Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1982 video game)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | |
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Scrolling shooter | |
Mode(s) | One or two players |
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a
Gameplay
The player must control
The player can destroy a walker by shooting it repeatedly in the head or torso; shots to the legs are ineffective. As the walker is damaged, it changes colors - transitioning from black (undamaged) through various shades of gray, red, and orange to yellow (critically damaged). The player can also destroy the walkers by shooting a small flashing spot that randomly appears during gameplay. On the Intellivision, the walkers require thirty hits to take down, compared to forty-eight hits on the Atari.
The walkers shoot back at the player, whose speeder also changes colors as it receives damage. The player can land a damaged speeder to repair it. On some game levels, the walkers are solid, meaning that the player can crash into them, damaging them and destroying the player. Other levels include a smart bomb which periodically launches from the flashing port on a walker and follows the player for a time. If the player is hit by the smart bomb his speeder is destroyed. If the player survives for 2 minutes the speeder is granted the power of the Force for 20 seconds. When this happens, the speeder flashes colorfully and becomes invulnerable for a short time.
The game ends when the player's fifth speeder is destroyed or when the lead walker reaches Echo Base, destroying it. As the game progresses, the walkers move more rapidly, increasing the
Reception
The game was a commercial success, becoming one of the year's two best-selling video games of 1982 for Parker Brothers, along with Frogger. In 1982, it was reported that both games had sold a combined 3 million cartridges.[3]
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back received mixed reviews. It was reviewed in Video magazine shortly after its release. Reviewers praised the game's "zingy graphics" and noted that "the audio-visual effects are absolutely first-rate". Overall they characterized it as "an entertaining fast-paced contest that belongs in the cartridge libraries of most
Reviews
References
- ISBN 978-0-262-01257-7.
- ISBN 978-0-262-01257-7.
- ^ Rosenberg, Ron (December 11, 1982). "Competitors Claim Role in Warner Setback". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ISSN 0147-8907.
- ISSN 0194-7869; later reprints in Ellison collections Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean Bed (1984) and An Edge in My Voice (1985)).
- ^ : 41–42.
- ^ "Complete Games Guide" (PDF). Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles): 46–77. 16 October 1989.
- ^ "Jeux & stratégie 19". February 1983.
External links
- The Empire Strikes Back at Atari Mania
- The Empire Strikes Back at AtariAge
- The Empire Strikes Back at Intellivision Lives
- Gametrailers' Star Wars Retrospective Episode I
- Behind The Scenes of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on gamestm
- The Atari 2600 version of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
- Atari 2600 Manual: Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back