''Stratovox'', known in Japan as ''Speak & Rescue'' (スピーク&レスキュー), is a 1980
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
fixed shooter
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs
) are a Video game genre, sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certai ...
developed and published in Japan by
Sun Electronics and released in North America by
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...
. It is the first video game with
voice synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...
. The player must shoot
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
s attempting to kidnap astronauts that appear on the right side of the screen. If all astronauts are kidnapped, the game is over.
Among the voices the player hears are the phrases "Help me, help me", "Very good!", "We'll be back" and "Lucky". The phrase "Help me" is played during
attract mode
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
. The Japanese version of the game features Japanese speech, such as 「助けて！」 ( "Tasukete!") instead of "Help Me!"
Legacy
''
Bandits
Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
'' from
Sirius Software
Sirius Software was a video game publisher of Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and VIC-20 games in the early 1980s. Sirius also developed games for the Atari 2600 which were published by 20th Century Fox Video Games.
History
The com ...
for the
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
(1982) is a ''Stratovox'' clone that even has the same screen layout, with the moon on the right side of the screen containing the items to protect. In ''Bandits'' these items are fruits instead of astronauts. ''
Spider Fighter
''Spider Fighter'' is a fixed shooter designed by Larry Miller for the Atari 2600 and published by Activision in 1982. According to the manual, Miller was "the newest addition to the Activision design team." He went on to create the Atari 2600 ra ...
'' (1982) for 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- ...
also has the player protecting fruit, and ''Digital Press'' described it as "much like the coin-op game ''Stratovox'' but w/o the voice."
World record
According to
Twin Galaxies
Twin Galaxies is an organization and social media platform for people involved in the culture and activity of playing video games. It facilitates their interaction as well as their competition and recognizes their achievements.
Twin Galaxie ...
, John Brissie, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, scored a world record 140,900 points on Stratovox on April 16, 2008.
See also
*''
Berzerk'' (1980), another arcade video game with speech synthesis
References
External links
*
1980 video games
Arcade video games
Arcade-only video games
Fixed shooters
Video games developed in Japan
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