| Highway 61 Interactive | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Graphix Zone |
| Publisher(s) | Graphix Zone, Sony Music Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS, Windows 3.x |
| Release | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Highway 61 Interactive is an interactive CD-ROM released in 1995, based on the musician Bob Dylan and his music career. It was developed and published by Graphix Zone, with Sony Music Entertainment as co-publisher.
Overview
The game opens with a menu of a collage of photos and objects meant to represent the musician. Clicking on any object takes you to a 3-D interactive environment of places of Dylan's career, such as Greenwich Village, Madison Square Garden, and the recording studios of Columbia Records. [1]
Previously unknown songs were included in the CD, such as Dylan's performance of " House of the Rising Sun" during the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, which was met with controversy at the time. [2]
Development
Highway 61 Interactive was developed by Graphic Zone, a California multimedia company. [3] Graphic Zone's founder and president Chuck Cortright, a fan of Bob Dylan, approached the musician's manager and lawyer to make the game. Discussions lasted six months before approval, with a staff of twenty spending seven months completing it. Bob Dylan himself chose the game's title and cover art, as well as which songs and music would be included. [2] Celebrity photographer Daniel Kramer choose twenty of his early photographs of Dylan for use. [4]
Highway 61 Interactive was launched at the Sony Music Studios in February 1995. At the event, Al Kooper and Roger McGuinn performed Dylan's songs " Mr. Tambourine Man", " My Back Pages", and " Knockin' on Heaven's Door". [2]
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Entertainment Weekly | B [5] |
Joel Selvin from SFGate considered the interactive to be "more bells and whistles than real train ride." [6] Chris Willman from the Los Angeles Times praised its amount of environments used, saying it surpassed Graphix Zone's previous title Prince Interactive. [7] Bob Cannon from Entertainment Weekly gave the game a "B" rating. [5]
References
- ^ Baskin, Jeff (June 1, 1995). "Dylan's Back Pages". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c Strauss, Neil (April 20, 1995). "Bob Dylan Gets Virtual with New CD-ROM". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (June 14, 1994). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ Kaufman, Marjorie (June 25, 1995). "Celebrity Photographer Puts Bob Dylan Images on CD-ROM". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Cannon, Bob (February 24, 1995). "Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Interactive". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (February 13, 1995). "A Bumpy Ride on 'Highway 61' / Interactive Bob Dylan disc bungles a sure bet for interested fans". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ Willman, Chris (February 18, 1995). "CD- ROM Review : **** BOB DYLAN". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
