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Alpha Mission | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | SNK |
Publisher(s) | |
Designer(s) | Koji Obata |
Artist(s) | Rampty |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Famicom/NES |
Release | ArcadeFamicom/NES |
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Alpha Mission, known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object [lower-alpha 1] in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by SNK and released as an arcade video game in 1985 by Namco in Japan and Tradewest in North America. It was later ported to the Famicom in 1986 and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.
The arcade game was a commercial success in Japan, where it was the seventh highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986. A sequel, Alpha Mission II , was released for the Neo Geo arcade system in 1991.
Alpha Mission is a one-player scrolling shooter game in its segregation of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Missiles are used to destroy ground enemies, while laser-like weapons are used for aerial opponents. Throughout each of the levels, the player must fight off waves of enemies that threaten several space stations and a boss must be defeated at the end of each. Like most early games in this genre, when the player dies, all weapons are lost and the player is moved to a point slightly before the point of death. The player's craft can also be upgraded to have more powerful weapons by picking up various power-ups throughout the level.
Alpha Mission was released on the PlayStation Portable as part of PSP Minis via PlayStation Store in 2011. [2] [3] [4] Alpha Mission was also released on the Nintendo Switch in the Nintendo eShop on 25 October 2018 and on the PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Store on 18 July 2019 by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series. [5] [6] The game is also included on SNK 40th Anniversary Collection , the collection has both the original arcade and the NES version. [7] It includes both the Japanese version and the Western/international version.
In Japan, Game Machine listed ASO on their December 1, 1985 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade cabinet of the month. [8] It was later listed by Game Machine as Japan's fifth highest-grossing table arcade game during the first half of 1986, [9] and it was the seventh overall highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986. [9] [10]
Gradius is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami. The first game in the Gradius series, it was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1985. The player maneuvers a spacecraft known as the Vic Viper that must defend itself from the various alien enemies. The game uses a power-up system called the "power meter", based upon collecting capsules to purchase additional weapons.
Arkanoid is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the bottom edge of the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or equipping the Vaus with cannons. Other blocks may be indestructible or require multiple hits to break.
Athena is a platform arcade game, developed and published in 1986 by SNK. Conversions were later released for the NES console and ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 home computers.
Metal Slug is a 1996 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving on a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
Ikari Warriors, known as Ikari in Japan, is a vertically scrolling run and gun video game released for arcades by SNK in 1986. It was published in North America by Tradewest. At the time there were many Commando clones on the market. What distinguished Ikari Warriors were rotary joysticks and a two-player cooperative mode. The rotary joystick controls were in turn based on SNK's earlier TNK III (1985). Ikari was originally intended it to be an official licensed adaptation of the film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), but SNK were initially unable to acquire the rights to the film.
Elevator Action is a platform shooter game released in arcades by Taito in 1983. The player assumes the role of Agent 17, a spy infiltrating a 30-story building filled with elevators and enemy agents who emerge from closed doors. The goal is to collect secret documents from specially marked rooms, then escape the building. It runs on the Taito SJ System arcade system.
Karate Champ, known in Japan as Karate Dō, is a 1984 arcade fighting game developed by Technōs Japan and released by Data East. A variety of moves can be performed using the dual-joystick controls using a best-of-three matches format like later fighting games. The game was a commercial blockbuster, especially in the United States where it was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1985 and the best-selling home computer game up until 1989. Karate Champ established and popularized the one-on-one fighting game genre, for which it is considered one of the most influential games of all time.
Super Sprint is a racing video game released by Atari Games and Midway Games in 1986. Up to three players drive Formula One-like cars on a circuit that is viewed from above. The game is a successor to Gran Trak 10 and the Sprint series, which were black-and-white games from the 1970s. A sequel, Championship Sprint, was released later in the same year.
Ghosts 'n Goblins, known as Makaimura in Japan, is a platform video game developed by Capcom and released for arcades in 1985. It is the first game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise, and has since been ported to numerous home platforms.
Shock Troopers is a run and gun arcade game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1997 for the Neo-Geo arcade and home platform. Gameplay involves taking command of one or three soldiers in an eight-way shooter. A second game in the series, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, followed up in 1998.
Guerrilla War, released in Japan as Guevara (ゲバラ), is an overhead run and gun video game produced by SNK. Originally released for arcades in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game, Guerrilla War was ported to Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation Network, and ZX Spectrum.
Gun.Smoke is vertically scrolling run and gun video game and designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released in arcades in 1985. Gun.Smoke centers on a character named Billy Bob, a bounty hunter going after the criminals of the Wild West.
Front Line is a military-themed run and gun video game released by Taito for arcades in November 1982. It was one of the first overhead run and gun games, a precursor to many similarly-themed games of the mid-to-late 1980s. Front Line is controlled with a joystick, a single button, and a rotary dial that can be pushed in like a button. The single button is used to throw grenades and to enter and exit tanks, while the rotary dial aims and fires the player's gun.
Alpha Mission II is a vertically scrolling full screen shoot 'em up released by SNK in 1991 for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It is the sequel to the 1985 arcade game Alpha Mission. It was later released for the Neo Geo CD in 1994 and for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.
King of the Monsters is a fighting game developed by SNK, released for arcades in Japan in 1991, and ported to the Neo Geo AES later that same year. The game features playable giant monsters that are reminiscent of characters from kaiju and tokusatsu films.
Exerion is a fixed shooter video game developed and published by Jaleco for arcades in September 1983, and licensed to Taito for manufacture and distribution of the game in North America. The player controls a starship and must fire at enemies on the screen while avoiding projectiles. The game uses a pseudo-3D scrolling background, giving a sense of depth, and the player's ship has a sense of inertia while it is being controlled with the joystick.
Strikers 1945 Plus is a 1999 vertically scrolling shooter arcade game originally developed by Psikyo and published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is a remake of Strikers 1945 II, which was released earlier in 1997 on multiple platforms. In the game, players choose one of the six fighter planes to fight against the F.G.R. organization, who leaked information of weapons by the now-disbanded C.A.N.Y. forces. Though first released in arcades, the title was later ported and re-released through download services to other platforms, each one featuring various changes compared to the original version.
Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō,, is a ninja-themed 2D fighting game produced by ADK and originally released in 1996 for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Ninja Master's was the sixth and final fighting game produced by ADK, following the four games in the World Heroes series and Aggressors of Dark Kombat. It was later featured in the 2008 compilation ADK Damashii for the PlayStation 2. Ninja Master's was also re-released on the Neo-Geo X handheld system in 2012, and for the Virtual Console in 2013. In 2019 it was released as part of Arcade Archives developed by Japanese company Hamster. As of 2021, Ninja Master's was released worldwide on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The PS4 version remains exclusive to Asia but includes both Japanese and English releases.
Tehkan World Cup, originally released as World Cup in Japan, is an association football video game released to arcades in 1985 by Tehkan, the former name of Tecmo. It features multiplayer gameplay and trackball controllers. It was released in both upright and table arcade cabinets, but was most commonly released in a cocktail cabinet form factor. Its arrival coincided with the buildup to the 1986 FIFA World Cup. It featured the then colors of several of the world's top teams such as West Germany, Argentina and Brazil, although it did not mention any team by name.
Prehistoric Isle is a 1989 scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by SNK. Set during the 1930s, where ships at The Bahamas mysteriously disappeared, players assume the role of U.S. Marine pilots taking control of biplanes in a reconnaissance assignment at "Greenhell Isle", a fictional island inhabited by dinosaurs and creatures thought to be extinct. Headed by a director under the pseudonym of "Yah!", the game was developed by most of the same team that would later work on several projects for the Neo Geo platforms at SNK. Although first launched in arcades, the title has since been re-released through download services and compilations for various consoles. It received positive reception since its initial arcade release from critics who praised the visuals, sound design, gameplay and originality. A sequel, Prehistoric Isle 2, was released in 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS but garnered less success than its predecessor.