	I-Application
posts	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
refine	O
its	O
gameplay	O
before	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
was	O
first	O
showcased	O
to	O
attendees	O
at	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
1993	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
early	O
1994	O
,	O
with	O
Huntsman	O
promoting	O
the	O
game	O
disguised	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
playable	O
characters	O
to	O
positive	O
reception	O
before	O
being	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
late	O
into	O
the	O
life	O
span	O
of	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
commercially	O
released	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
has	O
been	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chris	O
Bieniek	O
wrote	O
in	O
VideoGames	O
&	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
that	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
effectively	O
combines	O
elements	O
from	O
Warbirds	O
,	O
BattleTech	B-Application
Centers	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Mad	B-Device
Max	I-Device
film	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
summed	O
up	O
that	O
"	O
Though	O
it	O
sounds	O
contradictory	O
to	O
the	O
theme	O
of	O
...	O
a	O
fast-paced	O
,	O
violent	O
game	O
,	O
Battlewheels	B-Application
is	O
also	O
a	O
game	O
of	O
subtlety	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
9	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
final	O
verdict	O
he	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
say	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Car	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
"	O
idea	O
I	O
've	O
ever	O
seen	O
on	O
any	O
computer	O
or	O
video	O
game	O
console.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
on	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
,	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
was	O
impressed	O
with	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
and	O
Gary	O
Tramiel	O
invited	O
Kris	O
Johnson	O
,	O
whose	O
company	O
was	O
preparing	O
to	O
move	O
into	O
another	O
platform	O
to	O
develop	O
new	O
projects	O
,	O
in	O
seeing	O
their	O
new	O
upcoming	O
home	O
video	O
game	O
console	O
that	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
and	O
after	O
Kris	O
became	O
intrigued	O
by	O
the	O
hardware	O
specifications	O
during	O
this	O
invitation	O
,	O
his	O
company	O
was	O
signed	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corp	O
.	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
third-party	O
developers	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
an	O
updated	O
conversion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
first	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
alongside	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleWheels	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
was	O
repeatedly	O
touted	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
upcoming	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
that	O
was	O
being	O
developed	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
before	O
being	O
pushed	O
back	O
for	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
completion	O
of	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
,	O
Tim	O
Huntsman	O
stated	O
in	O
a	O
1995	O
interview	O
with	O
online	O
magazine	O
Atari	O
Explorer	O
Online	O
at	O
E3	O
1995	O
that	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
their	O
next	O
follow-up	O
project	O
on	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
be	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
PC	B-Device
and	O
now	O
scheduled	O
for	O
a	O
Q2	O
1995	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
neither	O
version	O
was	O
ever	O
completed	O
and	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
for	O
unknown	O
reasons	O
,	O
though	O
cover	O
art	O
and	O
screenshots	O
of	O
the	O
PC	B-Device
port	O
do	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
not	O
receiving	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
,	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
would	O
later	O
create	O
Redline	B-Device
and	O
Motor	B-Application
Mayhem	I-Application
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
respectively	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
spiritual	O
successors	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
