The Virtual Nightclub (found PC/Mac adventure game; 1997)

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JC front-1.jpg

Cover art for the obscure 1997 video game The Virtual Nightclub.

Status: Found

Date found: 09 Jun '16

Found by: Gamecare (Mark D.)

The Virtual Nightclub was a point-and-click PC/Mac video game from 1997.[1] It was originally developed by Prospect Project and published by Philips Interactive Media and Thumb Candy. The game features a concept on a virtual nightclub, which was revolutionary for its time period. The game is predominantly based on rave, techno, hip-hop, and cyberspace, with labels (such as such as Warp, R&S and Ninja Tune) and artists and groups (such as Herbie Hancock, Neal Stephenson, PM Dawn, and Terence McKenna) who were involved in the game.

The game faded into obscurity for two decades, due to a limited run of (presumably) 20,000 copies, which the game barely hit store shelves (as it was marketed via The Sci-Fi Channel (now known as Syfy) and through online in the UK, until in 2013, where it was resurfaced (albeit in a beta version), and in 2016 as a retail version of the game, respectively. The remaining 20,000 copies were stored in a warehouse that was located in Wembley, London.

Information about this game on the Internet is very scarce, as the game wasn't well-known when it came out.

Versions of the game

There are three known versions of The Virtual Nightclub, an unsurfaced prototype version from 1994 and 1995, the May 24, 1996 beta release (known as version 1.55) and the final release.

There was originally going to be a CD-i port of this game, but this was scrapped, as the game was later released only to the PC and Macintosh.

Unsurfaced prototype version

Prior to the beta version, there was an unsurfaced prototype version of the game, which was demonstrated in Ministry of Sound and the Love Bytes Festival, as well as in Europe and in Bueno Aires in 1994 and 1995, respectively. No screenshots nor recordings of this prototype have been existed/survived.

Beta version

The beta version (known as version 1.55) was released on May 24, 1996, as a 3 CD demo disc. It is identical to the retail release, except it has some slight differences between the beta and the retail versions:

  • The packaging is bigger than the retail version.
  • The executable icon is very different than the final game, which uses the Macromedia Director's Projector icon.
  • The Philips Interactive Media logo was shown instead of the Thumb Candy logo, which was removed in the final game.
  • The splash screen of the game shows the developer's address and other information (as well as the prototype logo), instead of the loading screen.
  • The intro doesn't have the credits listed.
  • Unlike in the final version, you could bypass the floating cube (at the start of the game) by clicking on the other direction. In the final version, you have to hit the cube by clicking it in order to progress the game.
  • The user interface is slightly different than the final version.
  • Certain items that were included in the beta version are not present in the beta version.
  • The story is identical in the final version. Despite this, it was incomplete, as the game is plagued with script-related errors.
  • The beta version is almost unplayable, due to the script-related errors.

Retail version

The retail version was released in 1997; it is completely different over the beta version, some of the changes include:

  • A custom-made installer was added (the installer was absent in the beta version). However, on modern Windows versions, it will be stuck in the initial installation screen.
  • Addition of opening credits in the intro. However, the intro will still loop just like the beta version.
  • The Philips Interactive Media logo was replaced with the Thumb Candy logo. The developer's information was also replaced with a loading screen that has the game's logo on it.
  • Unlike the beta version of the game, you have to hit the cube at the start of the game by clicking it in order to progress the game.

Download links

  • Version 1.55 MultiDisk Beta: Download (828.72 MB)
  • Retail version: Download (1.23 GB) (WARNING: The retail version of the game may not work on latest versions of Windows (particularly Windows 8 and above), due to a problem with the installer, where it will be stuck in the initial installation screen.)

Videos

Gameplay of the beta version of the game.

A promo (TV spot) of the game.

A longplay of the final version of the game (by ChipCheezumLPs).

References