Accepted [+] [X] Pole Position II [Upright model] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pole Position II (c) 1983 Namco, Ltd.
Pole Position II is a 1-player game using a color raster-scan video display. Game action takes place at one of four different raceways (selected by the player at the start of the game) - the Fuji Speedway in Japan, the Test Track (an oval track like Indy), the Seaside Speedway (with the Long Beach Pike in the background), or the Suzuka Speedway in Japan. The unique and picturesque scenery around each raceway adds exciting realism to each race!
The player drives a Formula-1 race car on the track. The first objective of the game is to finish the qualifying lap as quickly as possible. If the player beats the time, he or she qualifies for the race. If not, he or she drives the remainder of the time along the qualifying course.
As a qualifier, the player is ranked according to his or her qualifying lap time, from the 1st (pole) position to 8th. The second objective of the game is to race against the clock and other cars to finish the specified number of laps ('Nr. of Laps' dip switch setting; 3 laps is the default) of the race as fast as possible, and to achieve the highest score possible. The player earns points for passing cars, driving on the track, and finishing the race with time remaining. The player is rewarded with an extended-play lap for completing the first lap within a certain amount of time (depending on the 'Extended Rank' dip switch setting).
To start play, the player must first insert the correct number of coin(s) for a game (according to the coin dip switch settings, 1 coin/1 credit is the default for both 'Coin A' and 'Coin B' dips). The player then turns the steering wheel until the track he or she wants to drive on is highlighted in white. The game starts when the player steps on the accelerator. The player's car will appear behind the starting line and a certain amount of time, in seconds ('Game Time' dip switch setting; the default is 90 seconds), will be on the clock. The player's car must finish the qualifying lap within a certain amount of time (which varies depending on the 'Practice Rank' dip switch setting) to be in the race. If the player does not qualify, his or her car continues on the track until the 'Game Time' elapses.
If the player has qualified, just before the race begins, the player's car (flashing on the screen) is placed at the starting line with seven other cars. The position of the car depends on the position earned during the qualifying lap. (The player's car is always placed at the 8th position in the attract mode.)
The starting lights flash from red to green, and the race begins. Racing hazards are other racing cars, sharp turns, water puddles, and road signs. (All of these hazards except for water puddles are also present on the qualifying lap.) As the race progresses, more cars appear on the track. If the player's car hits another car or a road sign, it is destroyed in an explosion (Pole Position II adds flying debris to the visual effect). The player's car reappears in a few seconds and the race continues. Driving through water puddles or off the track slows down the player's car even more than in the original "Pole Position".
Experience will teach the player which turns on which tracks require slight steering (because they're banked) and which turns require fast and forceful steering. The player jockeys for position with the other racers, while keeping his or her eye on the clock at the top of the screen. When time runs out, the race is over. If the player has beaten the racing lap time and has seconds remaining, the remaining seconds are added to the extended lap time, which varies depending on the track and the 'Extended Rank' dip switch setting.
The top score achieved by a player appears at the top of the screen. The time allotted for the lap is displayed under the top score. Increasing lap time (in seconds and hundredths of a second) and the speed of the car appear last. Each track has its own separate high score list.
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
Game ID : PP2
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (also drives the sound), Zilog Z8002 (x2)
Sound Chips : Namco 6-channel stereo WSG, DAC (engine sound), discrete circuitry (crash and skid sounds), custom DAC (speech)
Players : 1
Controls : Steering wheel, gear shifter (Hi and Low)
Pedals : Accelerator only
- TRIVIA -
Pole Position II was released in November 1983 in Japan.
Lloyd Dahling holds the official record for this game on the 'Fuji' track with 75,390 points.
Jeff Peters holds the official record for this game on the 'Seaside' track with 75,390 points.
Jeff Peters also holds the official record for this game on the 'Suzuka' track with 75,660 points.
Jeff Peters also holds another official record for this game on the 'Test' track with 81,870 points.
- SCORING -
Points are scored for every foot of track driven.
At the end of the game, 50 points are scored for each car the driver passed.
Finishing the game awards 200 points for each second left on the timer.
Qualifying Lap Placement Bonus :
(Qualifying times vary depending on both the track and the 'Practice Rank' dip switch setting)
Pole Position (1st place) : 4,000 points
2nd place : 2,000 points
3rd place : 1,400 points
4th place : 1,000 points
5th place : 800 points
6th place : 600 points
7th place : 400 points
8th place : 200 points
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Hints for Game Play :
1) Avoid puddles and the sides of the track because these slow you down. In Pole Position II, puddles slow you down even more than in the original "Pole Position".
2) Accelerate before the green light appears, and stay ahead of other racers.
3) Drive to the inside of the track to make the corners.
4) Do not over steer (tracks are banked).
5) Engine sound will cue the driver when to shift to high gear.
6) When sliding, steer into the skid.
7) Drive over water puddles at 370 km/h (230 mph), and you will have turbo charge power.
* Easter Egg :
1) Enter service mode.
2) Turn wheel to 04; Change the shifter from LO to HI.
3) Turn wheel to 45; Change the shifter from LO to HI.
4) Turn wheel to 55; Change the shifter from LO to HI.
5) Turn wheel to 56; Change the shifter from LO to HI.
6) Turn wheel to 91; Change the shifter from LO to HI.
'(c) 1982 NAMCO LTD.' will appear on the screen.
- SERIES -
1. Pole Position (1982)
2. Pole Position II (1983)
3. Final Lap (1987)
4. Final Lap UR (1988)
5. Final Lap Twin (1989, NEC PC-Engine)
6. Final Lap 2 (1990)
7. Final Lap 3 (1992)
8. Final Lap R (1994)
9. Final Lap 2000 (2000, Bandai WonderSwan)
10. Final Lap Special (2001, Bandai WonderSwan Color)
- STAFF -
PCB and Program: K. Tashiro
Game Way: S. Okamoto
Sound and Music: Nobuyuki Ohnogi
Test Program: K. Cross
Custom IC: S. Sato
- PORTS -
NOTE: For ports released in North America, please see the Atari Upright model entry.
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Super Cassette Vision [JP] "Pole Position II [Model 30 NO.09360]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (june.21, 1996) "Namco Museum Vol.3 [Model SLPS-00390]"
[AU] Sony PlayStation (1997) "Namco Museum Vol.3 [Model SCES-00268]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (feb.1997) "Namco Museum Vol.3 [Model SCES-00268]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (jan.26, 2006) "Namco Museum Arcade Hits! [Model SLPS-25590]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (mar.24, 2006) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary"
[EU] Sony PS2 (mar.31, 2006) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model SLES-53957]"
[EU] Nintendo GameCube (may.5, 2006) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model DOL-G5NP-EUR]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (may.15, 2009) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade"
[AU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (june.4, 2009) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.5, 2009) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade [Model 2RD-00001]"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore C64 (1988)
[EU] PC [MS DOS] (1988)
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (mar.27, 2006) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary"
[AU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (may.19, 2006) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Elevator Action Update submitted by vecchiom
Elevator Action (c) 1983 Taito.
Agent 17 (code name 'Otto') is to secure the top secret documents from the security building. The enemy spies are in pursuit and their orders are to stop him at any cost. Having made it to the top of a 30 story building, Agent 17 has to make his way down to the basement to get to the getaway car and save the documents. Enemy spies are everywhere and the documents are hidden behind the red doors (bonus points awarded). He has to open the door and keep moving. If either of them shoots the lights out there will be a temporary blackout. If Otto finds himself on top of the elevator the player will not be able to control the elevator. If he gets caught in the elevator he is a sitting duck and cannot duck the bullets. By using the escalator he can reach the basement quicker. Otto can defeat his enemy by jump kicking or firing at them. Help Otto to grab all the documents and escape the spies.
- TECHNICAL -
Elevator Action was available in 2 different arcade formats, a cocktail table and an upright dedicated cabinet. Both versions used the same internal hardware though.
* The upright version came in the standard 'Taito Classic' cabinet, which was the same one used for Jungle Hunt, Zoo Keeper, Alpine Ski, and many others. These cabinets normally did not have side art that advertised the name of the game, instead they had a painted design of lines and shapes, along with a Taito logo. Different titles had different designs and color schemes, although they have been known to ship games in the wrong cabinets. But lets get back on track here. Elevator Action should come in a brown cabinet with a Taito logo up near the top. The marquee shows a scene of Agent 17 waiting for an elevator while an enemy agent shoots at him. While the monitor bezel shows agents on either side, has game instructions at the bottom, and shows an elevator floor display at the top. This bezel artwork is silk screened on glass, and is prone to peeling, be very careful if you have to handle one of these. The control panel has a single 4-Way ball-top joystick mounted centrally, with jump and fire buttons located to either side.
Internally the machine uses a 19 inches open frame monitor mounted horizontally, and a set of game boards that conform to the 'Taito Classic' wiring standard. Many other early Taito games (such as "Jungle Hunt" and "Bubble Bobble") will plug directly into this cabinet without modification.
* The cocktail version came in a table similar in design to the one used for Space Invaders and Carnival. It was not decorated except for a pair of instruction cards underneath the glass. Most Japanese game makers purchased their tables from the same few manufacturers, and were quite likely to change the exact model of cocktail that they shipped in mid production. So assume any Elevator Action cocktail is original unless it is obviously converted from another title.
Runs on the "Taito SJ System" hardware.
Prom Stickers : BA3 / EA
Players: 2
Control: 4-way joystick
Buttons: 2 (FIRE, JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Elevator Action was released in July 1983 in Japan and in October 1983 in North America.
G. Ben Carter, Jr. holds official the record for this game with 143,450 points.
- SCORING -
Shooting an enemy agent : 100 points
Jumping on an enemy agent : 150 points
Dropping a light on an enemy agent : 300 points
Getting a secret document : 500 points
The bonus is 1,000 points x the level you are on. After 10th level, you will get 10,000 points per level completed.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* When you start the game, a quick animation will show a hook with a line connecting to the top of the elevator. Then your character will slide down the line to the roof. Then he will enter the building, in the elevator, at the 30th floor. It is now up to you to get all the secrets and make it to your car. The first thing you must know, obviously, is how to eliminate the enemy agents that are after you. There are a few ways you can do this :
1) Just shoot them. Of course, especially in the later levels, enemy agents make themselves an impossible target by lying down. You can only take them out by riding an elevator down.
2) Jumping on them will take care of them. In addition, you may avoid some of their fire.
3) On the non-dark floors, shoot the light down on top of an enemy agent. You must do this from the elevator. This also has the added effect of causing temporary darkness in the building, making enemy agents harder to see.
4) Crush an enemy agent using the elevator. This is hard to do since they move around. You may get lucky, however, and get one under or on top of the elevator you are on.
5) This way is pretty hard. You might be able to get an enemy agent to follow you and fall down the hole created by the missing elevator.
* You must know how to use the escalators and open the red doors :
1) To use the escalators, just stand on the little rectangle. Then push the joystick UP or DOWN depending on which direction you need the escalator to take you.
2) To open the red doors, stand on the little rectangle. Face the doorknob and press RIGHT on the joystick.
* You have full control over any elevator you enter. This means you can move UP and DOWN on a dime to keep your character safe. This works until the alarm goes off.
* Speaking of elevators, your character cannot duck while in an elevator. Also, while riding the escalators, your character cannot duck, jump, or fire his weapon.
* Also on elevators, you do not have control when you are riding on top of them. This means you are at the mercy of the elevator or the enemy agent controlling it. Be very careful if you ride on top of the elevator. You also cannot go past the bar on the top of the elevator.
* Enemy agents usually come out of the doors on the current floor or the floor above and below. A lot of times it is good to lay a wall of fire down a hallway. This way, you can pick off any enemy agents that happen to come out of one of the doors.
* When you enter through one of the red doors, the enemy agents will lose track of your character but will have a general idea of where your character is. When you exit the room, crouch and lay down fire both left and right to clear off the floor.
* As the levels progress, the enemy agents get better at their tactics. They start to crouch more to mess up your fire. They also may lay down which makes it impossible to hit them unless you are on an elevator and can shoot along the floor.
* As you move up in levels, there will be red doors in odd areas. Areas such as on the lower five floors where only elevators can take you across. Of course, if you get good with the jump button, you can jump those gaps to get to either side quicker. The downside is that enemy agents will usually flood the area and lay down a lot of fire.
* If you happen to get to the B1 floor and you have forgotten to get a red door, the game will automatically put your agent at the door you missed. If it is multiple doors, then you will be placed at the highest floor first.
* There is an internal time limit on how long you can take to get everything out of the building. If you take too much time, an alarm sounds and the following things occur :
a) Although you still have control over the elevators, it is much harder to get them to respond to your commands. If you are in a tight situation that requires a little bit of time, don't wait till the last minute or you may be an ex-agent.
b) The enemy agents move much quicker and their shots move faster. Plus, additional enemy agents will start appearing to really make your life miserable.
c) If your character happens to die, the next man will still be facing the same alarm situation. The only way to resolve the situation is to get all of the secrets and make it out of the building.
* Watch out for the double elevator. If you are in the top car, it will stop two floors short of the bottom since there is a one floor gap, and the bottom car. Try to always get into the bottom car of a double elevator so that you can make a hasty exit and not be trapped with enemy agents firing on you.
- SERIES -
1. Elevator Action (1983)
2. Elevator Action Returns (1995)
3. Elevator Action EX (2000, Nintendo Game Boy Color)
4. Elevator Action - Death Parade (2009)
5. Elevator Action Deluxe (2011, PSN)
- STAFF -
Music by : Yoshino Imamura
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 : planned, but never released
[US] Atari 7800 : unreleased prototype
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (june.28, 1985) "Elevator Action [Model 04 TF-4900]"
[JP] Sega SG-1000 (1985) "Elevator Action [Model C-55]"
Sega SG-1000 [TW] (198?) "Die Dui Die"
[US] Nintendo NES (aug.1987) "Elevator Action [Model NES-EA-USA]"
Sega Saturn (Feb 14, 1997) "as hidden/unlockable game in Elevator Action Returns"
[JP] Sony PS2 (aug.25, 2005) "Taito Memories Gekan [Model SLPM-66092]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends"
[EU] Sony PS2 (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends [Model SLES-53438]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (oct.25, 2005) "Taito Legends"
[US] Sony PS2 (oct.25, 2005) "Taito Legends [Model SLUS-21122]"
[KO] Sony PS2 (jul.18, 2006) "Taito Legends [Model SLKA-15056]"
* HANDHELDS:
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy (1991) "Elevator Action [Model DMG-EA-NOE]"
[JP] Nintendo Game Boy (aug.9, 1991) "Elevator Action [Model DMG-EAA]"
[US] Nintendo Game Boy (dec.1991) "Elevator Action [Model DMG-EA-USA]"
[JP] Nintendo GBA (dec.20, 2002) "Elevator Action - Old & New [Model AGB-ANWJ-JPN]"
[JP] Sony PSP (jan.5, 2006) "Taito Memories Pocket [Model ULJM-05076]"
Sony PSP [KO] (feb.10, 2006) "Taito Memories Pocket"
[EU] Sony PSP (oct.6, 2006) "Taito Legends Power-Up [Model ULES-00473]"
[AU] Sony PSP (nov.9, 2006) "Taito Legends Power-Up [Model ULES-00473]"
[US] Sony PSP (may.17, 2007) "Taito Legends Power-Up [Model ULUS-10208]"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987) "Elevator Action [Model QSS 142]"
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1987)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987)
[JP] MSX (1985) "Elevator Action [Model MSX-7]"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.14, 2005) "Taito Legends"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.10, 2005) "Taito Legends"
* OTHERS:
Mobile Phones [US] (nov.20, 2003)
- SOURCES -
Game's manuals.
Game's picture.
Game's ROMs.
Game's screenshots.
F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
Accepted [+] [X] Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns Update submitted by vecchiom
Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns (c) 1983 Universal.
Asian release. This game is known outside Asia as "Mr. Do's Castle". For more information about the game itself, please see the Mr. Do's Castle entry.
- TRIVIA -
Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns was released in September 1983.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* COMPUTERS:
[JP] MSX (1984) "Mr. Do! vs Unicorns [Model HBS-G018C]"
[JP] Sharp X68000 (june.1994) "Mr. Do! & Mr. Do! vs. the Unicorns"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Jr. Pac-Man [Model 0A29] Update submitted by vecchiom
Jr. Pac-Man (c) 1983 Bally Midway.
One of many sequels to the legendary "Pac-Man", Jr. Pac-Man features the character of Pac-Man's son. For the first time in the series' history, side-scrolling mazes were introduced, with each maze being two screens wide.
This time, the mazes have no exit tunnels through which players can make an escape. The bonus items that appear move around the maze and are now something of a mixed blessing, as not only will they destroy any Power Pills they come across, but they will also turn any normal dots they pass over into large dots that slow the player's movements considerably, but are worth more points than normal dots if eaten by the player. Any mutated dots in the maze will disappear if the player loses a life.
The Pac character is once again pursued by four ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Tim) in his quest to eat all of the dots in each maze. And, as before, numerous Power Pills litter the mazes that, when eaten, allow Jr. to eat the pursuing ghosts.
As with previous "Pac-Man" games, intermissions are featured between certain levels. Jr. Pac-Man's intermissions are episodic in nature, like those found in "Ms. Pac-Man". Jr. Pac-Man's story tells of the blossoming love between Jr. Pac-Man and a small ghost named Yum-Yum.
Act I - Jr. Meets Yum-Yum : Jr. Pac-Man steps outside his home to play. He spots Yum-Yum beyond the fence in his yard and goes outside to meet her. Blinky, hiding in the shadows, comes out from hiding to catch Jr. However Ms. Pac-Man, keeping a watchful eye over her child, sees the commotion from her window and runs out to the yard to eat a Power Pill and chase both ghosts away while Jr. returns to the safety of home. This intermission is played after Round 1.
Act II - The Gift : It seems that Jr. can't get the enchanting young ghost out of his mind, so he proceeds to bring a balloon to her as a gift the next day. Excited to see her, he meets her on a bridge and hands her the balloon, when we catch a glimpse of Blinky lurking behind a bush. This intermission is played after Round 3.
Act III - They Escape : Blinky moves from one bush to the another, startling Yum-Yum into releasing the balloon. Blinky attempts to capture Jr. once and for all, but once again, Ms. Pac-Man comes to the rescue. Blinky chases her off to the left, while Jr. Pac-Man and Yum-Yum escape to the right. Once alone, they gaze in to each other's eyes and fall in love, with hearts appearing all around them. This intermission is played after Rounds 5, 7, and 9.
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. 0A29
Game was available either as one of 2 kits to update a "Pac-Man" upright cabinet or cocktail table cabinet. It was also available as a dedicated game using a "Mappy"-style cabinet.
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Namco 3-channel WSG (@ 96 Khz)
Screen orientation : Vertical
Video resolution : 224 x 288 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.61 Hz
Palette colors : 16
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
- TRIVIA -
Jr. Pac-Man was released in August 1983 in North America.
Jr. Pac-Man was developed by 'General Computer Corporation' (GCC) for Bally/Midway and is essentially an enhancement to "Ms. Pac-Man" (which is, in itself, an enhanced version of the original "Pac-Man"). Much of the original "Pac-Man" code is still present and even the 'GENERAL COMPUTER CORPORATION Hello, Nakamura.' message that featured in "Ms. Pac-Man" is present.
Jr. Pac-Man runs on a modified "Pac-Man" hardware, with additional horizontal scrolling support. This was the first "Pac-Man" game in which the maze is larger than the visible area; requiring the screen to scroll.
There are a number of hidden bonus objects that were never used by the developers. To see them, set 'CHEATS' to 'Always have blue ghosts'; play a game, repeatedly eat the ghosts until you get past 1,600 points. The game was coded to deal with such high bonus values and assigns a hexadecimal value to the score value after 1,600. The hexadecimal scores equate to a graphic in the game. After eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 ghosts consecutively, the hidden objects will appear. There is a rattle, a baby's dummy, a cowboy hat and a skateboard.
Abner Ashman holds the official record for this game with 1,500,000 points on February 2, 2002. In the game where he "officially" got this record, there was a power outage that shut down his game at approximately that score...and he still had not lost a man up to that point!
A bootleg of this game runs on the "Pengo" hardware.
A Jr. Pac-Man unit appears in the 1983 movie 'Joysticks'.
- SCORING -
Dot : 10 points.
Mutated Dot : 50 points.
Powerpill : 50 points.
Ghosts : 200, 400, 800 and 1,600 points.
Cycle : 100 points.
Kite : 200 points.
Drum : 500 points.
Balloon : 700 points.
Train : 1,000 points.
Cat : 2,000 points.
Beer! : 5,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
MAZE STRATEGY
The first maze, which has 548 dots and six Power Pills, offers a good mix of straight-a-ways and islands. The two power pills on either side of the ghosts' den cannot be destroyed by bonuses, so try to save them for later in the stage. The ghosts move slow enough that you can plan out your strategy and wait by power pills for ghosts to gather nearby before eating them.
The second maze has 560 dots, six Power Pills, and features more long stretches than the first maze, but there are many escape routes, so you shouldn't worry about getting trapped. Use the 'staircase' section of the maze on the far ends to put distance between you and any trailing ghosts. It's possible to 'trap' the ghosts so that you can complete a lot of the maze without them chasing you. Position Jr. to either the far left or far right hand side of the maze; thus causing the center of the maze to scroll off-screen. You should see the ghosts in the corridors above the ghosts' den; they will stay in those corridors as long as you are on either the left or right hand side of the maze. This works because the game has logic to reverse the ghosts' direction when they go off screen.
The third maze has 526 dots, six Power Pills, and features small circular sections that you should approach with caution. It can be hard to read which directions the ghosts will move in around them and lead to unavoidable collisions. By this maze, the ghosts are speeding up, so take the time to cross from one section of the maze to the other to prevent the ghosts from surrounding you.
The fourth maze has 526 dots, six Power Pills, and features islands on the bottom that can be both helpful and harmful. They allow you multiple paths to take in order to escape from one ghost, but they also provide multiple pathways for a number of ghosts to surround you. Clear as much of the bottom sections as you can before you eat the Power Pill. Then use the Pill and eat any ghost in the area before time runs out. Then finish the section if possible before moving on.
The fifth maze has 528 dots, six Power Pills, and features islands that are scattered throughout. Cross back and forth across the entire maze to prevent the ghosts from ganging up on you in any one section of the maze. Power pills are becoming less effective at this point. Don't sacrifice yourself trying to stop a bonus item from destroying a power pill.
The sixth maze has many S-turns that offer the ghosts multiple opportunities to trap you from either end. Keep the ghosts behind you by crossing back and forth. To make matters worse, you only get four Power Pills instead of six. Aside from the Power Pills, there are a total of 512 dots in this maze. Don't let the bonus item transform too many of the dots into mutated dots in this maze, or you will have a harder time avoiding ghosts while being slowed down by the large dots.
The seventh and final maze is by far the most dangerous maze to Jr.'s survival. The center is relatively safe, but the sides of the maze are deadly. There are 540 dots and only four Power Pills in this maze. The Power Pills are situated in odd corners. The far path around the outside of the maze is considerably dangerous as it is easy to get trapped trying to clear it. And the Power Pills simply aren't effective long enough to keep you safe. The smaller sections between the side Power Pills is also easy to become trapped in. Only enter if the coast looks clear, and make sure that you have an exit strategy if a ghost decides to enter this small section with you. For all of your planning, success in this maze depends on a considerable amount of luck.
After you finish the seventh maze, the mazes cycle from the fourth through the seventh in a repeating loop.
- SERIES -
1. Pac-Man (1980, ARC)
2. Ms. Pac-Man (1981, ARC)
3. Super Pac-Man (1982, ARC)
4. Pac-Man Plus (1982, ARC)
5. Jr. Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
6. Professor Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
7. Pac-Land (1984, ARC)
8. Pac-Mania (1987, ARC)
9. Pac-Attack (1993, SNES, Genesis; 1994, Game Boy, Game Gear)
10. Pac-Man 2 - The New Adventures [Model SNS-25-USA] (1994, SNES, Genesis)
11. Pac-In-Time [Model SNS-APTE-USA] (1994, SNES, PC)
12. Pac-Man Arrangement (1996, ARC) : part of "Namco Classics Collection Vol.2"
13. Pac-Man VR (1996, ARC)
14. Pac-Man World [Model SLUS-00439] (1999, PS)
15. Pac-Man - Adventures in Time (2000, PC)
16. Ms. Pac-Man - Maze Madness [Model SLUS-01018] (2000, PS)
17. Ms. Pac-Man - Quest for the Golden Maze (2001, PC)
18. Pac-Man All-Stars (2002, PC)
19. Pac-Man Fever [Model SLUS-20197] (2002, PS)
20. Pac-Man World 2 [Model SLUS-20224] (2002, PS2, GC, XBOX)
21. Pac-Man Vs. [Model DOL-PRJE-USA] (2003, GC)
22. Pac-Pix [Model NTR-APCE-USA] (2005, DS)
23. Pac-Man Pinball Advance [Model AGB-BP8E-USA] (2005, GBA)
24. Pac-Man Arrangement (2005, PSP) : part of "Namco Museum Battle Collection [Model ULUS-10035]"
25. Pac'n Roll [Model NTR-APNE-USA] (2005, DS)
26. Pac-Man World 3 [Model SLUS-21219] (2005, PSP, PS2, GC, XBOX, PC, DS)
27. Pac-Man World Rally [Model SLUS-21328] (2006, GameCube, PS2, PSP, PC)
28. Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007, XBLA)
29. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (2010, XBLA, PSN)
30. Pac-Man Party [Model RVL-SP7E-USA] (2010, Wii)
31. Pac-Man Battle Royale (2011, ARC)
32. Pac-Man Tilt (2011, 3DS) : part of "Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions [Model CTR-APGE-USA]"
33. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ (2013, XBLA, PSN, Steam)
34. Pac-Man Dash! (2013, Android/iOS)
35. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
36. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (2014, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Jr. Pac-Man [Model CX26123]"
[US] Atari 5200 "Jr. Pac-Man [Model CX5251]" (unreleased prototype)
* COMPUTERS:
[US] [EU] Commodore C64 (1988)
[US] PC [MS-DOS, 5.25"] (1988)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Congo Bongo [Model 834-5156] Update submitted by vecchiom
Congo Bongo (c) 1983 Sega.
Congo Bongo is an isometric platform game and is Sega's take on Nintendo's legendary "Donkey Kong". The player takes on the role of a red-nosed safari explorer by the name of Safari Sam, who tries to catch a gorilla named Bongo.
The game begins with an animated cut-scene showing Bongo as approaches Safari Sam's campsite and sets fire to Sam's tent. Sam has vowed revenge on Bongo for this cruel prank.
The game consists of four different scenes. Each is timed by a bonus counter in the upper left corner of the screen. As time passes, the bonus decreases. If the bonus counter reaches zero, a player life is lost.
Congo Bongo's four scenes are as follows:
* Primate Peak. Climb to the top to reach Bongo the gorilla, avoiding the rolling coconuts he throws at Sam. Don't let the monkeys jump on Sam's back, because if three manage to take hold, they will throw Sam over the cliff. Pressing the jump button repeatedly will dislodge them. Once Bongo is reached, he will retreat and Sam will follow him to the next scene.
* Snake Lake. Avoid the scorpions that crawl onto the grassy area on which Sam starts the scene and jump onto the maze-like paths, while jumping over or avoiding snakes. Jump onto the back of the submerging hippo without touching the water - this must be carefully timed as the hippo dives and surfaces - to reach Bongo.
* Rhino Ridge. Avoid the deadly puddles and dodge the charging rhinos by jumping over them or hiding down in the mole holes. Do not wait too long in any of the holes because a mole randomly appears in the various pits and fills them in. Once Sam is safely past the rhino herd, climb the rock where Bongo stands to proceed to the fourth and final scene.
* Lazy Lagoon. Cross the water by leaping onto floating lily pads and standing rocks, as well as riding on the backs of submerging hippos and swimming piranhas. Once dry land is reached, a couple of rhinos will be charging back and forth, once these have been safely passed, Sam will find Bongo sleeping on his chair next to a fire. Sam will finally have his revenge and give Bongo the hotfoot, after which the game begins again with an increased level of difficulty.
- TECHNICAL -
SEGA ID # 834-5156
3 PCBs # 834-5166, 834-5167, 834-5168
ROM size: 132.25 KB
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3.04125 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips: Discrete circuitry, SN76496 (@ 4 Mhz)
Players: 2
Control: 4-way joystick (diagonal)
Buttons: 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Congo Bongo was released in February 1983 in Japan and in March 1983 in North America.
Export releases:
[EU] "Tip Top [Model 605-5167]"
Jason Cram holds the official record for this game with 1,506,300 points on July 21, 2003.
- SCORING -
Each step taken : 10 points
Jumping onto hippo, fish or lily pad (increases by 50 each round) : 100 points
Jumping into a mole hole : 1,000 points
Jumping across a chasm : 500 points
At the successful completion of each round, the player is awarded the number of points remaining in the bonus box.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Mattel Intellivision (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-06]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-01]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-02]"
[JP] Sega SG-1000 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model G-1007]"
[EU] [AU] Sega SG-1000 (1983)
[US] Colecovision (1984) "Congo Bongo [Model 2669]"
Atari XEGS
[JP] Sony PS2 (dec.22, 2005) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Memorial Selection [Sega Ages 2500 Vol.23] [Model SLPM-62709]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model 68034]"
[KO] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" by SCEI
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model BLUS-30259]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model 384-40210]"
[EU] [AU] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model BLES-00475]"
[AU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.26, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Sony PSP (nov.16, 2006) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Genesis Collection [Model ULUS-10192]"
[EU] Sony PSP (feb.2, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection [Model ULES-00556]"
[AU] Sony PSP (feb.8, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection [Model ULES-00556]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-03]"
[US] Commodore VIC-20 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model T006-04]"
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-05]"
[US] Apple II (1983)
[US] Texas Instruments TI-99/4A (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model PHM-3227]"
[US] PC [Booter] (1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Splat! Update submitted by vecchiom
Splat! (c) 1982 Williams.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Players : 2
Control : Double 8-way joysticks
- TRIVIA -
Splat! was released in August 1982. It was inspired by the food fight scene of Animal House. John came up with the idea of removable heads to extend the life of the characters, plus thought it was a unique twist to the game.
- STAFF -
Staff : John Newcomer (JRN), (HEC), (MBS), Bill Pfutzenreuter (PFZ), Jill Chittenden (JIL), (CWK)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00450]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (mar.1998) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLES-00739]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows 95, CD-ROM] [US] (1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Bubbles Update submitted by vecchiom
Bubbles (c) 1983 Williams.
In Bubbles you control a cartoon soap bubble inside a large sink. The object of the game is clean out the sink. You can safely scrub away ants, grease, and crumbs all the time. But sponges, roaches, brushes, and razor blades are deadly to a small bubble. Don't worry too much though, because your bubble grows in size as it swallows up the dirt in the sink. When it gets big enough it will be able to hit brushes and sponges (but still not razors).
- TECHNICAL -
Bubbles was available in four different cabinets - A standard wooden upright cabinet, a plastic DuraMold cabinet, a mini (or cabaret) cabinet, and a cocktail. All four different varieties are pretty rare. On top of there being four different cabinets, there were also two different ROM revisions (the 'Red' and 'Blue' revisions), making a grand total of eight different Bubbles machines.
* The standard upright is in a dark blue cabinet (which is identical to one of the alternate "Robotron - 2084" cabinets). It is decorated with painted sideart of a bunch of bubbles coming up from a drain. The marquee matches the design of the sideart perfectly (a 'Bubbles' logo on a dark blue background, some of them also showed the main character, but many of them did not). The control panel features an 8-Way optical joystick that has an incredible feel, but is prone to breakage.
* The DuraMold cabinet was a round cabinet made completely out of thick plastic. This was an experiment in making an indestructible arcade cabinet that would last forever. There were a few other DuraMold games made, but Bubbles was the most common one by far. The DuraMold Bubbles was a big blue plastic cylinder with no sideart. It had a curved marquee on top that had the same graphics as the standard upright. The control panel had the same joystick that the upright model used, but the graphics on it were more detailed (cartoon images of characters from the game, as opposed to a simple design).
* The cabaret and cocktail models were identical in design to their "Robotron - 2084" counterparts. Both of these had very limited production runs.
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 292 x 240 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.1 Hz
Palette colors : 256
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
- TRIVIA -
Even if the title screen says 1982, Bubbles was released in May 1983.
By 1983 it seemed every possible idea had been used in a video game except the kitchen sink. Then came Bubbles.
'What I was trying to do with Bubbles was come up with a non-violent, clean game (no pun intended)' says John Kotlarik. The game was intended to be a "Pac-Man" inspired take-off with a free form play field instead of walls. Kotlarik came up with the initial concept and Python Anghelo created all the artwork and wrote the game scenario.
Python had previously worked on many other Williams games, including much of the art for "Joust". Kotlarik had helped out on the sounds for "Joust" and "Defender", as well as creating the voice for Williams' first voice synthesized pinball game, "Gorgar". Together they brought the kitchen sink to life.
The early '80s were an era populated with off the wall video game characters like Q*Bert, Dig Dug, and Mr. Do. Even then, the cast of Bubbles stood out from the crowd. The game had crumbs, ants, greasies, sponges, brushes and the Cleaning Lady. It was certainly the only game ever to create a character out of something as sinister and bizarre as a razor blade. Piloting your scrubbing bubble, the goal was to scour sink after sink of scurrying scum.
The big challenge of programming the game was creating the drift movement of the free floating player bubble, which was a lot more complex than meets the eye. They wanted to program the bubble to move like it was on ice, or water, and not a hard surface track. To do this, Kotlarik had to do what he calls the damping of the velocity profile. The longer you held the joystick down, the faster you would go and experience a slight decrease in velocity once you started to coast. It was an attempt to make an analog control out of an eight way digital joystick. The game had different movement than any other immediate response game of its kind.
Bubbles also had innovative cabinet design. The wood cabinet graphics, created by Anghelo, were some of the best of all the Williams classic games. Anghelo also came up with the concept for a unique all plastic cabinet for Bubbles. Mechanical engineer Gary Berge developed it by using a special rotational molding process. The shape was cylindrical with a domed top. The Bubbles cabinets were in blue plastic. Black plastic ones were created for "Blaster" and a handful of "Sinistar" test machines. The plastic cabinets were almost indestructible. When crushed, they would spring back to shape like an accordion. When blemished, they could easily be fixed by heating and smoothing the plastic. 'If we'd made kits for those things we could have easily sold a couple hundred thousand', says Tom Cahill of the Williams service department.
Bubbles created a play environment like no other game of its time. The humorous animated action was a nice complement to Williams' cadre of famous sci-fi pulse racers.
Yashiro Oda holds the official record for this game with 1,566,960 points on August 1, 1984.
- UPDATES -
A little known strategy of the game is available once your bubble becomes large enough to have a face. The sponges and brush can no longer destroy it. Working from the right angle, a player can rack up extra points by shoving the sponges and brushes down the drain. The only drawback is that every time you throw your weight around in this manner you lose a little in size, until eventually you become vulnerable again.
- SCORING -
Crumb: 100 points.
Ants: 150 points.
Greasie: 200 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Cleaning Lady: 500 points (will increase as she collects items).
Roach: 1,000 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Dive Ahead Bonus: x 1,000 points per bubble enlargement.
Around the Drain: x 2 points (if you get the above items around the drain).
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Keep moving...you won't attract dirt if you just stand there. Also, Roaches are like heat-seeking missiles...they won't aimlessly wander because they WANT you.
* Go around the circumference/perimeter of the sink first, since they are the easiest to collect. Then work your way inwards.
* Dirt and crumbs will slowly head for thee drain so you could spin around the drain, collecting them as they come.
* If the drain is flashing RED, back off! A Giant Ant/Roach is coming your way! Seek and capture the Cleaning Lady's broom (if there is one) to counter this threat.
* Do not try to out-run Roaches, because they are actually faster than your poor, slow-poke Bubble. Instead, out-maneuver them. Go in circles around them and pick up materials in the process. Once you have a smile, bid the ugly duckling farewell and head for the drain before you get bitten!
* If there is a low supply of materials abroad and you're not even close to getting a smile on your face...don't get the materials because it would speed your death up. Instead, use the remaining time to wait for the green light and go in! It might take a while. Hell, maybe the light will never come...
* DON'T BE SELFISH! You might want to try to collect more materials when you have a big, big smile on your face...it's not worth it. Take the safe road and go into the drain before someone kicks your head in.
* Try to collect the items around the drain, you get double points that way.
* Once you have a smile on your face, you can make the brushes/sponges bounce off without getting blown up. Try to aim them to the drain to add injury to the insilt!
* Not really a tip... but the number of the level you are currently playing is on the top left corner. Once it goes past 99, it comes back to 01.
- STAFF -
Program, design and sounds by : John Kotlarik (JJK), Tim Murphy (TIM)
Art and design by : Python Anghelo (ANG)
Support software by : Dave Rzepka
Hardware by : Chuck Bleich, Greg Wepner
Mechanical by : Leo Ludzia, Gary Berge.
Video manager : Ken Lantz
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sega Saturn (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-9703H]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (apr.10, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLUS-00201]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.1, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLES-00323]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (june.27, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9713N]"
Sega Dreamcast [EU] (jul.28, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9710D-50]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [EU] (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows 3.1/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1995) "Williams Arcade Classics"
PC [MS Windows 95/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1996) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Many trivia from Williams Bubbles' Tribute page; http://www.bubblestribute.com
Accepted [+] [X] Mr. Do! Update submitted by vecchiom
Mr. Do! (c) 1982 Universal.
Mr. Do! is a colourful and addictive maze game in which the player takes on the role of the eponymous Mr. Do, a circus clown, who must clear each level of either cherries or monsters. The game's single screen levels are made up of tunnels surrounded by a colourful, soil-like substance. This soil can be dug through to create new tunnels, allowing Mr. Do to escape his enemies and to reach the many cherries that litter the levels. A number of apples are also scattered around each level, and Mr. Do can push them along tunnels (to block and/or kill monsters) or can tunnel beneath them to drop them onto the heads of any pursuing enemies. Mr. Do himself can also be killed by a falling apple.
Mr. Do is armed with a 'Powerball' that can be fired down a tunnel, it will then bounce around the tunnels until it either returns to Mr. Do, or comes into contact with, and kills, one of the level's monsters. The Powerball regenerates immediately the first time you use it, but takes longer each time it is used to return to your hands. As each level progresses, the monsters themselves start to dig tunnels of their own in their pursuit of Mr. Do. Monsters can also push the apples.
Each screen has a doorway through which the monsters enter the level. Once all of the monsters have appeared, the doorway will turn into a 'prize', (ice cream, biscuits, etc.). If Mr. Do collects the prize, the 'Alphamonster' and his three 'Muncher' henchmen will appear. The Alphamonster may be in the EXTRA box at the top of the screen or be moving around the screen. The Alphamonster and the Munchers cannot be easily crushed under apples because they tend to eat them. They can be killed individually with the Powerball or by killing the Alphamonster itself, at which point any remaining Munchers will turn into apples.
After every three levels, there is a brief intermission in which a tune is played and a large, animated Mr. Do appears, together with some of the game's monsters. The time to complete each level and the preferred method (monsters, cherries, Alphamonsters, or Diamond) is shown. The paths in the first level resemble a 'D', after this each level's tunnels resemble a digit, ('2', '3', '4' etc.) up to '0' for level 10.
A level can be completed any one of several different ways : either by collecting all of the on-screen cherries; by killing all of the monsters, by completing the EXTRA box, or by collecting the diamond. The latter appears only very occasionally ('Special' awards an extra credit).
- TECHNICAL -
Prom Stickers : D1-D10
Main CPU : Zilog Z80
Sound Chips : (2x) Texas Instruments SN76496
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1
- TRIVIA -
Mr. Do! was released in September 1982 in Japan and in December 1982 in North America. It was also licensed to Taito.
Mr. Do! was inspired by "Dig Dug" and was the first in a series of four Mr. Do! games. Mr. Do! was one of video-gaming's biggest arcade successes. Unfortunately for Universal, none of their other games could match it in commercial terms.
It is the game responsible for launching the kit game craze in the U.S. video game industry.
David Breckon holds the official record for this game with 26,030,050 points.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Mr. Lo!", and another is called "Mr. Du!".
There are several well-known hacks of Mr Do! which are as follows :
* Mr. DigDo! - graphics changed to make them look more like those of Namco's "Dig Dug".
* Mr. Jong - Changes the clown into an old Chinese man, the monsters into clowns and the apples into mahjong blocks.
* Yankee Do! - Changes the graphics to make them more American patriotic.
- UPDATES -
On the Prototype version (which is a Japanese hack) :
* You are a 'Yukidaruma' (a snowman) with green arms instead of the famous clown.
* You dig with a rake in your hands.
* There is a mean expression when you push an apple.
* The screen does not turn red when you grab cookies, cake, etc...
- SCORING -
Eating a cherry : 50 points.
Eating a series of 8 cherries in a row : 500 points bonus.
Killing a monster with your snowball : 500 points.
Killing one monster with one apple : 1,000 points.
Killing two monsters with one apple : 2,000 points.
Killing three monsters with one apple : 4,000 points.
Killing four monsters with one apple : 6,000 points.
Killing five or more monsters with one apple : 8,000 points.
Collecting special (free credit) diamond : 8,000 points.
Collecting bonus treat from empty monster home: 1,000 points on level one, increasing incremently up to a maximum of 8,000 points on level 22 onwards.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* 255 Lives Tricks : It's possible to win 255 lives on the first screen, but only if an apple appears in the top two rows of the playfield.
1) Begin by digging a tunnel directly from the bottom of the screen to just below the apple, but leave enough dirt under it that it doesn't fall.
2) Next, kill all of the enemies but one, then lose all of your extra lives. As soon as you're on your last life, go right under the apple and wait.
3) Eventually, the remaining enemy will come after you. Allow the apple to drop, but, in the interval before you're squashed, kill the enemy with the powerball. If all has gone well, you'll be carried to the bottom of the screen, the music will go haywire for a moment, and you'll be awarded 255 extra lives.
4) Note that you should always lose a life before spelling 'EXTRA', or you'll roll back to zero lives, so, to be safe, immediately kill yourself at the start of level two.
5) IMPORTANT : This trick will only work with the Taito version of Mr. Do!.
* Here's A Neat Trick : You can divide the screen into a grid. The cherries, apples, and tunnel corners are all centered on a grid element. If you are being chased by the normal badguys (not ghosts) you can dig and stop between grid elements. The badguy will think it needs to turn into a digger to get you. While he's changing forms, you can escape.
* An Alphamonster will appear every time your score reaches a multiple of 5,000.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do's Castle (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
Colecovision [US] (1983) "Mr. Do! [Model 2622]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Mr. Do! [Model 2656]"
[JP] Nintendo Super Famicom (june.23, 1995) "Mr. Do! [Model SHVC-AUNJ-JPN]"
[US] Nintendo SNES (dec.1996) "Mr. Do! [Model SNS-AUNE-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo SNES (mar.27, 1997) "Mr. Do! [Model SNSP-AUNP-EUR]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] [JP] (apr.27, 2010)
* HANDHELDS:
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy (1992) "Mr. Do! [Model DMG-M4-NOE]"
[US] Nintendo Game Boy (nov.1992) "Mr. Do! [Model DMG-M4-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
BBC B [EU] "Mr.EE!"
[EU] Acorn Electron "Mr Wiz" by Superior Software
[JP] MSX (1984) "Mr. Do [Model 48C99-1004]"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1984) "Mr. Dig"
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1984) "Fruity Frank"
MSX [EU] (1985) "Fruity Frank"
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1985)
[JP] Sharp X68000 (june.1994) "Mr. Do! and Mr. Do! vs. the Unicorns"
[US] Apple II (1985)
[US] Atari 800 (1984)
Tomy Tutor [EU]
NEC PC-98 [JP] (1996)
Fujitsu FM-7 [JP]
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game [US] (1983) by Tomy : Their most impressive feature is a multi-colored backlit LCD, which is very impressive looking (and it is backlit by a full-length fluorescent light).
LCD handheld game [DE] (1983) "Mr. Go!" by Tomy
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Pengo [Model 834-0386] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pengo (c) 1982 Sega.
Pengo is an action game set in an overhead maze constructed of ice blocks. The player controls Pengo, a red penguin that lives in the Antarctic and fights the blob-like Sno-Bees. The objective of the game is for Pengo to survive a series of rounds by eliminating all Sno-Bees, while amassing bonuses by bringing together the three diamonds dispersed in the maze.
The Maze itself is an interactive environment. Each section of wall is a block of ice that can be pushed onto the Sno-bees to destroy them. Pressing the button while pushing the joystick will cause Pengo to push the ice block in the direction he is facing. The block will slide until it hits either a wall or another ice block, crushing any Sno-Bees in its path. Crushing more than one Sno-Bee at once will increase the number of points awarded.
As the player crushes the Sno-Bees, new ones hatch from eggs located within ice blocks. At the start of each level, blocks that contain these eggs are briefly identified by flashing the colour of that level's Sno-Bees. Eggs can be eliminated by crushing the ice blocks that contain them. If Pengo pushes a side wall at the edge of the screen, the water vibrates, any adjacent Sno-Bees will be briefly stunned and are eliminated if Pengo walks over them in this state.
The Sno-bees themselves will destroy the ice blocks as they move around each level, so speed is of the essence. Some of the blocks are 'Diamond blocks' which cannot be destroyed but can be re-used by Pengo.
After 60 seconds elapse in a round without a player or enemy death, the game enters into sudden death mode; the music tempo and movement of the Sno-Bees accelerates. If a single Sno-Bee remains in the round, a jingle plays and the Sno-Bee accelerates in an attempt to reach a corner, where it safely fades away.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID: 834-0386
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3.02 Mhz)
Sound Chips: Namco 3-channel WSG (@ 96 Khz)
Players: 2
Control: 4-way joystick
Buttons: 1 (PUSH)
- TRIVIA -
Pengo was released in September 1982 in Japan and in October 1982 in North America. It was developed by Coreland Technology.
Pengo makes a cameo appearance in "Up'n Down". If a player manages to pass the first 4 rounds in under a minute each, he will appear in the water of round 5 riding a surf-board.
Rodney Day holds the official record for this game with 1110370 points.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Penta".
- UPDATES -
Set 2 & 4 draws its maze much more quickly and has snappy original music, whereas Set 1 & 3's music is a copy of an instrumental pop song (Hot Butter - Popcorn - 1972).
Set 2, 3, 4 correct a Test Menu Bug.
The curtain speed is fastest on Set 2.
The demo mode is different in Set 2.
Set 4 introduced a number of changes to make the game flow faster than in previous sets.
- Number of frames before the level completion time is shown changed from 32 to 8.
- Number of frames after a time bonus is calculated changed from 128 to 64.
- Number of frames before the screen wipes after the player has died changed from 128 to a single frame.
Additional changes were made in Set 2:
- Delay before player can move at the start of a stage changed from 64 frames to 16 frames.
- Delay before the next level loads after an intermission changed from 64 frames to 16 frames.
- Delay before the sky rapidly changes colors in the intro changed from 64 frames to 48 frames.
- SCORING -
Smashing an ice block : 30 points.
Smashing an ice block with a Sno-Bee inside : 500 points.
Walking over a stunned Snow-Bee : 100 points.
Killing a Snow-Bee with an ice block : 400 points.
Killing two Snow-Bees at once with one ice block : 1600 points.
Killing three Snow-Bees at once with one ice block : 3200 points.
Killing four Snow-Bees at once with one ice block : 6400 points.
Lining up the three diamond blocks with one or zero of them touching a wall : 10000 points.
Lining up the three diamond blocks with two or more touching a wall : 5000 points.
Completing screen in under 20 seconds : 5000 bonus points.
Completing screen in 20-29 seconds : 2000 bonus points.
Completing screen in 30-39 seconds : 1000 bonus points.
Completing screen in 40-49 seconds : 500 bonus points.
Completing screen in 50-59 seconds : 10 bonus points.
Completing screen in 60 seconds and over : no bonus points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* The last remaining Sno-Bee on the screen will try to escape. If you do not kill it before it reaches one of the corners it will disappear.
* The indicator at the top of the screen tells you how many Sno-Bees are remaining on the level, including those still in ice blocks.
* At the start of each level some ice blocks will flash. This indicates that there is a Sno-Bee inside and you can destroy the ice block to kill the Sno-Bee before it emerges.
* When you kill the last Sno-Bee you have a couple of seconds to crush up to four ice blocks for an extra 30 points each.
* Concentrate your efforts on lining up the diamond blocks. The 10000 points are the biggest single score in the game, and stunning all the Sno-Bees is also a valuable side effect. You can then kill them easily by pushing ice blocks onto them rather than running over them (400 points as opposed to 100).
* Lining up the three diamond have another side effect: the remaining ice blocks with a Sno-Bee inside will be flash to the end of screen.
* Try to kill more than one Sno-Bee at a time, as two or more together are worth more points than killing them individually.
* Easter Egg: In the attract mode, push the two joys to up, press the two action buttons and one button of start game, and it will show the credits of the game. After a few seconds, the game will reset. The wait can be stopped pushing the 1P Start button.
- SERIES -
1. Pengo (1982)
2. Pengo! (2010)
3. Finger Pengo (2011, iPhone/iPod)
- STAFF -
Directed by: Nobuo Kodera
Programed by: Akira Nakakuma
Designed by: Shinji Egi
Involved in the project: Tsutomu Iwane
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 5200 (1983) "Pengo [Model CX5236]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Pengo [Model CX2690]"
Atari XEGS
[JP] Sega Game Gear (oct.6, 1990) [Model G-3202]
[EU] Sega Game Gear (1991)
[JP] Sega Mega Drive (dec.22, 1995; "Pepenga Pengo [Model G-4133]")
[JP] Sega Saturn (feb.28, 1997) "Sega Memorial Selection Vol.1 [Model GS-9135]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console] [JP] (aug.4, 2009) Mega Drive version.
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (1983)
BBC Micro [EU] (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1983)
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983, "Petch")
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983, "Petch")
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983, "Pengon")
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1986, "Troglo")
Atari 800 (Pengon)
Commodore 64 (Pengon)
Dragon 32 (Pengon)
Vic-20 (Pengon) (unreleased?) (The only mention online is that the developer says he made it.)
Sinclair QL (Pengi) (1985) (The Pengi games are very close to the original arcade game.)
BBC Micro (Pengi)
Acorn Electron (Pengi)
PC [MS Windows 98] [JP] (1998) "Memorial Selection [Model HCJ-0147]"
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game [US] (1982) by Bandai.
VFD portable game [US] (1983) by Bandai.
Blackberry [US] (aug.28, 2009; "Pengo Mobile [Model 3107]")
Mobile phones [US] (2003)
Apple iPhone/iPod [US] (feb.2, 2011) [Model 416880921]
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Arcade Retro Lounge; http://tips.retrogames.com/
Accepted [+] [X] Donkey Kong Junior [Model DJR1-UP] Update submitted by vecchiom
Donkey Kong Junior (c) 1982 Nintendo of America.
Export release for North America. Game developed in Japan. For more information about the game itself, please see the "Donkey Kong Jr." (Japanese version) entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Model DJR1-UP]
- TRIVIA -
Donkey Kong Junior was released in September 1982 in North America.
The Japanese version, as well as some bootleg versions, have the suffix abbreviated in the printed title rather than fully spelled out ("Donkey Kong Jr.").
Donkey Kong Junior spawned a cartoon series of the same name : Ruby-Spears Productions. Produced By Joe Ruby, Ken Spears. Originally aired September 17, 1983 as part of 'Saturday Supercade' on CBS.
- UPDATES -
In these versions featuring the suffix fully spelled out in the title screen ('Junior.') :
1. You are only allowed to enter a name up to three letters long in the High Score list (instead of twelve).
2. In the Vines and Chains stages, Red Snapjaws regenerate at Mario's feet after being killed by fruit starting in L4 (instead of L5).
The Japanese boards have all four screens displayed in their original, logical order 1-2-3-4. For the US board, it was changed to somewhat match the original Donkey Kong's 'How High Can You Try/Get?' theme with the screen order as follows :
L1 : 1-4 (Springboard and Mario's Hideout stages both omitted)
L2 : 1-2-4 (Mario's Hideout stage omitted)
L3 : 1-3-4 (Springboard stage omitted)
From L4 onward, all four stages are displayed in order, as in the Japanese version.
- SERIES -
1. Donkey Kong (1981)
2. Donkey Kong Junior (1982)
3. Donkey Kong 3 (1983)
- PORTS -
NOTE : Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the Japanese version's entry.
* CONSOLES:
Colecovision [US] (1982) "Donkey Kong Junior [Model 2601]"
Mattel Intellivision [US] (1983) "Donkey Kong Jr [Model 2671]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Donkey Kong Junior [Model 2653]"
Atari XEGS
[US] Nintendo NES (june.1986) "Donkey Kong Jr. [Model NES-JR-USA]"
[US] Atari 7800 (1988) "Donkey Kong Jr. [Model CX7849]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (june.1, 1984) "Donkey Kong Junior [Model RX8040]"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Junior's Revenge"
Tandy Color Computer 3 [US] (1986) "Return of Junior's Revenge"
* OTHERS:
LCD tabletop game [US] (1983) by Coleco : This is a color LCD game (color accomplished with a color plastic overlay on the LCD), and is back-lit by an external light source (room light, sun, etc.). It can't be played in the dark like the VFD games.
LCD tabletop game released by Nintendo (Game&Watch) [US]
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Moon Patrol Update submitted by vecchiom
Moon Patrol (c) 1982 Williams Electronics, Incorporated.
Export version by Williams Electronics for North America. Game developed in Japan by Irem. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Irem entry.
- TECHNICAL -
The Williams Moon Patrol cabinet is a similar design to the one used on "Joust", but with a slightly thicker control panel. This title features painted sideart (a scene showing a moon buggy being attacked, which is done in several shades of blue), and uses a horizontal monitor. The marquee shows another moon scene (this one done up in Marvel comics style graphics) of a yellow moon buggy attacking a hovercraft, with a purple space castle in the background (All of those things are different colors than the ones actually in the game, they probably neglected to show the graphic artist the actual game). The control panel uses a single 2-Way joystick which is mounted centrally, fire and jump buttons are on either side (meaning you can play this title with either hand).
- TRIVIA -
Moon Patrol was released in August 1982 in North America by Williams, under license from Irem.
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released outside of North America, please see the original Irem entry.
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Moon Patrol [Model CX2692]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1983) "Moon Patrol [Model CX5241]"
Atari XEGS
Colecovision [unreleased prototype]
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00450]"
Nintendo Game Boy Color [US] (may.1999) "Arcade Hits - Moon Patrol & Spy Hunter [Model DMG-ADUE-USA]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (nov.15, 2001) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 2 [Model T-9714N]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (1982) "Moon Patrol [Model RX8052]"
[US] Apple II (1983)
PC [Booter] [US] (1983)
Commodore VIC-20 [US] (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) "Moon Patrol [Model RX8533]"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Moon Hopper"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Desert Patrol"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Lunar Rover Patrol"
TI-99/4A [US] (1984) "Moon Patrol [Model RX8531]"
Atari ST [US] (1987)
PC [MS Windows 95, CD-ROM] [US] (1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2"
* OTHERS:
Mobile Phones [US] (jul.2, 2003)
- SOURCES -
Game's Rom
Accepted [+] [X] Pac-Man Plus [Model 0338] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pac-Man Plus (c) 1982 Bally Midway.
The ghosts are the same, if their edible forms are changed. The maze is familiar, if a bit off in color. The prizes in the center are a bit different. Be careful, however : Pac-Man may eat a power pill and find that Blinky, who is right in front of the energizer for him to immediately eat, is still red, and now Pac-Man is dead. Also, you might want to try eating the ghosts after eating the center prize. They'll return to their normal forms shortly after turning visible.
- TECHNICAL -
Conversion kit for Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man.
Kit ID: 0338
Players: 2
Control: 4-way joystick
Buttons: 1
- TRIVIA -
Pac-Man Plus was released in March 1982. It was developed by Bally Midway without the approval of Namco. Released as an upgrade kit for the original "Pac-Man" where the action on screen has been 'upgraded' so that the old patterns and tried-and-true ways of playing no longer have any validity.
The programming is a lot like "Pac-Man" except that the maze is outlined in green instead of blue. The prizes that appear in the middle of the maze are cans of Coke, cocktails, green beans, cakes, gift-wrapped boxes, etc. Whenever Pac-Man eats an energizer, the ghosts not only turn blue but they also get apple stems on their heads. On later levels, sometimes only three of the ghosts turn blue.
The game plays exactly like the original except that there are various events (apparently selected at random) that may or may not occur after Pac-Man eats one of the four power pellets. These events include but are not limited to : the maze's structure becoming temporarily invisible, the ghosts turning invisible while they are blue, or only three of the four ghosts turning blue. The prizes in the middle of the maze can also act as a power pellet. Another difference is that later in the game the maze's structure becomes permanently invisible.
In the attract mode, the Game Over message underneath the ghost pen during demo play changes its color to match the maze outline as soon as Pac-Man's first energizer wears off. It changes back to red after Pac-Man is killed.
Shannon Ryan holds the official record for this game with 3,213,900 points.
- SCORING -
The scoring system is very similar to the original Pac-Man game.
Dots : 10 points
Energizers : 50 points
Ghosts after eating energizer : 200, 400, 800, 1,600 points
Ghosts after center prize : 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200 points
Soda Can : 100 points
Vitmo : 300 points
Peas : 500 points
Apple : 700 points
Grapes : 1,000 points
Galaxian : 2,000 points
Bread : 3,000 points
Pancakes : 5,000 points
- SERIES -
1. Pac-Man (1980, ARC)
2. Ms. Pac-Man (1981, ARC)
3. Super Pac-Man (1982, ARC)
4. Pac-Man Plus (1982, ARC)
5. Jr. Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
6. Professor Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
7. Pac-Land (1984, ARC)
8. Pac-Mania (1987, ARC)
9. Pac-Attack (1993, SNES, Genesis; 1994, Game Boy, Game Gear)
10. Pac-Man 2 - The New Adventures [Model SNS-25-USA] (1994, SNES, Genesis)
11. Pac-In-Time [Model SNS-APTE-USA] (1994, SNES, PC)
12. Pac-Man Arrangement (1996, ARC) : part of "Namco Classics Collection Vol.2"
13. Pac-Man VR (1996, ARC)
14. Pac-Man World [Model SLUS-00439] (1999, PS)
15. Pac-Man - Adventures in Time (2000, PC)
16. Ms. Pac-Man - Maze Madness [Model SLUS-01018] (2000, PS)
17. Ms. Pac-Man - Quest for the Golden Maze (2001, PC)
18. Pac-Man All-Stars (2002, PC)
19. Pac-Man Fever [Model SLUS-20197] (2002, PS)
20. Pac-Man World 2 [Model SLUS-20224] (2002, PS2, GC, XBOX)
21. Pac-Man Vs. [Model DOL-PRJE-USA] (2003, GC)
22. Pac-Pix [Model NTR-APCE-USA] (2005, DS)
23. Pac-Man Pinball Advance [Model AGB-BP8E-USA] (2005, GBA)
24. Pac-Man Arrangement (2005, PSP) : part of "Namco Museum Battle Collection [Model ULUS-10035]"
25. Pac'n Roll [Model NTR-APNE-USA] (2005, DS)
26. Pac-Man World 3 [Model SLUS-21219] (2005, PSP, PS2, GC, XBOX, PC, DS)
27. Pac-Man World Rally [Model SLUS-21328] (2006, GameCube, PS2, PSP, PC)
28. Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007, XBLA)
29. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (2010, XBLA, PSN)
30. Pac-Man Party [Model RVL-SP7E-USA] (2010, Wii)
31. Pac-Man Battle Royale (2011, ARC)
32. Pac-Man Tilt (2011, 3DS) : part of "Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions [Model CTR-APGE-USA]"
33. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ (2013, XBLA, PSN, Steam)
34. Pac-Man Dash! (2013, Android/iOS)
35. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
36. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (2014, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
- PORTS -
* OTHERS:
[US] Super Pac-Man TV game (2006) by Jakks Pacific
[US] Arcade Gold featuring Pac-Man (2007) by Jakks Pacific
[US] Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man (2008) by Jakks Pacific
[US] Pac-Man Connect and Play (2012) by Bandai
[US] Arcade (2018) "Pac-Man's Pixel Bash"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Zaxxon [Model 834-0211] Update submitted by vecchiom
Zaxxon (c) 1982 Sega.
Zaxxon is an isometric scrolling shoot-em-up in which the player pilots an armed spaceship and must penetrate heavily-fortified enemy bases, destroying enemy ships and installations before reaching the final confrontation with the game's titular character, a giant armored robot.
The game consists of three different waves:
* Floating Fortress: Players must penetrate the fortress's defenses, destroying fuel tanks, gun emplacements, missiles and fighters. An altimeter constantly monitors the player ship's height, necessary to navigate through the walls and electronic barriers that form part of fortress's defenses. The player's ship carries a limited amount of fuel that is constantly depleting and can only be replenished by shooting ground-based enemy fuel tanks. If the ship's fuel runs out, it crashes to the ground and a life is lost.
* Fighter Fleet: This takes place in outer space with the player attacked by waves of enemy fighter planes and rogue satellites. The player ship's fuel does not deplete during this wave.
* Enemy Headquarters: This is similar to the 'Floating Fortress' wave (with fuel depletion once again being an issue), but with the player facing much tougher defenses. Upon completion of this wave, the player enters into battle with Zaxxon himself. The robot fires a fast-moving homing missile that needs to be hit six times before it's destroyed. Upon completion of the third wave, the game starts over with a higher level of difficulty.
- TECHNICAL -
BOARD # 834-0211
There were 2 different dedicated cabinets available for Zaxxon, an upright and a cocktail :
* The upright version came in a nice woodgrain cabinet with black and blue sticker-style side art. The marquee is a blue 'Zaxxon' logo with a star filled background. The control panel has a nice 8-Way flight stick with fire buttons on either side, and graphics explaining how to play the game. Finally the upright uses two sets of coin mechs that are of an odd 'skinny' style.
* The cocktail version came in the standard Sega/Gremlin cocktail table (this same table was also used for "Frogger", "Carnival", and several other titles). This was a relatively unadorned machine, the only decorations were a set of instruction cards underneath the glass. This machine had a control panel on either side and used Wico balltop joysticks instead of flight sticks. The coin mechs and start buttons were on the player 1 side only.
All versions used a vertical open frame monitor, and ran the same set of game boards. This game is fully compatible with "Congo Bongo", "Super Zaxxon", and "Future Spy" (those boards will plug right in without modification).
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.04125 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Discrete circuitry
Screen orientation : Vertical
Video resolution : 224 x 256 pixels
Screen refresh : 59.999408 Hz
Palette colors : 256
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 1 (FIRE)
- TRIVIA -
Zaxxon was released in January 1982 in Japan and in March 1982 in North America.
At the time of its release, Zaxxon was unique as it was the first game to employ isometric projection, something of a three-quarters viewing perspective. This effect simulated three dimensions (albeit from the viewpoint of a second person).
In the game, Zaxxon is the name of the enemy robot who you must destroy. Milton Bradley turned this and other Sega titles into board games. 'Can You Complete Your Mission Before Zaxxon Zaps You?'.
Vernon Kalanikaus holds the official official record for this game with 4,680,740 points on March 15, 1982.
A Zaxxon unit appears in the 1983 movie 'WarGames'.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Jackson".
- UPDATES -
Zaxxon was released in at least 2 versions:
The latest version (set 1 in MAME (zaxxon)) corrects a minor error in the way the original Zaxxon ROM set (set 2 in MAME (zaxxon2)) managed fractions of a credit, seen only when a player earned credit through game play when the game dipswitch settings provided only a fraction of a full credit for each token inserted.
- SCORING -
Gun Implacements (Green and Gray) : 200 or 500 points (random)
Fuel Tank : 300 points
Radar Tower : 1,000 points
Missile (Ground-to-Air) : 150 points
Missile (Air-to-Air) : 200 points
Fighters (on runway) : 50 points
Fighters (in air) : 100 points + (50 points/level after level 2)
Zaxxon (destroyed with missile in launcher) : 1,000 points
Zaxxon (destroying launched missile) : 200 points
Destroying all planes in space : 1,000 points
Satellite : 300 points
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* To kill Zaxxon, fly at 2 1/2 units (in other words, with two blocks of your altimeter filled in and one at halfway). Shoot 6 shots at Zaxxon's missile, and you will kill it quickly. If you miss, either dodge the missile, or keep firing and you can still blow up the missile. However, you get less points for hitting the missile while it's in the air.
* Flying at an altitude of 1 1/2 will allow you to hit ground targets while making their shots go harmlessly under you.
* Shoot airplanes on the platform : it will reduce the number you need to kill in the space scene. If you shoot all the airplanes in space you will get a bonus.
* On the levels in outer space, start up the highest point on the upper left and start shooting immediately. You should be able to hit the satellite right away. If you miss, keep moving to the left and keep firing. This works for the second satellite also.
* This is important in later levels because it is possible to run out of fuel in space : if you hit the satellite, you will get some back.
* There are only two levels that repeat. The first air fortress level never gets much harder : use the same pattern for it. On the other levels, only the gaps become narrower.
* Always keep firing! This way you can see if you will make it through the gaps, and you can adjust your height as needed.
* The white canopy only indicates that the enemy plane is at the highest altitude. At any altitude, when an enemy is in your line of fire you will hear a tone and a white X appears in front of your plane. This makes it much easier to grab the 1,000 point bonus for destroying 20 enemy planes, as well as to avoid their shots.
* On later levels you will lose fuel quickly. Make sure you hit as many fuel tanks as possible. If you run out of fuel you will lose a ship.
- SERIES -
1. Zaxxon (1982, Arcade)
2. Super Zaxxon (1982, Arcade)
3. Zaxxon 3-D (1987, Master System)
4. Zaxxon Motherbase 2000 (1995, Sega 32X)
5. Zaxxon Escape (2012, Google Play)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Colecovision (1982) "Zaxxon [Model 2435]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1982) "Zaxxon [Model 2454]"
[US] Mattel Intellivision (1983) "Zaxxon [Model 2487]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1984) "Zaxxon [Model 008-02]"
Atari XEGS
[JP] Sega SG-1000 (1985) "Zaxxon [Model G-1038]"
[BR] DynaVision (198?) Zaxxon
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.7, 2006) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Genesis Collection [Model SLUS-21542]"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.2, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection [Model SLES-54333]"
[AU] Sony PlayStation 2 (feb.8, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model 68034]"
[KO] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" by SCEI
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model BLUS-30259]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model 384-40210]"
[EU] [AU] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model BLES-00475]"
[AU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.26, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection"
[JP] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (dec.15, 2009)
[EU] [AU] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (mar.10, 2010)
[US] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (apr.12, 2010)
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Tandy Color Computer (1983)
[US] Apple II (1983)
[US] Atari 800 (1984) "Zaxxon [Model 008-03]"
PC [Booter] (1984)
[EU] Commodore C64 (1984)
[US] Commodore C64 (1984) "Zaxxon [Model 008-05]"
[EU] [JP] MSX (1985)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1985)
[US] PC [MS-DOS] (1985)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1986) "Zaxx"
* OTHERS:
[US] VFD handheld game (1981) released by Coleco : one of the coolest handheld arcade conversion, Coleco's Zaxxon uses a unique combination of mirrors and 2 different VFD displays to get a 3-D affect. Your ship appears to be flying above the surface of the planet and actually flies over walls and other VFD generated images (not possible with just one VFD display). The planet's surface and ground based enemies are created by one VFD, while you and air-based enemies are created by the VFD reflected off a mirror.
[US] LCD handheld game (1982) released by Bandai : it's a cool double panel LCD game (there are two LCD panels on top of each other). The dual panel creates a kind of 3D effect with lower objects on one panel, and higher ones on the other. Also, all of the background images are created by the LCD and animated. It's quite impressive for an LCD game (and a must have if you love Zaxxon!).
[US] VFD handheld game (19??) released by Bandai : this game has a unique way of creating a 3-D effect - it only uses 1 VFD display (unlike Coleco's Zaxxon which uses two). The VFD is basically split in two, the upper half you see as the lower part of the playing field, while the lower part of the VFD is reflected on a semi-transparent mirror to create the upper half of the 3-D playing space.. Pretty cool idea to help, and it really works in that all of the ships (not just the players ship like on the Coleco version) have a true depth. It's a little awkward to play sometimes as you have to sit just right to get all of the screen centered perfectly, but once you are in position, it's a very nice version of Zaxxon. It features the planes in space mode, and the flying over land mode. The only thing that seems to be missing is the actual Zaxxon boss at the end...
[US] BlackBerry (dec.21, 2009) "Zaxxon [Model 5341]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
Details of the code analysis can be views at www.romseti.blogspot.com
Accepted [+] [X] Bubbles Update submitted by vecchiom
Bubbles (c) 1982 Williams.
In Bubbles you control a cartoon soap bubble inside a large sink. The object of the game is clean out the sink. You can safely scrub away ants, grease, and crumbs all the time. But sponges, roaches, brushes, and razor blades are deadly to a small bubble. Don't worry too much though, because your bubble grows in size as it swallows up the dirt in the sink. When it gets big enough it will be able to hit brushes and sponges (but still not razors).
- TECHNICAL -
Bubbles was available in four different cabinets - A standard wooden upright cabinet, a plastic DuraMold cabinet, a mini (or cabaret) cabinet, and a cocktail. All four different varieties are pretty rare. On top of there being four different cabinets, there were also two different ROM revisions (the 'Red' and 'Blue' revisions), making a grand total of eight different Bubbles machines.
* The standard upright is in a dark blue cabinet (which is identical to one of the alternate "Robotron - 2084" cabinets). It is decorated with painted sideart of a bunch of bubbles coming up from a drain. The marquee matches the design of the sideart perfectly (a 'Bubbles' logo on a dark blue background, some of them also showed the main character, but many of them did not). The control panel features an 8-Way optical joystick that has an incredible feel, but is prone to breakage.
* The DuraMold cabinet was a round cabinet made completely out of thick plastic. This was an experiment in making an indestructible arcade cabinet that would last forever. There were a few other DuraMold games made, but Bubbles was the most common one by far. The DuraMold Bubbles was a big blue plastic cylinder with no sideart. It had a curved marquee on top that had the same graphics as the standard upright. The control panel had the same joystick that the upright model used, but the graphics on it were more detailed (cartoon images of characters from the game, as opposed to a simple design).
* The cabaret and cocktail models were identical in design to their "Robotron - 2084" counterparts. Both of these had very limited production runs.
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 292 x 240 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.1 Hz
Palette colors : 256
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
- TRIVIA -
Bubbles was released in January 1982.
By 1983 it seemed every possible idea had been used in a video game except the kitchen sink. Then came Bubbles.
'What I was trying to do with Bubbles was come up with a non-violent, clean game (no pun intended)' says John Kotlarik. The game was intended to be a "Pac-Man" inspired take-off with a free form play field instead of walls. Kotlarik came up with the initial concept and Python Anghelo created all the artwork and wrote the game scenario.
Python had previously worked on many other Williams games, including much of the art for "Joust". Kotlarik had helped out on the sounds for "Joust" and "Defender", as well as creating the voice for Williams' first voice synthesized pinball game, "Gorgar". Together they brought the kitchen sink to life.
The early '80s were an era populated with off the wall video game characters like Q*Bert, Dig Dug, and Mr. Do. Even then, the cast of Bubbles stood out from the crowd. The game had crumbs, ants, greasies, sponges, brushes and the Cleaning Lady. It was certainly the only game ever to create a character out of something as sinister and bizarre as a razor blade. Piloting your scrubbing bubble, the goal was to scour sink after sink of scurrying scum.
The big challenge of programming the game was creating the drift movement of the free floating player bubble, which was a lot more complex than meets the eye. They wanted to program the bubble to move like it was on ice, or water, and not a hard surface track. To do this, Kotlarik had to do what he calls the damping of the velocity profile. The longer you held the joystick down, the faster you would go and experience a slight decrease in velocity once you started to coast. It was an attempt to make an analog control out of an eight way digital joystick. The game had different movement than any other immediate response game of its kind.
Bubbles also had innovative cabinet design. The wood cabinet graphics, created by Anghelo, were some of the best of all the Williams classic games. Anghelo also came up with the concept for a unique all plastic cabinet for Bubbles. Mechanical engineer Gary Berge developed it by using a special rotational molding process. The shape was cylindrical with a domed top. The Bubbles cabinets were in blue plastic. Black plastic ones were created for "Blaster" and a handful of "Sinistar" test machines. The plastic cabinets were almost indestructible. When crushed, they would spring back to shape like an accordion. When blemished, they could easily be fixed by heating and smoothing the plastic. 'If we'd made kits for those things we could have easily sold a couple hundred thousand', says Tom Cahill of the Williams service department.
Bubbles created a play environment like no other game of its time. The humorous animated action was a nice complement to Williams' cadre of famous sci-fi pulse racers.
Yashiro Oda holds the official record for this game with 1,566,960 points on August 1, 1984.
- UPDATES -
A little known strategy of the game is available once your bubble becomes large enough to have a face. The sponges and brush can no longer destroy it. Working from the right angle, a player can rack up extra points by shoving the sponges and brushes down the drain. The only drawback is that every time you throw your weight around in this manner you lose a little in size, until eventually you become vulnerable again.
- SCORING -
Crumb: 100 points.
Ants: 150 points.
Greasie: 200 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Cleaning Lady: 500 points (will increase as she collects items).
Roach: 1,000 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Dive Ahead Bonus: x 1,000 points per bubble enlargement.
Around the Drain: x 2 points (if you get the above items around the drain).
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Keep moving...you won't attract dirt if you just stand there. Also, Roaches are like heat-seeking missiles...they won't aimlessly wander because they WANT you.
* Go around the circumference/perimeter of the sink first, since they are the easiest to collect. Then work your way inwards.
* Dirt and crumbs will slowly head for thee drain so you could spin around the drain, collecting them as they come.
* If the drain is flashing RED, back off! A Giant Ant/Roach is coming your way! Seek and capture the Cleaning Lady's broom (if there is one) to counter this threat.
* Do not try to out-run Roaches, because they are actually faster than your poor, slow-poke Bubble. Instead, out-maneuver them. Go in circles around them and pick up materials in the process. Once you have a smile, bid the ugly duckling farewell and head for the drain before you get bitten!
* If there is a low supply of materials abroad and you're not even close to getting a smile on your face...don't get the materials because it would speed your death up. Instead, use the remaining time to wait for the green light and go in! It might take a while. Hell, maybe the light will never come...
* DON'T BE SELFISH! You might want to try to collect more materials when you have a big, big smile on your face...it's not worth it. Take the safe road and go into the drain before someone kicks your head in.
* Try to collect the items around the drain, you get double points that way.
* Once you have a smile on your face, you can make the brushes/sponges bounce off without getting blown up. Try to aim them to the drain to add injury to the insilt!
* Not really a tip... but the number of the level you are currently playing is on the top left corner. Once it goes past 99, it comes back to 01.
- STAFF -
Program, design and sounds by : John Kotlarik (JJK), Tim Murphy (TIM)
Art and design by : Python Anghelo (ANG)
Support software by : Dave Rzepka
Hardware by : Chuck Bleich, Greg Wepner
Mechanical by : Leo Ludzia, Gary Berge.
Video manager : Ken Lantz
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sega Saturn (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-9703H]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (apr.10, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLUS-00201]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.1, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLES-00323]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (june.27, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9713N]"
Sega Dreamcast [EU] (jul.28, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9710D-50]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [EU] (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows 3.1/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1995) "Williams Arcade Classics"
PC [MS Windows 95/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1996) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Many trivia from Williams Bubbles' Tribute page; http://www.bubblestribute.com
Accepted [+] [X] Phoenix [Maxi model] Update submitted by vecchiom
Phoenix (c) 1981 Centuri.
For more information on the game itself, please see the original Amstar entry.
- TECHNICAL -
Maxi model dimensions :
Height : 139.7 cm (55 in.)
Width : 52.7 cm (20.75 in.)
Depth : 59.7 cm (23.5 in.)
It may sound confusing, but according to the 'Maxi' cabinet is actually the smaller model more commonly referred to as 'cabaret'.
- TRIVIA -
Title screen's copyright notice :
PHOENIX COPYRIGHT 1980
AMSTAR ELECTRONICS CORP.
MFG. BY CENTURI INC.
Even if title screen says 1980, this game was released in January 1981.
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Rally-X [Mini-Myte model] [Model 937] Update submitted by vecchiom
Rally-X (c) 1980 Midway Mfg. Co.
Export release. Manufactured by Midway under license from Namco. For more information about the game, please see the original Namco entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Mini-Myte model]
[No. 937]
- TRIVIA -
Released in December 1980.
- SOURCES -
Game's Flyer.
Accepted [+] [X] Rally-X [Cocktail Table model] [Model 936] Update submitted by vecchiom
Rally-X (c) 1980 Midway Mfg. Co.
Export release. Manufactured by Midway under license from Namco. For more information about the game, please see the original Namco entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Cocktail Table model]
[No. 936]
- TRIVIA -
Released in December 1980.
- SOURCES -
Game's Flyer.
Accepted [+] [X] Stargate Update submitted by vecchiom
Stargate (c) 1981 Williams.
Stargate, also known as 'Defender II', will transport you to a whole new dimension in video games! Not only will the skills you learned with "Defender" be challenged and refined, but new strategies must come into play if you are to be victorious in rescuing the humanoids from the clutches of the aliens and in entering the Stargate! Your ability to react quickly and with on-target precision will be tested against the evil Yllabian Space Guppies, Dynamos, Space Hums, Firebombers and their Fireballs, Phreds, Big Reds and Munchies! If you succeed in maneuvering your ship into the Stargate, you'll be instantly trans-located to that part of the planet where the humanoids are being abducted! To open up spectacular scoring possibilities, rescue four Humanoids, re-enter Stargate and you'll warp 3 waves ahead in space and time, setting off dazzling special effects and racking up high points!
If you must destroy everything in your path or risk self-destruction, activate the Inviso anti-matter cloaking device and become invisible and invulnerable! Inviso time plus a new ship and a Smart Bomb are earned with every 10,000 points you score!
If all ten Humanoids in a wave are abducted, the universe will explode into smithereens, leaving deadly Mutants on the attack! Survive until Wave 5 and the universe will be restored, the humanoids safe... but you'll be the target of an Yllabian Dog Fight! There'll be no Landers to abduct the Humanoids, but all the other aliens will have stronger and larger forces concentrated against you! It will be an out space battle reaching the outer limits of aggression and will call up your last ounce of determination and courage!
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Players : 1
Control : 2-way joystick (vertical)
Buttons : 6
=> Thrust, Fire, Reverse, Smart bomb, Inviso, Hyperspace
- TRIVIA -
Stargate was released in October 1981.
Stargate was the first game designed by Vid Kidz, the design firm founded by Jarvis and DeMar when they decided to go independent. Williams became desperate for a game after the designers left, so they took Vid Kidz under contract. Stargate took four months to complete. All Vid Kidz games were designed on a dual 8" floppy, 1 MHz 6809 Motorola Exorcisor system that cost $30,000 in those days.
The name was changed to 'Defender II' right after the game had stopped being manufactured, because Williams wanted to make sure they could own the trademark on the title. All compilation packs released for home consoles and computers in 1995 and later (see Ports section below for the complete listing) feature the game under the 'Defender II' moniker.
The name of the enemy Yllabian is created by reversing the spelling of Bally, one of Williams' competitors. Bally reversed becomes Yllab.
Shooting a Pod will release between four and seven Swarmers.
Approximately 26,000 upright cabinets and about 1,000 cocktail tables were made.
Stargate plays very similarly to "Defender", although several enhancements have been made to the already superb and demanding game play. Changes from "Defender" :
* The addition of eight more enemies.
* The addition of the Stargate. Going through the Stargate allows the player to either :
1) Go to the opposite side of the planet if no Humanoids are being threatened.
2) Arrive at the exact spot where a Lander is abducting a Humanoid.
3) In addition, before Wave 10, if you fly forwards (not backwards) through the Stargate while carrying four or more Humanoids, you will warp forward three waves. You will get a bonus of Humanoids left X 2,000 points for this achievement (up to 20,000 points).
* The Inviso button allows you to cloak your ship in an anti-matter field. While cloaked, your ship is indestructible and you can destroy enemies by flying through them. You can still pick up falling Humanoids while cloaked.
* There are now bonus waves in the game. After completing these bonus waves, you start again with ten Humanoids on the planet's surface. The bonus waves are:
1) On Wave 5 and every tenth wave thereafter : The Yllabian Dogfight.
2) On Wave 10 and every tenth wave thereafter : The Firebomber Showdown.
* When the last Humanoid left on the planet's surface is abducted, the planet surface starts flashing, and the message under the scanner reads : 'PLANET SURFACE UNSTABLE!'. This is the warning that planetary explosion will occur soon unless at least one Humanoid is saved.
* When all Landers in a wave are destroyed, the message under the scanner reads : 'ALL LANDERS DESTROYED!'.
* There is now a 'Pod Intersection' timer which appears in the scanner at the beginning of any wave which has at least three Pods. It counts down to the moment when all the Pods come together.
- SCORING -
Lander: 150 points
Mutant: 150 points
Bomber: 250 points
Pod: 1,000 points
Baiter: 200 points
Swarmer: 150 points
Firebomber: 250 points
Fireball: 100 points
Dynamo: 200 points
Space Hum: 100 points
Yllabian Space Guppy: 200 points
Phred: 200 points
Big Red: 200 points
Munchies: 50 points
Getting hit by an enemy bullet: 25 points
Destroying a Pod with a Smart Bomb will award either 1,450 or 1,600 points.
Rescuing abducted Humanoids gives increasing bonuses if they are rescued consecutively without being immediately returned to the ground.
500 points for saving the first Humanoid from a Lander, 1,000 points for saving the second, 1,500 points for the third, and 2,000 points for the fourth and higher.
500 points for each Humanoid put back into the planet's surface.
250 points for a Humanoid landing into the ground safely on his own.
A special undocumented bonus can be gained by dropping off a Humanoid as the last event in a wave. There are two ways to do this. One way requires you to have killed everything off in the wave except for one Lander. Wait for the Lander to pick up a Humanoid. Shoot the Lander and catch the Humanoid JUST before it hits the ground. The other way is to deposit a Humanoid that your ship is carrying at the exact moment when you kill the last enemy of the wave. Either way, when this is done properly the screen will flash several times and you will be awarded 2,000 points.
Bonus at the end of each wave:
Wave 1: Humanoids Left X 100.
Wave 2: Humanoids Left X 200.
Wave 3: Humanoids Left X 300.
Wave 4: Humanoids Left X 400.
Wave 5 and all Yllabian Dogfight waves: 2,500 points.
Wave 6 and above: Humaniods Left X 500.
Warp: Humanoids Left X 2,000.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
The enemies that initially appear in each wave are :
Wave 1 : 11 Landers, 2 Dynamos, 3 Firebombers
Wave 2 : 10 Landers, 2 Dynamos, 3 Firebombers, 7 Yllabian Space Guppies
Wave 3 : 10 Landers, 2 Dynamos, 6 Firebombers, 4 Yllabian Space Guppies, 3 Pods
Wave 4 : 17 Landers, 3 Dynamos, 3 Firebombers, 5 Yllabian Space Guppies, 4 Pods
Wave 5 and every Yllabian Dogfight : 6 Dynamos, 22 Yllabian Space Guppies, 8 Swarmers
Wave 6 : 17 Landers, 3 Dynamos, 3 Firebombers, 5 Yllabian Space Guppies, 4 Pods, 2 Bombers
Waves 7, 8, and 9 : 17 Landers, 3 Dynamos, 3 Firebombers, 5 Yllabian Space Guppies, 4 Pods, 3 Bombers
Wave 10 and every Firebomber Showdown : 13 Firebombers, 6 Pods
Wave 11 and every regular wave higher : 18 Landers, 4 Dynamos, 4 Firebombers, 3 Yllabian Space Guppies, 4 Pods, 2 Bombers
If the planet is destroyed, all Landers are replaced with Mutants.
* You start the game in the middle of the screen. You can look at your radar to see where the various enemies are. Get to learn the sounds of the game because they are an important clue as to what is going on out of your viewing range. First of all, learn how to use the buttons with proficiency. You don't want to be hunting around for the smart bomb or thrust button when you are in the middle of a firefight. Practice will make you proficient.
* The player's ship can shoot a maximum of four lasers on the screen at any one time.
* Learn to use your radar screen and after a while you will only look at the viewable area briefly to take care of business. Each enemy has a unique color on the radar so you should be able to easily identify what they are. In addition, you will also learn how each enemy moves around. This will definitely become a great benefit in the later waves.
* Listen to the sounds of the game. When you hear a high-pitched chatter, that means a Lander has picked up a Humanoid in order to create a Mutant. Use your radar and look for the green shape going straight up; that's the Lander. Try to get over there as quickly as possible. Just shoot the Lander, not the Humanoid it has taken. When you hear what sound like something being put together, that means a Lander has become a Mutant.
* Once you shoot the Lander, your job isn't over yet. If the height is too great, the Humanoid will fall and die on impact. You have to fly over the Humanoid and your fighter will pick it up. Any time you scrape against the ground, you will set the Humanoid down. Some players continuously ride around with a Humanoid to prevent the planet from exploding.
* The planet will only explode when all ten Humanoids are dead. Then you will have to go through waves of nothing but Mutants and the other regular enemies until you make it to a bonus wave. After that, you will have ten humans and a new planet again. Mutants are very dangerous to deal with because they tend to swarm and fire a lot of shots toward your ship. Of course, expert players just shoot all the Humanoids so they can have the challenge of going through these Mutant waves.
* Try to clear waves as quickly as possible. If you take too long on a wave, a Baiter, Phred, or a Big Red will appear. These enemies are much faster than your fighter and can outrun it. The Baiter also has the tendency to fire pretty accurate shots. One of the tactics to throw them off is to reverse quickly a couple of times. This disorients them briefly and may give you a chance to shoot them. These enemies make their appearance to ensure you finish waves quickly.
* Use your Smart Bombs only when the screen is crowded with enemies. A lot of players like to get all the Pods together and then touch off a Smart Bomb. Another way is to break open the Pods so that Swarmers are all over then hit the Smart Bomb.
* Use your Inviso sparingly. A good tactic is to find a lot of enemy units bunched up. Fly fast toward them and at the last second activate your Inviso until you are clear (should amount to less then a second of time). You can destroy quite a few enemies this way and you conserve your Invisio energy.
* Use Hyperspace only when you are in a totally desperate situation (like getting swarmed by Mutants or Swarmers). Sometimes Hyperspace will destroy your ship on re-entry.
* Watch out for the Bombers. Although they travel slowly, they leave strings of bombs. If you are not paying attention, you may crash if you attempt to fly through them.
* The Firebombers have a tendency to shoot a lot of Fireballs at your fighter. Fortunately, you can destroy these Fireballs. This can become complicated if there are four or five Firebombers firing at the same time. The Fireballs don't track your ship. The Firebombers don't start shooting Fireballs until Wave 2.
* You can fly through and under the terrain (but you cannot exit the screen at the top and come up through the bottom or vice-versa). Use this to your advantage when maneuvering around.
* Since you 'wrap-around' the screen, this gives you a little more maneuvering room. However, keep looking at your radar because the enemy that disappears off the left side will show up on the right side. Also, shots do not wrap around the edge.
* In addition to using the 'wrap-around', keep in mind that you can also use the Stargate to your advantage. Some players hang around the Stargate until a Humanoid is abducted. They go through the Stargate, save the Humanoid, and go back to the Stargate again to await the next rescue. Also, the Stargate is useful if you are being pursued by a lot of enemies since it transports you to the opposite side of the planet.
* Since you get an extra ship, Smart Bomb, and Inviso time every 10,000 points, that should be your constant goal. However, as the waves get higher things move a lot faster, making even getting 10,000 points a challenge.
* The most extra ships or Smart Bombs that can be obtained is 255. If the player has 255 extra ships or Smart Bombs and then wins an extra one, the counter rolls back to zero.
* Secret Message : The formula consists of three sequences of buttons, that all must be completed within a quarter of a second of each other, without the player dying onscreen. The moves are as follows...
1) Joystick Down, Reverse, 1P Start and Thrust.
2) Reverse, 2P Start and Fire.
3) Joystick Down, 1P Start, Thrust and Fire.
* Stargate attack waves 'roll over' at wave 100, which is displayed, when started and after being completed, as Wave 0. The game keeps track of the actual number of waves, even though they are not shown properly. For example, the next wave will be counted as Wave 101, even though it shows being completed as Wave 1. The game will 'roll over' again at Wave 200, which is displayed, when started and after being completed, as Wave 0 as well. The next 'roll over' occurs at Wave 256. Upon completion of Wave 255, the next wave is a wave very similar to the very first wave, except that the Firebombers shoot. This level is counted and displayed as Wave 0, and the player is awarded a bonus of Humanoids left X 0 points (the bonus for this wave is always 0 points). The next is Wave 1, and the game now plays just as if the player had started a new game (warps are now again possible up to Wave 10), except the player gets to keep his score and all of his bonus ships and Smart Bombs.
- SERIES -
1. Defender (1980, ARC)
2. Stargate (1981, ARC)
3. Strikeforce (1991, ARC)
4. Defender 2000 [Model J9041E] (1996, Jaguar)
- STAFF -
Staff : Larry DeMar (LED), Sam Dicker (SAM), Steve Ritchie (SSR), Eugene Jarvis (DRJ) (EPJ), (JER)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Stargate [Model CX26120]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1984) "Stargate [Model CX5219]"
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (sept.24, 1987) "Star Gate [Model HAL-SB]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1988) "Defender II [Model CX26120]"
[US] Nintendo NES (jul.1988) "Defender II [Model NES-SB-USA]"
[US] Nintendo SNES (oct.1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SNS-AW8E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo SNES (jan.8, 1997) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SNSP-AW8P-EUR]"
[US] Sega Genesis (1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits"
[EU] Sega Mega Drive (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-97126]"
[US] Sega Saturn (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-9703H]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (apr.10, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLUS-00201]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.1, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLES-00323]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (june.27, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9713N]"
Sega Dreamcast [EU] (jul.28, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9710D-50]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [EU] (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* COMPUTERS:
Commodore VIC-20 [US] (1982) "Defender II"
[US] Apple II (1983)
PC [Booter] [US] (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1984) "Guardian"
PC [MS Windows 3.1/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1995) "Williams Arcade Classics"
PC [MS Windows 95/DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (1996) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
* OTHERS:
Palm OS [US] (aug.2001) "Midway Arcade Classic"
VFD handheld game (1982) by Entex
Tiger Game.com [US] (1997) "Williams Arcade Classics [Model 71-722]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
