Lawrence Holland
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Holland is an American
game designer, and president of Totally Games
. He is most famous for the Star Wars: X-Wing computer game series published by LucasArts.
and Prehistoric Archeology, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University
in 1979. He spent the following 2 years on archaeological expeditions in Africa, Europe, India and the United States before changing careers to game design.
and Apple II
versions of The Bard's Tale.
Other early games included:
Spike's Peak, Super Zaxxon and Project Space Station.
s developed for LucasArts
(then LucasFilm Games): Battlehawks 1942
, Their Finest Hour and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
.
The success of his WWII flight simulators lead to him being approached to develop a series of space flight simulators in the Star Wars franchise. The resulting game Star Wars: X-Wing
was an instant classic, that led to the even more successful Star Wars: TIE Fighter
, a game that is widely considered one of the top ten greatest computer games ever made.
licensed product Star Trek: Bridge Commander
for Activision
. His next release was a return to WWII flight simulators with Secret Weapons Over Normandy
in 2003. The game was not well-received and sales were disappointing. The most recent release, 2007's Alien Syndrome (2007), for the Sony PSP and the Nintendo Wii, continued this trend with even lower review scores and sales.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game designer, and president of Totally Games
Totally Games
Totally Games is an electronic game developer located in Marin County, California. Their titles included X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance , a series of World War II Flight Simulator series, the most recent being Secret Weapons Over Normandy, and Bridge Commander based...
. He is most famous for the Star Wars: X-Wing computer game series published by LucasArts.
Early life
Lawrence Holland studied AnthropologyAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Prehistoric Archeology, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1979. He spent the following 2 years on archaeological expeditions in Africa, Europe, India and the United States before changing careers to game design.
Early Games
His first game was called "Slime" for the VIC-20. He then went on to do the music for the Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
versions of The Bard's Tale.
Other early games included:
Spike's Peak, Super Zaxxon and Project Space Station.
LucasArts
He soon became an independent game developer, and achieved notability through a series of World War II flight simulatorFlight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
s developed for LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
(then LucasFilm Games): Battlehawks 1942
Battlehawks 1942
- External links :*****...
, Their Finest Hour and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is a World War II air-combat flight simulation video game released in August 1991 and expanded in 1992 by LucasFilm Games. It is a MS-DOS game for IBM PC compatibles....
.
The success of his WWII flight simulators lead to him being approached to develop a series of space flight simulators in the Star Wars franchise. The resulting game Star Wars: X-Wing
Star Wars: X-Wing
Star Wars: X-Wing is the first LucasArts DOS computer game set in the Star Wars universe, as well as the lead title in the X-Wing computer game series. It simulates the experience of combat in the A-wing, X-wing, and Y-wing starfighters of the Rebel Alliance...
was an instant classic, that led to the even more successful Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Star Wars: TIE Fighter, a 1994 space flight simulator/space combat computer game, is the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing, and the first game of the series that puts the player on the side of the Galactic Empire....
, a game that is widely considered one of the top ten greatest computer games ever made.
Recent work
Lawrence took a break from LucasArts owned licenses in 2002 to work on a Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
licensed product Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a space combat simulation game for the PC, published by Activision and Totally Games in 2002, based in the Star Trek universe....
for Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. His next release was a return to WWII flight simulators with Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Secret Weapons Over Normandy or is a World War II-based arcade flight simulation video game released on November 18, 2003. Published by LucasArts and developed by Totally Games, the game is composed of 15 objective-based missions set in 1940s European, North African, and the Pacific theatres of war...
in 2003. The game was not well-received and sales were disappointing. The most recent release, 2007's Alien Syndrome (2007), for the Sony PSP and the Nintendo Wii, continued this trend with even lower review scores and sales.