Adrenalin Entertainment

Western Technologies, Inc. (Western) was a product design and development company in Los Angeles, California, headed by Jay Smith, incorporated on September 19, 1978. Adrenalin Entertainment was, for much of the 1990s, the name of Western's software division. [1] In addition to software development, Western also designed and developed electronic toys and consumer electronics products. [2] Video game hardware designed by Western includes the Vectrex game system, the Menacer gun for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis [3] [4], and the SegaDev board used in Sega Mega Drive/Genesis development. [5]

In February 1997, Western and certain assets and liabilities of Jay Smith's sole proprietorship Smith Engineering were acquired by Wanderlust Interactive, Inc. Wanderlust was renamed Adrenalin Interactive, Inc. on May 14, 1998. In December 1999, Adrenalin Interactive acquired McGlen Micro, Inc. through a reverse merger, forming McGlen Internet Group, Inc. [6], and Western's operations were discontinued. Western's Vice President Michael Cartabiano took over the remaining contracts [7] [8] and started Sennari Interactive, LLC that same month. Sennari originally operated at the same location as Western with many former Western employees.

Western operated an office in Florida that was involved in video game and robotic toy development, then moved into industrial automation after the "Video Game Crash." Don Herndon was the managing director. [9] Through a buyout by employees and a real estate developer in 1985, it broke off and became Western Technologies Automation. [10]

Pacific Softscape was another development company started by former employees.

Research Methods: Actual mentions, interviews, online resources, shared staff

Related Interviews: Tom Sloper

As Western Technologies

2600

• Androball (unreleased) (Atari) [Paul O'Connor (game designer)]
• Androman on the Moon (unreleased) (Atari) [Michael Case (programmer); Lenny Carlson (sound programmer)]
• Clue (unreleased) (Parker Brothers) [David Springer]
• Entombed (US Publisher: U.S. Games) [Jeff Corsiglia, Tom Sloper (game designers); Paul Allen Newell, Steve Sidley (programmers)] [11]
• The Incredible Hulk (unreleased) (Parker Brothers) [Florida]
• James Bond 007: Octopussy (unreleased) (Parker Brothers) [Florida]
• M.A.D. (US Publisher: U.S. Games; EU Publisher: Carrere Video) [Patrick King (game designer); John Hall, Steve Morris (programmers)]

Originally designed for Kenner as Mutual Assured Destruction / US vs. USSR

• Picnic (US Publisher: U.S. Games; EU Publisher: Carrere Video) [Jeff Corsiglia, Tom Sloper (game designers); David T. Johnson, Donna Fisher (programmers)]
• Piece O' Cake (US Publisher: U.S. Games) [Patrick King (game designer); Donna Fisher, Steve Kotleba (programmers)]
• Q*bert (US/EU Publisher: Parker Brothers, Atari) [Patrick King (co-producer); Tom Sloper (co-producer, graphic designer); Dave Hampton (programmer)]
• Raft Rider (US Publisher: U.S. Games) [Patrick King (game designer); Dave Hampton (programmer)]
• Sky Skipper (US/EU Publisher: Parker Brothers)
• Star Trek (unreleased) (Kenner) [Mark Indictor] [12] [13]
• Towering Inferno / Infernal Tower (US Publisher: U.S. Games; EU Publisher: Carrere Video) [Jeff Corsiglia, Tom Sloper (game designers); Paul Allen Newell (programmer)]

5200

• Popeye (US Publisher: Parker Brothers) [David W. Johnson, Susan ? - Florida] [14]
• Q*bert (US Publisher: Parker Brothers) [Patrick King (producer); Daniel Small? (programmer) - Florida]

Atari 8-bit

• Popeye (US/EU Publisher: Parker Brothers) [David W. Johnson, Susan ? - Florida] [15]
• Q*bert (US/CA/EU Publisher: Parker Brothers) [Patrick King (producer); Daniel Small? (programmer) - Florida]
• Tree Surgeon (unreleased) (Western Technologies) [Harold Topol - Florida]

ColecoVision

• Q*bert (US/CA Publisher: Parker Brothers) [Patrick King (producer)]

Commodore 64

• Popeye (US/CA Publisher: Parker Brothers; EU Publisher: Dk'tronics) [Sean O'Donohue? - Florida]

Famicom/NES

• Videomation (US Publisher: THQ)

Game Boy

• Robosaurus (unreleased) [16]

Macintosh

• Trivial Pursuit Interactive Multimedia Game (US Publisher: Parker Brothers)

Mega CD/Sega CD

• Trivial Pursuit Interactive Multimedia Game (US Publisher: Parker Brothers)

Mega Drive/Genesis

• Art Alive (US/EU/JP Publisher: Sega; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)
• Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football / Joe Montana Football II (speech, music, sounds) (US/EU/JP Publisher: Sega; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)

Developer: BlueSky Software; Speech Compression: Electronic Speech Systems?

• Math Blaster: Episode I (production) (US Publisher: Davidson & Associates)

Developer: Spidersoft

• Menacer 6-Game Cartridge / Menacer 6-em-1 (US/EU Publisher: Sega; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)

"Ready, Aim, Tomatoes!": Johnson-Voorsanger Productions

• NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana (speech) (US/EU Publisher: Sega)

Developer: BlueSky Software; Speech Compression: Electronic Speech Systems?

• Outback Joey (US Publisher: HeartBeat)
• Outworld 2375 A.D. (US Publisher: HeartBeat)
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series (US/EU Publisher: Acclaim; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)
• Sports Talk Baseball (speech, sound) (US Publisher: Sega)

Speech Compression: Electronic Speech Systems

• World Series Baseball (speech, sound effects) (US Publisher: Sega; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)

Developer: BlueSky Software; Speech Compression: Electronic Speech Systems

• X-Men (US/EU Publisher: Sega; BR Publisher: Tec Toy)

Super Famicom/Super NES

• Math Blaster: Episode I (production) (US Publisher: Davidson & Associates)

Developer: Spidersoft

• Robosaurus (unreleased) (THQ) [17]
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series (US Publisher: LJN)

TI-99/4A

• Fantasy (unreleased) (localization?) (Texas Instruments) [18]
• Ghost Spell [E.T. the Extra Terrestrial] (unreleased) (Texas Instruments) [Patrick King (game designer)]
• Lasso (unreleased) (Texas Instruments)
• Moonsweeper (US Publisher: Texas Instruments)

Developer: Micro Projects Engineering

• Super Demon Attack (US Publisher: Texas Instruments) [Farshad Bostani?]

Vectrex

• Armor..Attack (US Publisher: GCE; JP Publisher: Bandai; EU Publisher: Milton Bradley)
• Bedlam (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley) [Tom Sloper (game designer); Bill Hawkins (programmer)]
• Berzerk (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Chris King]
• Blitz! Action Football / Blitz! American Football (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley) [Patrick King (game designer); Don Herndon? (programmer) - Florida]
• Clean Sweep (US Publisher: GCE; EU Publisher: Milton Bradley)
• Cosmic Chasm (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Jeff Corsiglia (game designer); Bill Hawkins (programmer)]
• Hyperchase (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Jeff Corsiglia (game designer); Chris King (programmer)]
• Mine Storm [John Hall] [19]

The game built into the Vectrex. Later revisions were done by Hall when he was at GCE.

• Rip Off (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Bill Hawkins]
• Scramble / Scramble Wars (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Paul Allen Newell (programmer); Kim Martin (landscape encoding); Lenny Carlson (sound)]
• Spike (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley) [Tom Sloper (game designer)]
• Star Castle (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley) [Patrick King (producer)]
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture / Star Ship / Harmagedon (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley; JP Publisher: Bandai) [Mark Indictor]
• Web Wars / Web Warp (US Publisher: GCE; CA/EU Publisher: Milton Bradley) [Patrick King (game designer); Bill Hawkins, Duncan Muirhead (programmers)]

VIC-20

• Tutankham (US Publisher: Parker Brothers) [Patrick King (producer); Steve Kotleba (programmer)] [20]

Windows

• Trivial Pursuit Interactive Multimedia Game (US Publisher: Parker Brothers)

As Adrenalin Entertainment

DOS

• Into the Void (US Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment)
• Vampire: The Masquerade (unreleased) (GT Interactive)

Game Gear

• Poker Face Paul's Blackjack (production, some sound) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Spidersoft

• Poker Face Paul's Gin (production) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Freestyle; Sound: Spidersoft

• Poker Face Paul's Poker (production, some sound) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Freestyle; Some Sound: Spidersoft

• Poker Face Paul's Solitaire (production) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Spidersoft

• Sports Trivia (production) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Freestyle

• Sports Trivia: Championship Edition (production) (US Publisher: Sega)

Developer: Freestyle

Mega Drive/Genesis

• Doom Troopers: Mutant Chronicles (US Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment)

PC

• Colliderz (unreleased) (ASC Games)

PlayStation

• Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling (US/EU Publisher: THQ)
• Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling 2 (US/EU Publisher: THQ)
• Colliderz (unreleased) (ASC Games)
• Hellcatraz / Alcatraz: Escape from the Rock (unreleased)
• Ten Pin Alley (US/EU Publisher: ASC Games)
• Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour Golf (US/EU/JP Publisher: Electronic Arts)

Saturn

• Colliderz (unreleased) (ASC Games)
• Ten Pin Alley (US Publisher: ASC Games)

Super Famicom/Super NES

• Doom Troopers: Mutant Chronicles (US Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment)

Windows

• Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling (US Publisher: THQ)
• The Flintstones: Bedrock Bowling (US Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive)
• Ten Pin Alley (US Publisher: ASC Games; EU Publisher: Dice Multimedia)
• Trivial Pursuit: CD-ROM Edition (US/DE Publisher: Hasbro Interactive)

Links

• Official Adrenalin Entertainment/Adrenalin Interactive website (Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
• TV news reports on Western Technologies [21] [22] [23]