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Starhawk (arcade Game)
''Starhawk'' is a 1979 vector arcade game designed and programmed by Tim Skelly and manufactured by Cinematronics. ''Starhawk'' is a shoot 'em up unofficially based on the '' Star Wars: Episode IV'' trench run, one of the first arcade games to blatantly use concepts from ''Star Wars''. The game was unique at the time for its pseudo-3D graphics. It was distributed in Japan by Sega, and was later ported for the Vectrex home system in 1982. The arcade cabinet had a cinder block placed inside of it, to prevent it from tipping onto the player. Plot According to the Vectrex manual, the story involves "protecting your comrades from alien ships trying to infiltrate your culture" and "defending the sovereignty of your planet". Gameplay Various ships, reminiscent of TIE fighters, appear on the horizon of the trench and the player has to shoot them before they destroy the player's ship. The player is given initially sixty seconds, but additional twenty seconds is awarded for every 10,00 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinematronics
Cinematronics Incorporated was an arcade game video game developer, developer that primarily released vector graphics games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While other companies released games based on raster graphics, raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and Atari, Inc. released vector-display games, which offered a distinctive look and a greater graphic capability (at the time), at the cost of being only black and white (initially). Cinematronics also published ''Dragon's Lair (1983 video game), Dragon's Lair'' in 1983, the first major LaserDisc video game. History Cinematronics Inc. was founded on April 1, 1975, by two players of the San Diego Chargers football team, Dennis Partee and Gary Garrison, as well as Jimmie Dale “Jim” Pierce (1937–2011) in San Diego, California. Garrison initially served as president until Pierce assumed that role. The company first entered the market creating clones of ''Pong'', selling them in the local area. Their fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of obliterating entire planets, and serves to enforce the Empire's reign of terror. Appearing in the original film ''Star Wars'' (1977), the Death Star serves as the central plot point and setting for the film, and is destroyed in an assault by the Rebel Alliance during the climax of the film, with the prequel film '' Rogue One'' (2016) and the television series '' Andor'' (2022-2025) exploring its construction. A larger second Death Star is being built in the events of the film '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), featuring substantially improved capabilities compared to its predecessor, before it is destroyed by the Rebel Alliance while under construction. Since its first appearance, the Death Star has become a cultural icon and a widely recognized element of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vector Arcade Video Games
Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics and physics * Vector (mathematics and physics) ** Row and column vectors, single row or column matrices ** Vector quantity ** Vector space ** Vector field, a vector for each point Molecular biology * Vector (molecular biology), a DNA molecule used as a vehicle to artificially carry foreign genetic material into another cell ** Cloning vector, a small piece of DNA into which a foreign DNA fragment can be inserted for cloning purposes ** Shuttle vector, a plasmid constructed so that it can propagate in two different host species ** Viral vector, a tool commonly used by molecular biologists to deliver genetic materials into cells Computer science * Vector, a one-dimensional array data structure ** Distance-vector routing protocol, a clas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vectrex Games
The Vectrex is a vector monitor, vector display-based home video game console, the only one ever designed and released for the home market, that was developed by Smith Engineering and manufactured and sold by General Consumer Electronics. It was first released for the North America market in October 1982 and then Europe and Japan in 1983. Originally produced by General Consumer Electronics, it was later licensed to Milton Bradley Company, Milton Bradley after they acquired the company. Bandai released the system in Japan under the name 光速船, meaning Lightspeed. The Vectrex, in contrast to other video game systems at the time, did not need to be hooked up to a television set; it had an integrated (vertically oriented) monochrome Cathode-ray tube, CRT monitor. A detachable wired control pad could be folded into the lower base of the console. Games came with translucent color overlays to place over the screen. Optional peripherals include a pair of 3D goggles known as the "3D I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rail Shooters
Rail shooter, also known as on-rails shooter, is a subgenre of shoot 'em up video game. Beginning with arcade games such as the 1985 ''Space Harrier'', the gameplay locks the player character into a set path, only allowing for limited or no divergence from it, in a manner similar to a theme park dark ride, which is typically on train tracks. While moving on this path, players must aim and shoot enemies while dodging projectiles and avoiding damage. Many rail shooters feature a flying protagonist or ship. Some take place while walking, running or driving. While rail shooters saw a resurgence on the Wii due to its Wii Remote control scheme, new games in the genre are considered a rarity in the modern day, although many games of other genres contain rail shooter segments. History The rail shooter genre stemmed from arcade games, with seminal games being ''Space Harrier'' (1985) and ''After Burner'' (1987), both developed by Sega. The original ''Star Fox (1993 video game), Star Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinematronics Games
Cinematronics Incorporated was an arcade game developer that primarily released vector graphics games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While other companies released games based on raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and Atari, Inc. released vector-display games, which offered a distinctive look and a greater graphic capability (at the time), at the cost of being only black and white (initially). Cinematronics also published ''Dragon's Lair'' in 1983, the first major LaserDisc video game. History Cinematronics Inc. was founded on April 1, 1975, by two players of the San Diego Chargers football team, Dennis Partee and Gary Garrison, as well as Jimmie Dale “Jim” Pierce (1937–2011) in San Diego, California. Garrison initially served as president until Pierce assumed that role. The company first entered the market creating clones of ''Pong'', selling them in the local area. Their first game offered nationally was ''Flipper Ball'' (1976) followed by '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arcade Video Games
An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-operated or accept other means of payment, housed in an arcade cabinet, and located in amusement arcades alongside other kinds of arcade games. Until the early 2000s, arcade video games were the largest and most technologically advanced segment of the video game industry. Early prototypical entries '' Galaxy Game'' and '' Computer Space'' in 1971 established the principle operations for arcade games, and Atari's ''Pong'' in 1972 is recognized as the first successful commercial arcade video game. Improvements in computer technology and gameplay design led to a golden age of arcade video games, the exact dates of which are debated but range from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. This golden age includes ''Space Invaders'', '' Pac-Man'', and '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 Video Games
Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ''Chiquitita'' to commemorate the event. ** In 1979, the United States officially severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This decision marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, turning to view the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China. ** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full Sino-American relations, diplomatic relations. ** Following a deal agreed during 1978, France, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's Chrysler Europe, European operations, which are based in United Kingdom, Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France. * January 6 – Geylang Bahru family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Strike
''Star Strike'' is a shoot 'em up video game released by Mattel for its Intellivision video game system in 1981. The Intellivision's best-selling game in 1982, with over 800,000 copies sold, ''Star Strike'' was inspired by the attack on the Death Star in the 1977 film ''Star Wars''. The player must drop bombs on alien weapons silos before Earth moves into range. A port of ''Star Strike'' for the Atari 2600 was published under Mattel's M Network label in 1983. Gameplay In ''Star Strike'', invading aliens have targeted a super-weapon on planet Earth. As soon as Earth moves into range, the weapon will be fired and destroy the planet. The player controls a spaceship launched at the invaders in an attempt to destroy the weapon before it can be fired. To do so, the player must bomb five red weapons silos in a narrow trench. If one of the silos remains when Earth is in range, the planet is doomed; George Plimpton bragged that the game depicted the "total destruction of a planet". Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Head On (video Game)
''Head On'' is an arcade video game developed by Sega/Gremlin and released by Sega in 1979. It was the first maze video game where the goal is to run over dots. Designed by Lane Hauck at Sega/Gremlin in the United States, it was the fourth highest-grossing arcade game of 1979 in both Japan and the US. Sega released a sequel, ''Head On Part II'', later the same year. The original inspired a number of clones, as well as Namco's '' Rally-X'' (1980). Gameplay Arcade screenshot Two cars continuously drive forward through rectangular channels in a simple maze. At the four cardinal directions are gaps where a car can change lanes. The player goal is to collect all dots in the maze while avoiding collisions with the computer-controlled car that is travelling in the opposite direction. Development The game was developed by Sega/Gremlin in the United States, designed by Lane Hauck. He brainstormed the concept in 1978, roughly around the time that Sega purchased Gremlin Industries. Af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sprint 2
''Sprint 2'' is a two player overhead-view arcade racing video game released in 1976 by Kee Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atari, and distributed by Namco in Japan. While earlier driving games had computer-controlled cars that moved along a "canned predetermined" course, ''Sprint 2'' "introduced the concept of a computer car that had the intelligence to drive itself around the track" in "a semi-intelligent" manner. Development The team that developed ''Sprint 2'' consisted of Dennis Koble, Wendi Allen (credited as Howard Delman), Dan Van Elderen and Lyle Rains. Both Koble and Rains do not recall who came up with the idea for the game. Rains would recall in an interview with ''Retro Gamer'' that the game was likely from Atari who wanted to release a new and improved driving game, as '' Gran Trak 10'', ''Gran Trak 20'', '' Indy 800'' and '' LeMans'' games were moneymakers for Atari and its customers. The game was one of Atari's first mass-produced microprocessor based game ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Football (1978 Video Game)
''Football'' (also known as ''Atari Football'') is a 1978 American football video game developed and released by Atari, Inc. for arcades. Players are represented by X's and O's. While predated by Sega's ''World Cup'', ''Football'' is credited with popularizing the trackball controller and is also the first non-racing vertically scrolling video game. It was distributed in Japan by Namco in 1979. ''Football'' was the second highest-earning arcade video game of 1979 in the United States. That year Atari released a more challenging four-player version of the arcade game programmed by Dave Theurer, who later created '' Missile Command'' and '' Tempest''. Gameplay Development The game was designed by Steve Bristow and programmed by Michael Albaugh, with the hardware engineered by Dave Stubben. The game's use of a trackball was inspired by an earlier Japanese association football (soccer) game that had used trackball controls. When the team saw the game, they brought a cabinet t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
