''Space Jockey'' is a
horizontally scrolling shooter designed by
Garry Kitchen
Garry Kitchen (born August 18, 1955, in Washington, D.C., United States) is a video game designer, programmer, and executive best known for developing games for the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo Ente ...
for the Atari VCS (renamed to the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...
later in the year). It was published under the Vidtec brand of
U.S. Games in 1982
[ as the initial release from the company.]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 Sunny ...
stopped internal development of 2K games for the console in 1980.
''Space Jockey'' was the first video game written by Kitchen.[ He went on to program the 2600 port of '']Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
'' for Coleco.[
]
Gameplay
The player controls an "attack saucer" that flies to the right over scrolling, undulating terrain. The saucer only moves vertically and stops just before it hits the ground. The goal is to shoot ground-based tanks and flying enemies: jet planes, propeller planes, helicopters, and hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...
s.[ Trees and houses appear on the ground as obstacles which can also be destroyed.
]
Reception
''Space Jockey'' was one of three runners-up for the "Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Videogame" category in the 1983 Arcade Awards.
According to a 2014 interview with Kitchen, ''Space Jockey'' sold over a million copies, but he believes most of those were at a discount.[ A February 1983 '']Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' article on retailers lowering game prices mentioned, "US Games recently sold off one of its older hits, the 2K ''Space Jockey'', at rock bottom prices through its distributors."
Dan Gutman wrote in ''Electronic Fun with Computers & Games
''Electronic Fun with Computers & Games'' was a video game magazine published in the United States from November 1982 to May 1984. For the last two issues it was renamed ''ComputerFun''.
Content
The magazine was split up into the following sect ...
'', "The graphics here don't knock you out. The sound is nothing to phone home about. ''Space Jockey'' is a pure test of your reaction time and doesn't pretend to be anything more."
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite web , title=Space Jockey , url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-space-jockey_7485.html , website=Atari Mania]
[{{cite web , title=Space Jockey Manual , url=https://archive.org/details/Space_Jockey_1982_US_Games , website=archive.org , publisher=US Games , date=1982]
[{{cite journal , last1=Hacker , first1=Randi , title=Software Update: Eight's Company , journal=Video Games , date=October 1982 , volume=1 , issue=2 , page=16 , url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_02_1982-10_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n15]
[{{cite web , last1=Kitchen , first1=Garry , title=How I Spent My Summer of 1982 , url=https://medium.com/swlh/how-i-spent-my-summer-of-1982-59638293f358 , website=medium.com , date=October 28, 2020]
External links
TV commercialGameplay video
1982 video games
Atari 2600 games
Atari 2600-only games
Horizontally scrolling shooters
Single-player video games
U.S. Games games
Video games designed by Garry Kitchen
Video games developed in the United States