Missile Command 3D

Missile Command 3D is a shoot 'em up game based on the arcade game Missile Command, where the player defends a city by firing missiles at incoming targets. The player's anti-ballistic missiles also leave a temporary trail of fire, which destroys enemy missiles caught within range. Each base becomes useless when all of its missiles have been deployed or if it is destroyed by enemy missiles. Other hazards include bomber planes and satellites, as well as smart missiles that can evade the player's missiles. The player can rebuild destroyed cities by reaching certain high scores at the end of each level.

The game offers three modes: "Original", "3D", and "Virtual". Original mode is a recreation of Missile Command, offering graphics and gameplay similar to the arcade original. 3D mode is similar to the original mode but with three-dimensional visuals. Virtual mode departs from the original gameplay by introducing a first-person perspective, power-ups, varied stages and bosses.

Missile Command 3D is an update of Dave Theurer's arcade game Missile Command (1980). It was developed by Virtuality Entertainment (previously W Industries), a Leicester-based virtual reality (VR) developer founded in 1987. In 1993, Atari announced a VR peripheral for the Atari Jaguar and approached Virtuality to produce it, but no agreement was settled. After discussions resumed in 1994, the companies announced a partnership in 1995, leading to the production of a VR headset for the Jaguar based on Virtuality's technology. According to the terms of the deal, Virtuality would develop software that would allow Atari and third-party developers to produce VR-compatible titles, while Atari would finance Virtuality's production of two VR games for Jaguar, including Missile Command.

Missile Command became part of a series of arcade game revivals from Atari, a strategy initiated by producer John Skruch after the release of Tempest 2000. The game was programmed by Martin Brownlow, who had previously written the VR arcade games Buggy Ball and Virtuality Boxing. Brownlow also acted as co-designer of the "Virtual" mode alongside James Tripp, as well as artists Mark Brown and Scot Jones. Robert Powers of Atari was responsible for designing the "3D" mode, while the soundtrack was composed by Dale Robins.

Missile Command 3D received mixed reviews, with journalists being divided on their opinion of the "Original" mode. Game Players' Chris Charla said that the mode was fun from a nostalgic viewpoint, while Game Zero Magazine described it as a faithful port of the arcade original. However, Ultimate Future Games saw it as nothing more than a nostalgic novelty. ST Format's Iain Laskey felt that the original mode was a poor replica of Missile Command, while Digital Press' Edward Villalpando felt that the different background borders added nothing to the original mode. Marc Abramson of the French ST Magazine criticized the original mode as slow and unplayable.

Meanwhile, the "3D" mode received more favorable commentary. Computer and Video Games' Paul Davies praised its audiovisual presentation. Charla found the updated polygonal graphics to be enjoyable. VideoGames thought the explosion effects in 3D mode were impressive but the lens flare effect seemed artificial.

Missile Command 3D was one of two games planned to launch with the Jaguar VR peripheral, but it was the only one released officially compatible with it. The deal between Atari and Virtuality Entertainment was falling through in 1995 and collapsed in 1996, with Atari cancelling the Jaguar VR due to health concerns. An arcade game based on the game titled Missile Command VR was developed by Simon Fox of Virtuality and released under the Atari Games license. In 2023, video game programmer Rich Whitehouse implemented VR support in Missile Command 3D for the Atari Jaguar emulator BigPEmu, allowing use of modern headsets such as the HTC Vive.