known as in Japan, is a

pseudo-3D 2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensional) perspective refers to gameplay or movement in a video game or virtual reality environment that is restricted to a two-dimensional (2D) plane with little to no access to a third dimension in a space that otherwise ...

rail shooter video game released in arcades by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

in 1982. The game is a forward-scrolling rail shooter where the player controls a spaceship in a third-person perspective, adapting the three-dimensional perspective of Sega's earlier racing game '' Turbo'' (1981) for the space shoot 'em up genre. It used the Buck Rogers license, referencing the

space battle Space warfare is hypothetical combat in which one or more belligerents are situated in outer space. The scope of space warfare therefore includes ''ground-to-space warfare'', such as attacking satellites from the Earth; ''space-to-space warfare ...

s, though Buck himself is never seen. The arcade game debuted at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show, held during November 18–20, 1982, where it was considered one of the show's best games and a milestone for demonstrating the potential of 3D shoot 'em up gameplay. Ports were released for the

Sega SG-1000 The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakay ...

, Atari 2600, Atari 5200,

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

, Coleco Adam, ColecoVision,

Intellivision The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel, Mattel Electronics in 1979. The name is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Development began in 1977, the same year as the launch of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. I ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PE ...

, TI-99/4A,

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 ...

, and ZX Spectrum. An

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team ...

version uses CGA graphics. The ColecoVision version was released in April 1984.

Gameplay

Reception

Arcade version

In the United States, it was among the thirteen highest-grossing arcade games of 1983. In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Zoom 909'' on their June 1, 1985 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month. The arcade game received positive reviews from critics. American magazine ''Video Games'' gave it a highly positive review following its AMOA 1982 debut, ranking it the second best game of the show. They called it a "gorgeous, 3-D game that deserves the" moniker "Space Turbo" with "high-quality graphics" and "fast and furious" action. They concluded, "Say goodbye to Galaga—

shoot-'em-up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a 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 certain types of charact ...

s will be 3-D from now on." French magazine ''

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 * ...

'', in its May 1983 issue, rated the arcade game six out of six stars. British magazine ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...

'' also gave it a positive review, noting the behind-the-ship perspective, comparing the opening tunnel section to the Death Star battle in the film ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' (1977), and stating that anyone "who has enjoyed the" ''Buck Rogers'' "TV series will be interested to see just how it converts to the video screen!"

Home conversions

Michael Blanchet for '' Electronic Fun with Computers & Games'' reviewed the Coleco Adam version, stating: "After playing ''Buck Rogers'' a scant fifty times, I noticed an ever-increasing number of on-screen glitches. I can only presume they were caused by tape wear." Dan Hallassey for '' Ahoy!'' reviewed the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 versions, stating: "Graphics and gameplay combine to make this an excellent and absorbing – though admittedly one-note – space game."

Other reviews

*'' Your Spectrum'' — September 1985 *''TeleMatch'' — January 1984 (Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, VIC-20) *'' Popular Computing Weekly'' — July 18, 1985 *''

Zzap! ''Zzap!64'' was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazine ...

'' — May 1985 (Commodore 64) *'' All Game Guide'' — 1998

Legacy

''Planet of Zoom'' went on to influence the 1985 Sega game, '' Space Harrier'', which in turn influenced

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

's 1993 game, '' Star Fox''.

Notes

References

{{Authority control 1982 video games Arcade video games Atari 2600 games Atari 5200 games Atari 8-bit family games ColecoVision games Commodore 64 games MSX games Rail shooters Sega video games SG-1000 games Third-person shooters Video games developed in Japan Video games set on fictional planets ZX Spectrum games