| Agent Orange | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | A&F Software |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Agent Orange is a horizontally scrolling shooter released by A&F Software in January 1987 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Tasked with cultivating crops on eight alien planets in order to fund space travel, the player must combat rival alien farmers whilst planting and harvesting crops for income; [1] the ultimate goal is to reach the final planet and take possession of a batch of alien weedkiller called agent orange. [2] Play begins with the player's mothership heading to the first planet, the mothership displays the number and strength of enemy farmers on the planet. The mothership contains seeds and 8 smaller daugheterships; seeds generate crops when planted and daughterships are combination fighter craft and planters. When ready the player's first daughtership is launched onto the planet's surface, it is this vehicle which the player directly controls and each represents the player's 'lives'. The daughtership can move in eight directions, the play area scrolls left and right from the mothership. [1] Alien farmers attack while the daughtership flies around the planet's surface, initially they can be destroyed easily but this becomes more difficult as play progresses. [3]
Aliens plant crops of their own, which act as weeds and choke the player's own crops, and take up some of the planet surface's limited space suitable for crop planting. These weeds can be destroyed by the player firing on them. Indigenous weeds also spread across planet surfaces, [4] unlike alien crops these cannot be razed by the player's weapon fire. The daughtership can plant crops if the player has seed available, when planted seeds grow through three coloured stages, once at the third stage they can be harvested; failure to harvest crops in time will result in them withering. Crops behave in a lifelike fashion; too many or too few crops in an area stunts their growth, players must find the optimum density of crop. [5] The daughtership can hold a limited amount of crop units, indicated by a bar on the screen which fills when crops are collected, collecting more than the ship can carry will result in a crash landing and the destruction of the vessel. [6] The mothership also has limited cargo space, once the mothership's hold is full the vessel must return home so that the crops can be sold. The mothership cannot ascend from the planet's surface until all alien aggressors have been eliminated, forcing the player to destroy the enemy before escaping. Upon returning home the harvested crops, remaining seeds and remaining daughterships are converted into cash, allowing the player to purchase new daughterships with improved shields to defend against rivals. At this point the player can return to the same planet, where additional alien farmers will now be present, or move onto the next and more difficult planet. Each new planet features more powerful and numerous alien ships. [1]
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The Commodore 64 version was rated as being very poor by Julian Rignall and Paul Sumner of Zzap!64 magazine, with an overall review score of 37%. [7] Sumner stated that despite the game's graphics; which were rated comparatively higher in the review than other aspects of the game, that underneath it is "a very simple and unchallenging shoot 'em up". [7] Rignall drew comparisons with other similar games being released at the time, stating "I'm sick to death with crummy two-way scrolling shoot 'em ups - why do companies keep churning them out onto the market?" [7] He continued by comparing the game's graphics in comparison to gameplay as "gift wrapping an empty cardboard box", [7] describing the title's gameplay as lacking the essentials necessary for an exciting shoot 'em up game. [7]
Uridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up originally designed by Andrew Braybrook for the Commodore 64, and later ported to other 8-bit machines. It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium. The manual quotes Robert Orchard, who invented the name as saying "I really thought it existed".
Head Over Heels is an action-adventure video game released by Ocean Software in 1987 for several 8-bit home computers. It uses an isometric engine that is similar to the Filmation technique first developed by Ultimate Play the Game.
Star Goose is a vertically scrolling shooter that was published for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS by Logotron in 1988. The player controls Scouser-Gitt, who pilots the eponymous Star Goose, a vessel that has been commissioned to scour the planet Nom and collect 48 crystals. Players must collect all six crystals in each of the game's eight levels to advance, while at the same time avoiding or destroying enemies and maintaining their shield, ammunition, and fuel levels. The game's surfaces are contoured, which affects the way that bullets travel, and contain tunnels that switch modes to a three-dimensional perspective where the player can replenish their resources.
Blood Money is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1989 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. A Commodore 64 version followed in 1990. The game is set in four different locations on a planet, where the player must fight off enemies and bosses.
Cauldron is a video game developed and published by British developer Palace Software in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC home computer. It contains both platform game and horizontally scrolling shooter sections. Players control a witch who aims to become the "Witch Queen" by defeating the "Pumpking"
Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back is a 1985 video game for the Commodore 64, a sequel to Beach Head, developed and published by Access Software. It was designed by Bruce Carver and his brother, Roger, and was released for the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Slap Fight is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Theron in the future, where an alien race led by Gaudy have invaded the human-controlled location, players assume the role of an Allied League of Cosmic Nations (ALCON) fighter pilot taking control of the SW475 space fighter craft in an effort to counterattack the invaders. Initially launched for the arcades, the game was later ported to other microcomputer and console platforms by various third-party developers, with each one featuring several changes or additions compared to the original release.
Highlander is a video game tie-in to the Highlander franchise released in 1986, the same year as the film, published by Ocean Software for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Highlander was panned by reviewers.
SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative, or simply titled SDI and sometimes known as Global Defense, is a 1987 horizontally scrolling shooter produced and released internationally in arcades by Sega. It was later ported to home computers and game consoles, some by other companies. Players control a satellite and must destroy enemies by moving a crosshair over them and firing the satellite's weapons.
Aliens is a 1990 run and gun video game developed and published for arcades by Konami. It is based on the 1986 film of the same title. Two players can play the game cooperatively in addition to single-player.
Blade Runner is a video game loosely inspired by the 1982 film Blade Runner, but is technically based on the film soundtrack by Vangelis as the publishers were unable to obtain a licence for a film tie-in. The game was published in 1985 by CRL Group PLC for Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC. Reviews of the game were mostly negative.
Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a video game first published in 1988 for various home computers. It was released as Axe of Rage in North America. The game is the sequel to Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, which was published in 1987. In Barbarian II, the player controls a princess or barbarian character, exploring the game world to locate and defeat an evil wizard. The game's plot is an extension of its predecessor, although the gameplay is different. While the first game offers two players the opportunity for virtual head-to-head combat, the second is a single-player beat 'em up with fewer fighting moves. It uses a flip-screen style instead of scrolling.
Light Force is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter designed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter, developed by their company Gargoyle Games, and published under their Faster Than Light imprint. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms.
Blue Max 2001 is a diagonally-scrolling shooter written by Bob Polin for the Atari 8-bit family and published by Synapse Software in 1984. A Commodore 64 version was released the same year. Blue Max 2001 is the sequel to 1983's Blue Max, also by Polin, with the player piloting a futuristic hovercraft instead of a World War I biplane. Critics found the game disappointing compared with the original, citing the indistinct graphics and confusing documentation.
Terrorpods is a 1987 shooting game with simple business simulation by Psygnosis. Originally developed for the Amiga and Atari ST, it was later ported to the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and MSX.
Death or Glory is a multidirectional scrolling shooter developed by Wise Owl Software and published by CRL Group in 1987 for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC. The player pilots a space ship and encounters an alien invasion that they then have to defeat. The game received average to negative reviews.
Friday the 13th: The Computer Game is the first game adaptation based on the films of the same name. It was released in 1986 by Domark for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game was released on floppy diskette and cassette tape. The player's goal is to find and kill Jason, while making sure their friends or they themselves are not killed by Jason.
The Running Man is a 1989 beat 'em up video game based on the 1987 film of the same name. It was developed by Emerald Software and published by Grandslam Entertainments for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Judge Dredd is a platform shoot 'em up video game based on the character of the same name. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House. It was released in Europe in 1986, for Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
Zig Zag is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Zig Zag Software and published by Mirrorsoft for the Commodore 64 in 1987. It was designed by Antony Crowther. Spectrum Holobyte published the game in North America in 1988, part of the company's International Series brand.