<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
(	O
also	O
released	O
as	O
Ultra	O
Vortex	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
on	O
September	O
5	O
,	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
fighting	O
game	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
after	O
Kasumi	B-Application
Ninja	I-Application
and	O
unsuccessfully	O
sought	O
to	O
capitalize	O
on	O
the	O
trend	O
of	O
violent	O
fighting	O
games	O
started	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
's	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
officially	O
released	O
game	O
that	O
supports	O
the	O
unreleased	O
Jaguar	B-Device
Voice	O
Modem	O
peripheral	O
for	O
online	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
a	O
dystopian	O
future	O
where	O
civilization	O
,	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
follows	O
seven	O
fighters	O
from	O
three	O
groups	O
as	O
they	O
enter	O
a	O
tournament	O
held	O
by	O
a	O
demonic	O
being	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Guardian	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
,	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
was	O
impressed	O
with	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
and	O
invited	O
their	O
founder	O
,	O
Kris	O
N	O
.	O
Johnson	O
,	O
to	O
see	O
their	O
new	O
hardware	O
that	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
Corp	O
.	O
requested	O
them	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
project	O
and	O
with	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
releases	O
like	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
World	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
and	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
,	O
the	O
team	O
settled	O
on	O
developing	O
a	O
title	O
which	O
combined	O
several	O
art	O
styles	O
to	O
showcase	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
capabilities	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
garnered	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
reviewers	O
alike	O
since	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
praised	O
the	O
mixed	O
visual	O
style	O
and	O
audio	O
department	O
while	O
others	O
panned	O
the	O
slow	O
controls	O
,	O
choppy	O
character	O
animation	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
deeming	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
rip-off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
was	O
also	O
in	O
development	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
,	O
however	O
it	O
is	O
being	O
finished	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
by	O
Songbird	O
Productions	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Ultravore	O
,	O
after	O
acquiring	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
project	O
from	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
featuring	O
digitized	O
graphics	B-Algorithm
and	O
sprites	O
similar	O
to	O
Kasumi	B-Application
Ninja	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
inaccessible	O
during	O
normal	O
play	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
also	O
activate	O
a	O
turbo	O
mode	O
for	O
faster	O
playing	O
speed	O
similar	O
to	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Hyper	I-Application
Fighting	I-Application
via	O
cheat	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
,	O
special	O
and	O
death	O
moves	O
are	O
performed	O
by	O
entering	O
button	O
commands	O
while	O
pressing	O
the	O
d-pad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
network	O
mode	O
is	O
activated	O
,	O
players	O
are	O
required	O
to	O
dial	O
each	O
other	O
with	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
Voice	O
Modem	O
for	O
online	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
an	O
excavation	O
process	O
in	O
South	O
America	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
21st	O
century	O
,	O
archaeologists	O
unearthed	O
an	O
ancient	O
tablet	O
named	O
the	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
which	O
referred	O
to	O
both	O
its	O
demonic	O
protector	O
known	O
only	O
as	O
the	O
Guardian	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Time	O
of	O
Testing	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
event	O
where	O
people	O
would	O
send	O
their	O
best	O
fighters	O
to	O
combat	O
against	O
the	O
Guardian	O
to	O
seize	O
full	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
Vortek	O
tablet	O
but	O
failing	O
in	O
defeating	O
him	O
would	O
result	O
in	O
their	O
current	O
society	O
being	O
consumed	O
by	O
the	O
tablet	O
,	O
starting	O
the	O
cycle	O
anew	O
and	O
bringing	O
humanity	O
into	O
a	O
loop	O
until	O
he	O
was	O
defeated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
dystopian	O
period	O
,	O
both	O
science	O
and	O
technology	O
have	O
advanced	O
far	O
enough	O
for	O
humans	O
to	O
develop	O
creations	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
such	O
as	O
robots	B-Algorithm
designed	O
to	O
replace	O
manual	O
human	O
labor	O
for	O
cost	O
effectiveness	O
,	O
however	O
they	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
self-aware	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
own	O
ability	O
to	O
reason	O
and	O
after	O
being	O
enslaved	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
50	O
years	O
,	O
forming	O
their	O
own	O
society	O
and	O
conflict	O
between	O
humans	O
and	O
robots	B-Algorithm
erupted	O
afterwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
fighter	O
defeats	O
the	O
other	O
warriors	O
,	O
he	O
will	O
open	O
the	O
"	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
"	O
,	O
combat	O
the	O
Guardian	O
,	O
and	O
if	O
victorious	O
,	O
may	O
then	O
use	O
his	O
newly	O
acquired	O
power	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
fate	O
of	O
Earth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
Corporation	O
was	O
impressed	O
enough	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
 '	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
on	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
that	O
they	O
invited	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
founder	O
Kris	O
N	O
.	O
Johnson	O
to	O
see	O
their	O
upcoming	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
(	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
)	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beyond	O
Games	O
originally	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
an	O
updated	O
conversion	O
of	O
BattleWheels	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
first	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
,	O
however	O
Atari	O
requested	O
them	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
both	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
World	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
and	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
,	O
the	O
team	O
decided	O
that	O
a	O
digitized	O
one-on-one	O
fighter	O
would	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
positive	O
showcase	O
for	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
their	O
creative	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hatch	O
and	O
artist	O
William	O
Clark	O
Walker	O
were	O
developing	O
computer-animated	O
character	O
concepts	O
,	O
which	O
lead	O
the	O
team	O
in	O
creating	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
project	O
by	O
combining	O
digitized	O
actors	O
along	O
with	O
stop-motion	O
models	O
and	O
computer-animated	O
characters	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
,	O
albeit	O
with	O
limited	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moving	O
from	O
hand-drawn	O
graphics	B-Algorithm
to	O
digitized	B-Algorithm
images	I-Algorithm
,	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
and	O
3D	O
modeling	O
represented	O
a	O
big	O
leap	O
for	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
reportedly	O
took	O
over	O
a	O
year	O
with	O
an	O
estimated	O
budget	O
of	O
nearly	O
US$	O
100,000	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
described	O
by	O
writer	O
Tim	O
Huntsman	O
as	O
"	O
very	O
indie	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
several	O
roles	O
during	O
this	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
originally	O
went	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Ultra	O
Vortex	O
and	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
early	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
is	O
the	O
only	O
Jaguar	B-Device
game	O
that	O
support	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
Voice	O
Modem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
of	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
featuring	O
hand-drawn	O
graphics	B-Algorithm
was	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
under	O
its	O
original	O
Ultra	O
Vortex	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
planned	O
relaunch	O
of	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
if	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
proved	O
to	O
be	O
successful	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
version	O
was	O
left	O
unreleased	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
's	O
lack	O
of	O
commercial	O
and	O
critical	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
emulated	B-Application
screenshots	O
have	O
been	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
for	O
viewing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
review	O
,	O
Scary	O
Larry	O
of	O
GamePro	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
impressive	O
"	O
graphics	B-Algorithm
and	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
executing	O
special	O
moves	O
,	O
but	O
gave	O
it	O
an	O
overall	O
negative	O
assessment	O
based	O
on	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
original	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Ultra	O
Vortex	O
is	O
a	O
great	O
game	O
for	O
someone	O
who	O
has	O
n't	O
seen	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
,	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
or	O
Super	B-Application
Street	I-Application
Fighter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Though	O
this	O
game	O
is	O
unoriginal	O
and	O
suffers	O
from	O
slow	O
control	O
,	O
you	O
forgive	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
because	O
of	O
the	O
overall	O
good	O
job	O
(	O
graphics	B-Algorithm
,	O
tone	O
,	O
and	O
gore	O
)	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
has	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
borrowed	O
concept.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2003	O
,	O
a	O
nearly	O
complete	O
prototype	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
of	O
Ultra	B-Application
Vortek	I-Application
was	O
made	O
freely	O
available	O
to	O
download	O
by	O
website	O
AtariAge	B-Application
with	O
permission	O
from	O
Beyond	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Buzzsaw	O
,	O
Grok	O
and	O
Volcana	O
would	O
re-appear	O
as	O
guest	O
characters	O
in	O
Motor	B-Application
Mayhem	I-Application
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
