Ed Hunter

Infobox Album
Name = Ed Hunter
Type = Compilation
Longtype = & video game
Artist = Iron Maiden & Synthetic Dimensions respectively


Released = July 1999
Recorded = 1980 - 1998
Genre = Heavy Metal
Length = 1:43:34
Label = EMI
Producer =
Reviews =
Chronology = Iron Maiden
Last album = "Virtual XI"
(1998)
This album = "Ed Hunter"
(1999)
Next album = "Brave New World"
(2000)

"Ed Hunter", a Rail Shooter video game, was released in 1999, and is based on and accompanied by Iron Maiden's music. The game objective consists of rescuing the mascot of Iron Maiden, Eddie, from a prison while passing through game settings evocative of the albums. Music from the band completes the game's customizable soundtrack.

The game passes through various levels, starting in a street, then to a mental institution, then into hell itself, and then into other various locations. The locations are from the covers of previous Iron Maiden records.

The gameplay itself consists of shooting the appearing enemies with the mouse cursor. The game travels on "a track" and the player has no control over movement apart from occasionally choosing the route he will take through the levels. The player can select which tracks play in the background of which levels.

The package includes 3 CDs. The first CD contains 14 songs, the second CD contains 6 songs and the installation program for the game, and the third CD contains the game data. The soundtrack allegedly consists of the top 20 songs voted for by Iron Maiden fans on Maiden's official website.

The US version has a hidden bonus track of a new recording of "Wrathchild" with Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, which subsequently received radio play. This track was not present in the initial US pressing of the game, but on runs that featured a sticker on the shrinkwrap stating that the track was included.

A sticker on the compilation album Best of the Beast originally announced the upcoming release of this game as "Melt", Eddie's own state-of-the-art 3D game".

The Ed Hunter Tour was the tour supporting the album.

Levels (background music listed in brackets)

#London's East End (Killers, Iron Maiden)
#The Shady Pines Asylum (Wrathchild)
#The Pits Of Hell (Hallowed Be Thy Name, Number of the Beast)
#The Graveyard (Fear of the Dark)
#The Pharaoh's Tomb (Powerslave)
#Blade Runner (Futureal)
#Futureal (The Evil That Men Do)
#Finale (The Evil That Men Do)

Track listing

Disc one

# "Iron Maiden (Live)"
# "The Trooper"
# "The Number of the Beast"
# "Wrathchild"
# "Futureal"
# "Fear of the Dark"
# "Be Quick or Be Dead"
# "2 Minutes to Midnight"
# "Man on the Edge"
# "Aces High"
# "The Evil That Men Do"
# "Wasted Years"
# "Powerslave"
# "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
# "Wrathchild (1999 Version)" - hidden track on the US version

Disc two

# "Run to the Hills"
# "The Clansman"
# "Phantom of the Opera"
# "Killers"
# "Stranger in a Strange Land"
# "Tailgunner"

External links

* [http://www.maiden-world.com/edhunter.html Ed Hunter FAQ, Patches & Manual]
* [http://www.syndime.com/ Synthetic Dimensions]