<s>
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
is	O
an	O
unreleased	O
side-scrolling	O
action	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
Clockwork	B-Application
Tortoise	I-Application
and	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
on	O
a	O
scheduled	O
January	O
1997	B-Application
release	O
date	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
popular	O
X-Men	B-Application
Marvel	O
Comics	O
superheroes	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
long-running	O
comic	O
book	O
mythology	O
and	O
adaptations	O
in	O
other	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
of	O
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
acclaim	O
and	O
success	O
of	O
previous	O
X-Men	B-Application
titles	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
positive	O
reception	O
to	O
developer	O
Clockwork	B-Application
Tortoise	I-Application
's	O
previous	O
title	O
The	B-Application
Adventures	I-Application
of	I-Application
Batman	I-Application
&	I-Application
Robin	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
was	O
headed	O
by	O
X-Men	B-Application
:	I-Application
Gamesmaster	I-Application
's	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
co-producer	O
John	O
Pedigo	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
first-party	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
faced	O
a	O
problematic	O
development	O
cycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
last	O
project	O
by	O
Clockwork	B-Application
Tortoise	I-Application
before	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
disbanded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
with	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
elements	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Undercover	B-Application
Cops	I-Application
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
either	O
Storm	O
,	O
Jean	O
Grey	O
and	O
Rogue	O
to	O
scour	O
across	O
Earth	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
cure	O
against	O
a	O
deadly	O
disease	O
Mister	O
Sinister	O
inflicted	O
upon	O
all	O
male	O
mutants	O
while	O
fighting	O
against	O
an	O
assortment	O
of	O
enemies	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
original	O
X-Men	B-Application
and	O
X-Men	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Clone	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
each	O
playable	O
character	O
also	O
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
fly	O
in	O
multiple	O
directions	O
across	O
the	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
follow	O
up	O
to	O
X-Men	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Clone	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
female	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
X-Men	B-Application
was	O
planned	O
due	O
to	O
acclaim	O
and	O
sales	O
of	O
previous	O
X-Men	B-Application
titles	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
positive	O
reception	O
Clockwork	B-Application
Tortoise	I-Application
garnered	O
for	O
their	O
adaptations	O
based	O
on	O
Batman	O
:	O
The	O
Animated	O
Series	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
them	O
on	O
being	O
contracted	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
third	O
X-Men	B-Application
project	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
after	O
approval	O
was	O
given	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Men	B-Application
:	I-Application
Gamesmaster	I-Application
's	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
co-producer	O
John	O
Pedigo	O
served	O
as	O
main	O
producer	O
of	O
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
,	O
with	O
John	O
O’	O
Brien	O
acting	O
as	O
programmer	O
of	O
the	O
project	O
alongside	O
artists	O
Chris	O
George	O
,	O
Robert	O
Hunter	O
and	O
Stephen	O
Thomson	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
team	O
members	O
collaborating	O
in	O
its	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
was	O
first	O
showcased	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
an	O
early	O
playable	O
state	O
at	O
E3	O
1996	O
to	O
positive	O
response	O
from	O
the	O
audience	O
,	O
with	O
Sega	O
touting	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
a	O
late	O
1996	O
launch	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
last	O
first-party	O
releases	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
alongside	O
other	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Sonic	B-Application
3D	I-Application
Blast	I-Application
and	O
Vectorman	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
was	O
then	O
delayed	O
and	O
now	O
touted	O
for	O
a	O
December	O
1996	O
launch	O
,	O
before	O
being	O
delayed	O
one	O
last	O
time	O
to	O
January	O
1997	B-Application
instead	O
,	O
with	O
GamePro	O
previewing	O
the	O
title	O
in	O
their	O
November	O
1996	O
issue	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Marvel	O
Comics	O
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
reportedly	O
demonstrated	O
during	O
the	O
1997	B-Application
Innoventions	O
exhibition	O
at	O
Epcot	O
,	O
however	O
Pedigo	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
title	O
did	O
not	O
make	O
its	O
appearance	O
at	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pedigo	O
has	O
since	O
stated	O
in	O
recent	O
years	O
that	O
he	O
owned	O
a	O
prototype	O
of	O
X-Women	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sinister	I-Application
Virus	I-Application
that	O
has	O
since	O
become	O
unplayable	O
and	O
the	O
only	O
remaining	O
proofs	O
of	O
its	O
existence	O
are	O
various	O
screenshots	O
taken	O
by	O
several	O
video	O
game	O
magazines	O
and	O
promotional	O
gameplay	O
footage	O
,	O
while	O
no	O
additional	O
prototypes	O
containing	O
a	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
of	O
the	O
game	O
have	O
been	O
found	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
last	O
project	O
developed	O
by	O
Clockwork	B-Application
Tortoise	I-Application
,	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
disbanded	O
due	O
to	O
internal	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
