Ed Hunter

About

"Ed Hunter" is a greatest hits album and video game released in 1999 by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden in collaboration with Synthetic Dimensions. The video game follows the band's mascot, Eddie, through levels inspired by Iron Maiden's past album covers. The accompanying CDs contain the band's most popular songs, as selected by fans through the official Iron Maiden website. The album was released in conjunction with the Ed Hunter Tour, during which Iron Maiden performed only the songs featured on the compilation. The tour was notable for marking the return of guitarist Adrian Smith and vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who had left the band in 1990 and 1993, respectively. Iron Maiden first announced plans to release a video game on the packaging of their 1996 compilation "Best of the Beast", referring to a project called "Melt". This project was later cancelled in 1997 and replaced with the Ed Hunter game. The band described the new game as a shoot 'em up in which players chase Eddie through various fantastical environments, including time and space. The game’s release was delayed several times before finally launching in July 1999 to coincide with the tour. The Ed Hunter package includes three CDs: the first CD contains 14 songs, the second CD contains six songs and the game installation program, and the third CD contains the game data. The soundtrack features the top 20 songs voted for by fans, with the US release including a bonus track—a new vocal version of "Wrathchild" with Bruce Dickinson. In the game, players progress through levels that begin in London’s East End and include locations such as a psychiatric hospital and depictions of hell, reflecting Iron Maiden album artwork. Gameplay is primarily a rail shooter where the player aims and shoots enemies with the mouse, with limited control over movement. Players can choose one song per level for background music, which some critics found repetitive. The Ed Hunter Tour supported the album and was the first tour with Bruce Dickinson as lead vocalist since 1993 and Adrian Smith on guitar since 1988.

via Last.fm