For an ever-so-brief while back in the 16-bit gaming era, it was fashionable for publishers to license actual movie stars to star in original games as opposed to licensing the movie in which they appeared. Why make, for example, Under Siege: The Game that will be here and gone quickly when one can get action star Steven Seagal to appear in his own unique game that will sell for years? The Lost Levels feature at Retronauts explains why that doesn't quite hold in up practice as it takes a stern look at the unreleased Super NES project called Steven Seagal is The Final Option (be sure to nail the "is" when you read it aloud).
Though TecMagik had the image rights to capture Seagal himself, a look-alike was used in the shoot, because "the resolution of even digitized images on cartridges is not such that you can tell the difference," said Tarr, saying that the company would work directly with Seagal if their partnership continued on to a higher resolution, CD-ROM based product. The game's scenario was co-developed with Seagal himself (and credited to his production company, Steamroller Productions), a partnership Tarr described to the Daily Variety as "a perfect example of the new relationship between Hollywood and Silicon Valley." We don't know very much about the plot, other than it stars Seagal and a female co-star battling villains to rescue the woman's son.
The game itself was developed by RSP Inc., an independent studio founded by former Atari programmer Mike Riedel in 1984. It was one of the earliest games programmed by Adrian Jones, who would move on to work as technical director of the Medal of Honor franchise at EA and co-found Spark Unlimited. The SNES demonstration ROM I was able to review shows the game in a playable, though early, state. A fluidly animated Seagal can move in four directions, punch, kick, block and jump. He can also throw knives and shoot a gun using the L and R triggers, respectively. There are about four or five enemy types, ranging from wimpy scientists holding clipboards to heavily armed mercenaries who will shoot for an instant kill, given the opportunity.
It all ends up being just another forgettable Super NES digitized action wannabe alongside other dismal titles such as Batman Forever. The practice of signing celebrities to topline games never really went away, but in the modern era we see examples of stars merely lending their name to an otherwise unrelated product. The star power ends up carrying the promotional angle, but the gameplay is left out of the hands of people like, well, Steven Seagal.
