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Atarisoft
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to market video games the company published for home systems made by competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages. For example, video games sold for the Commodore 64 came up in green packages, games for the TI-99/4A in yellow, games for the IBM PC in blue, and so on. Atarisoft was so successful during the Christmas 1983 shopping season that the company released games for the discontinued 99/4A. By 1984 a rumor stated that Atari planned to discontinue hardware and only sell software. Despite being in existence for less than two years, Atarisoft had a huge video game library with dozens of game versions being released for various home computers and consoles. Almost all of the Atarisoft titles were produced by third-party software companies, as Atari only developed for their own systems. The Atarisoft label did not bear Atari's recognizable "Fuji" logo nor the official ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atarisoft Centipede Apple
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to market video games the company published for home systems made by competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages. For example, video games sold for the Commodore 64 came up in green packages, games for the TI-99/4A in yellow, games for the IBM PC in blue, and so on. Atarisoft was so successful during the Christmas 1983 shopping season that the company released games for the discontinued 99/4A. By 1984 a rumor stated that Atari planned to discontinue hardware and only sell software. Despite being in existence for less than two years, Atarisoft had a huge video game library with dozens of game versions being released for various home computers and consoles. Almost all of the Atarisoft titles were produced by third-party software companies, as Atari only developed for their own systems. The Atarisoft label did not bear Atari's recognizable "Fuji" logo nor the official ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari, Inc
Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunnyvale, California, area in the center of Silicon Valley, the company was initially formed to develop arcade games, launching with '' Pong'' in 1972. As computer technology matured with low-cost integrated circuits, Atari ventured into the consumer market, first with dedicated home versions of ''Pong'' and other arcade successes around 1975, and into programmable consoles using game cartridges with the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS or later branded as the Atari 2600) in 1977. To bring the Atari VCS to market, Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications in 1976. In 1978, Warner brought in Ray Kassar to help run the company, but over the next few years, gave Kassar more of a leadership role in the company. Bushnell was fired in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moon Patrol
is a 1982 arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arc ... developed and released by Irem. It was licensed to WMS Industries, Williams for distribution in North America. The player controls a moon buggy which can jump over and shoot obstacles on a horizontally scrolling landscape as well as shoot aerial attackers. Designed by Takashi Nishiyama, ''Moon Patrol'' is often credited with the introduction of full parallax scrolling in side-scrolling games. Most of the home ports were from Atari, Inc., sometimes under the Atarisoft label. Gameplay The player takes the role of a Luna City police officer assigned to Sector Nine, the home of the "toughest thugs in the galaxy". The player controls a Lunar Roving Vehicle, Moon buggy that travels over the Moon's surface, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jungle Hunt
re-released as is a side-scrolling action game developed by Taito and released for arcades in 1982. It was originally distributed as ''Jungle King'', then quickly modified and re-released as ''Jungle Hunt'' due to a copyright dispute over the player character's likeness to Tarzan. ''Jungle King'', along with ''Moon Patrol'' released a month earlier, is one of the first video games with parallax scrolling. The player controls an unnamed character moving through horizontally scrolling scenes to rescue a woman from cannibals by jumping from vine to vine, swimming a crocodile-infested river, and avoiding rolling rocks. In the original ''Jungle King'' release, the loincloth-wearing character resembles Tarzan. In the rebranded ''Jungle Hunt'', the player character is an explorer, sporting a pith helmet and safari suit. Another re-theming of the arcade version was distributed as ''Pirate Pete'' in 1982. Home versions of ''Jungle Hunt'' were published by Atari, Inc., sometimes unde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TI-99/4A
The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. The associated video display controller provides color graphics and sprite support which were only comparable with those of the Atari 400 and 800 released a month after the TI-99/4. The calculator-style keyboard of the TI-99/4 was cited as a weak point, and TI's reliance on ROM cartridges and their practice of limiting developer information to select third parties resulted in a lack of software for the system. The TI-99/4A was released in June 1981 to address some of these issues with a simplified internal design, full-travel keyboard, improved graphics, and a unique expansion system. At half the price of the original model, sales picked up significantly and TI supported the 4A with peripherals, including a speech synthesizer and a "Per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Bros
is a 1983 arcade game developed and published for arcades by Nintendo. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate creatures emerging from the sewers by knocking them upside-down and kicking them away. The Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System version is the first game produced by Intelligent Systems. It is part of the ''Mario'' franchise, but originally began as a spin-off from the '' Donkey Kong'' series. The arcade and Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System versions were received positively by critics. Elements introduced in ''Mario Bros.'' such as spinning bonus coins, turtles which can be flipped onto their backs, and Luigi were carried over to '' Super Mario Bros.'' (1985) and became staples of the series. An updated version of ''Mario Bros.'' is included as a mini game in all of the '' Super Mario Advance'' series and numerous other games. ''Mario Bros.'' has been re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defender (game)
''Defender'' is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released for arcades in 1981. A side-scrolling shooter, the game is set on either an unnamed planet or city (depending on platform) where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; ''Defender'' was Jarvis' first video game project and drew inspiration from ''Space Invaders'' and ''Asteroids''. ''Defender'' was demonstrated in late 1980, before entering production in early 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito. ''Defender'' was one of the most important titles of the golden age of arcade video games, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best-selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis' best contributions to the video game industry and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. The associated video display controller provides color graphics and sprite support which were only comparable with those of the Atari 400 and 800 released a month after the TI-99/4. The calculator-style keyboard of the TI-99/4 was cited as a weak point, and TI's reliance on ROM cartridges and their practice of limiting developer information to select third parties resulted in a lack of software for the system. The TI-99/4A was released in June 1981 to address some of these issues with a simplified internal design, full-travel keyboard, improved graphics, and a unique expansion system. At half the price of the original model, sales picked up significantly and TI supported the 4A with peripherals, including a speech synthesizer and a "Perip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centipede (video Game)
''Centipede'' is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Atari, Inc. Designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg, it was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of arcade video games and one of the first with a significant female player base. The primary objective is to shoot all the segments of a centipede that winds down the playing field. An arcade sequel, ''Millipede'', followed in 1982. ''Centipede'' was ported to Atari's own Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Atari 8-bit family. Under the Atarisoft label, the game was sold for the Apple II, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, VIC-20, IBM PC (as a self-booting disk), Intellivision, and TI-99/4A. Superior Software published the port for the BBC Micro. Versions for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color were also produced, as well as a version for the short-lived Game.com developed by Handheld Games and published by Tiger Electronics. Gameplay The player controls a small insect-like ''Bug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ColecoVision
ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer experience to more powerful arcade video games compared to competitors such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. The initial catalog of twelve games on ROM cartridge included the first home version of Nintendo's '' Donkey Kong'' as the pack-in game. Approximately 136 games were published between 1982 and 1984, including Sega's ''Zaxxon'' and some ports of lesser known arcade games that found a larger audience on the console, such as ''Lady Bug'', ''Cosmic Avenger'', and '' Venture''. Coleco released a series of hardware add-ons and special controllers to expand the capabilities of the console. "Expansion Module #1" allows the system to play Atari 2600 cartridges. A later module converts ColecoVision into the Coleco Adam home computer. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galaxian
is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them. Designed by company engineer Kazunori Sawano, ''Galaxian'' was Namco's answer to '' Space Invaders'', a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. ''Space Invaders'' was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it. Sawano strove to make the game simplistic and easy to understand. He was inspired by the cinematic space combat scenes in ''Star Wars'', with enemies originally being in the shape of the film's TIE Fighters. ''Galaxian'' is one of the first video games to feature RGB color graphics and the first ever to use a tile-based hardware system, which was capable of animated multi-color sprites as well as scrolling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battlezone (1980 Video Game)
''Battlezone'' is a first-person shooter tank combat game released for arcades in November 1980 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a tank which is attacked by other tanks and missiles, using a small radar scanner to locate enemies around them in the barren landscape. Its innovative use of 3D graphics made it a huge hit, with approximately 15,000 units sold. With its use of three-dimensional vector graphics, the game is considered to be the first true 3D arcade game with a first-person perspective, the "first big 3D success" in the video game industry, and the first successful first-person shooter video game in particular, making it a milestone for first-person shooter games. The game was primarily designed by Ed Rotberg, who was mainly inspired by Atari's top-down shooter game ''Tank'' (1974). ''Battlezone'' was distributed in Japan by Sega and Taito in 1981. The system was based on vector hardware designed by Howard Delman which was introduced in ''Lunar Lander'' and saw suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
