Xybots
Xybots | |
---|---|
Single-player, cooperative |
Xybots is a
Xybots was
Gameplay
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/13/ARC_Xybots.png/220px-ARC_Xybots.png)
One or two players navigate through corridors as either Rock Hardy or Ace Gunn, battling enemy Xybots with a laser gun, seeking cover from enemy fire behind various objects and attempting to reach the level's exit. In certain levels, players face off against a large
Development
The concept for the game was born out of an attempt by designer Ed Logg and engineer/technician Doug Snyder to create a first-person video game without specialized hardware. In 2005, Logg recalled that he had trouble with the controls for the game—both building controls that worked with the game design and getting players to realize they could rotate the joystick to turn the in-game characters. Because of these difficulties, Logg was unsure if the game would enter mass production. Originally Logg envisioned the game as a second sequel to Gauntlet titled Gauntlet III: Catacombs. However, the marketing department at Atari Games did not want to make another Gauntlet game and made him change the title. Logg and co-programmer Bob Flanagan eventually settled on a theme based on Major Havoc, a previous Atari arcade game.[6]
Reception
Publication | Score |
---|---|
ACE | Spectrum:77%[7] Atari ST:81% Amstrad:55% |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Your Sinclair | Megagame[8] |
Upon release, the game was positively reviewed. It drew favorable comparisons to both Berzerk and Gauntlet for its maze-like stages and shooting gameplay.[5][9] The game's various features, including the cooperative gameplay, were praised, with Computer and Video Games and The Games Machine citing them as aspects that made the game addictive.[4][5] Commodore User also cited the two-player game as a highlight, saying "its real appeal is as a team game, with you and your mate running about the place, covering each other, dividing up and destroying all the robots in the maze, and lending one another gold coins in the shop."[3]
Ed Logg recalled in 2005 that the game was not a financial success. GamesTM wrote that "Xybots was overlooked in arcades due to its complex controls and tricky gameplay" and that its lack of earnings in arcades was the reason no sequel was ever developed. In retrospect, they wrote that the game was "ahead of its time" and "offered a unique experience that similar games of the era were unable to match."[6]
Ports
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Xybots.jpg)
In 1989 Xybots was
A version for the Sega Genesis by Tengen had been announced at the 1990 Winter Consumer Electronics Show alongside ports of the Atari Games titles Paperboy and Hard Drivin',[10] but while the latter two games were released for the system, Xybots was not. A planned Nintendo Entertainment System port from Tengen also went unreleased.[11]
Legacy
Having acquired the rights to the Atari Games arcade library through its parent company
With the dissolution of Midway in 2009,
References
- ^ AllGame. Archived from the originalon 2014-01-01.
- ^ Harris, Steve (April 1990). "Outpost: Genesis - Genesis Games Getting Even Better!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 9. Sendai Publishing. pp. 73–77.
- ^ a b Kelly, Nick (February 1988). "Xybots". Commodore User. pp. 108–109.
- ^ a b "Xybots". Computer+Video Games. February 1988. pp. 122–123.
- ^ a b c "Xybots". The Games Machine. February 1988. pp. 69–70.
- ^ a b c "Behind the Scenes: Xybot". GamesTM. No. 39. Future Publishing. pp. 152–555.
- ^ "Domark prove two's company when you're robot-killing". ACE Magazine. August 1989. p. 69. Retrieved 10 August 2018 – via archive.org.
- ^ Game review, Your Sinclair issue 71, November 1991, Dennis Publishing, page 65
- ^ "Xybots". Crash. May 1988. pp. 34–35.
- ^ Harris, Steve (April 1990). "Outpost: Genesis". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sendai. p. 73.
- ^ "Xybots [NES – Unreleased]". Unseen64. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- Imagine Media. September 1996. p. 15.
- ^ "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 Review". GameSpot.com. 2004-10-11. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ^ "Midway Arcade Treasures: Deluxe Edition - PC - Review". GameZone. May 4, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ "Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play Review". GameSpot.com. 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ^ Dunca, Geoff. "Time Warner Buying Most of Midway Games for $33 Mln". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "Midway Arcade Origins review". IGN. November 14, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ Crecente, Brian (March 24, 2016). "Lego Dimensions Delivers a Playable Video Game Museum with Midway Arcade". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
External links
- Xybots at the Killer List of Videogames
- Xybots at Arcade History
- Xybots at AtariAge
- Review at Atari Times
- The arcade version of Xybots can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive