Blue Lightning (1989 video game)

Last updated
Blue Lightning
Blue Lightning (1989 video game) (Cover).png
Cover art
Developer(s) Epyx
Publisher(s)
Producer(s) John Skruch
Sean Patten
Designer(s) RJ Mical
Stephen Jungels
Programmer(s) Brian Bowhay
Chuck Sommerville
Stephen H. Landrum
Artist(s) Arthur Koch
Composer(s) Alex Rudis
Robert Vieira
Platform(s) Atari Lynx
Release
  • NA: 1989
  • EU: 1989
  • JP: 1 December 1989
Genre(s) Air combat simulation, shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

Blue Lightning is a 1989 combat flight simulation video game developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was also released in Japan on December 1 of the same year, where it was instead distributed by Mumin Corporation. [1] [2] It was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America and was jointly written by Stephen Landrum, lead programmer Brian Bowhay, who also developed the Lynx hardware and Chip's Challenge creator Chuck Sommerville.

Contents

Assuming the role of a chosen rookie aircraft pilot from the United States Air Force by the Flight Command squadron, the player takes control of the titular prototype fighter aircraft in a desperate attempt of The Pentagon to penetrate multiple enemy territories and aid the allies in order to win the war against the enemies. Conceived as a commission to create a pseudo-3D combat flight game by Landrum and graphic artist Arthur Koch, Blue Lightning was heavily inspired by Sega's 1987 Super Scaler arcade game After Burner , in addition of also bearing similarity with the feature film and TV series Blue Thunder . [3]

Upon its release, Blue Lightning was well received by critics who praised the visuals, gameplay and for being a showcase of the capabilities of the Lynx, although some criticized the lack of in-game music and repetitive nature of the missions, with many also comparing it with After Burner. In 1995, a remake developed by Attention to Detail, was released as one of the pack-in games for the Atari Jaguar CD peripheral when it launched and received mixed reviews.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot. LYNX Blue Lightning.png
Gameplay screenshot.

Blue Lightning is an arcade-style combat flight simulation game that is played from a third-person perspective similar to After Burner, where the player take the role of a fighter pilot with one main objective; to enter into enemy territory and aid the allies in defeating the enemies to claim victory of the war by completing a series of nine missions, each one taking place in various locations and tasking the player with different assignments, while increasing in difficulty as the game progress further. [4] [5] The game grants the player with a fleet of six Blue Lightning planes, which act as lives and if the current plane is crashed or destroyed, the mission must be restarted from the beginning and the game is over once all lives are lost. [4] The plane also comes equipped with a limited number of missiles to use against enemies but once they run out, the player must rely upon its machine gun to destroy enemy planes. [4] [5]

Development and release

After Burner served as a source of inspiration for Blue Lightning during its development process, which originated as a commission to create a combat flight title for the Atari Lynx. Atari-Lynx-I-Handheld.jpg
After Burner served as a source of inspiration for Blue Lightning during its development process, which originated as a commission to create a combat flight title for the Atari Lynx.

Blue Lightning was conceived by Arthur Koch and Stephen Landrum as part of a commission to design a pseudo-3D combat flight title for the then-upcoming Handy handheld game console, which would be later rechristened as the Atari Lynx. [3] During their free time, the team would visit local arcades as sources of inspirations for their upcoming projects, among them being Sega's After Burner, which served as a basis for their combat flight game and although Landrum was initially influenced by Spectrum HoloByte's Falcon , Koch lean towards a more arcade-style approach rather than a full simulation one. [3] Koch stated that Landrum's first idea for the project was of a first-person shooter, with the action being viewed on a first-person perspective inside of the plane's cockpit, however he created all the views to be animated at a third-person angle and as a result, Landrum scaled down all of the assets in order to fit within the memory constrains and make it a third-person shooter instead. [3]

Once design of the project was finalized, programmer Chuck Sommerville came up with the title after writing it on a paper, which was likely inspired by the film and TV series Blue Thunder, and gave it to designer RJ Mical, who liked the name. [3] Koch recounted positively about the development process of the title and working with the hardware, stating he and Landrum had a lot of freedom to develop the game they wanted with the available technology, however he also stated that the Lynx's limited screen resolution proved to be a source of difficulty for the team. [3]

Blue Lightning makes heavy use of several features found within the Lynx hardware such as sprite scaling and rotation, with Sommerville developing an animation engine for the introductory sequence of the game, which would later be re-used on other titles for the system such as Electrocop and Todd's Adventures in Slime World . [3] Sommerville stated the game violated a rule of the system imposed by Mical and co-designer Dave Needle, which involved not accessing the ROM image once a game was running, as it streamed data for assets directly from the ROM and this technique would also be re-used in Zarlor Mercenary . [3]

Blue Lightning was one of the original launch titles during the initial release of the Lynx in 1989, along with California Games , the aforementioned Electrocop and Gates of Zendocon . It was also released in Europe around the same time period and later in Japan on December 1 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation instead and the difference between the international and Japanese releases is that the latter came bundled with an instruction manual in Japanese. [1] [2] [6] The game was first showcased to the public during the International Summer Consumer Electronics Show 1989, along with the system. [7] Early previews showcased a different GUI. [8]

Reception

Blue Lightning garnered positive reception. [26] [27] In a capsule review of the Lynx version for STart , Clayton Walnum commented, "The 3D perspective is dazzling, with missiles and jets coming at you with such realism, you want to duck. ... The Lynx's built-in scaling features are used to the max in Blue Lightning. Luckily, the gameplay is as good as the graphics, making this a must-have game for every Lynx owner." [28]

In a 1999 retrospective, Robert A Jung reviewed the Atari Lynx version of the game for IGN, stating in his verdict that, "Though the levels could use a little more variety, the user-friendly gameplay and the sensational graphics make this title a blue-ribbon winner." [13]

Legacy

In 1993, Atari requested several Epyx titles in order to be converted and release to the then-upcoming Atari Jaguar, with Blue Lightning among the list of selected titles to be remade. [29] A year later, Blue Lightning 2 was announced for the Jaguar CD and became one of the first titles announced for the then-upcoming add-on, [30] [31] however it was later retitled to its original name during Autumn ECTS '94, where it was revealed that Cybermorph developer Attention to Detail were the ones developing the project. [32] It became one of the two pack-in games for the peripheral when it launched on September 21, 1995, and was met with divisive reception from the public. [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari Lynx</span> Handheld game console

The Atari Lynx is a hybrid 8/16-bit fourth-generation hand-held game console released by Atari Corporation in September 1989 in North America and 1990 in Europe and Japan. It was the first handheld game console with a color liquid-crystal display. Powered by a 16 MHz 65C02 8-bit CPU and a custom 16-bit blitter, the Lynx was more advanced than Nintendo's monochrome Game Boy, released two months earlier. It also competed with Sega's Game Gear and NEC's TurboExpress, released the following year.

<i>Chips Challenge</i> 1989 video game

Chip's Challenge is a top-down tile-based puzzle video game originally published in 1989 by Epyx as a launch title for the Atari Lynx. It was later ported to several other systems and was included in the Windows 3.1 bundle Microsoft Entertainment Pack 4 (1992), and the Windows version of the Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack (1995), where it found a much larger audience.

<i>Raiden</i> (video game) Vertically scrolling shooter arcade game released in 1990

Raiden is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and published by Tecmo in Japan. The game's story takes place in the year 2090, when an alien species known as the Crystals invaded Earth. Players assume the roles of the Vanquish Crystal Defense pilot duo, taking control of two state of the art Fighting Thunders aircraft to defeat the Crystals and save the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epyx</span> Defunct video game developer and publisher

Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelly and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983. Epyx published a long series of games through the 1980s. The company is currently owned by Bridgestone Multimedia Group Global.

<i>The Humans</i> (video game) 1992 video game

The Humans is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992. It was later ported to other home computers and consoles. The goal of the game varies per level but usually revolves around bringing at least one of the player-controlled humans to the designated end area marked by a colored tile. Doing this requires players taking advantage of the tribe's ability to build a human ladder and use tools such as spears, torches, wheels, ropes and a witch doctor in later levels.

<i>California Games</i> Sports video game

California Games is a 1987 sports video game originally released by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64, and ported to other home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consists of a collection of outdoor sports purportedly popular in California. The game was successful and spawned a sequel, California Games II.

<i>Summer Games II</i> 1985 video game

Summer Games II is an Olympic sports video game developed and published by Epyx in North America, and published by U.S. Gold in Europe, based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. It is a sequel to Summer Games released by Epyx the previous year. Summer Games II was originally written for the Commodore 64 and ported to the Apple II, Atari ST, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Amiga.

<i>Electrocop</i> Action video game from 1989 for the Atari Lynx

Electrocop is a 1989 action video game developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was released in Japan on November 25 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation. One of the first games written for the platform, it was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America.

<i>Gates of Zendocon</i> 1989 video game

Gates of Zendocon is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in 1989 in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was released in Japan on December 23 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation. One of the first games written for the platform, it was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America.

<i>Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis Tour</i> 1992 video game

Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis Tour is a video game developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft and released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in the Pro Tennis Tour developed by Blue Byte. It follows 1989's Pro Tennis Tour and 1991's Pro Tennis Tour 2. An 8-bit console version, Jimmy Connors Tennis, was developed by NMS Software and released in 1993.

<i>Hover Strike</i> 1995 video game

Hover Strike is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar first in North America in April 1995, then in Europe on May of the same year and later in Japan around the same period, where it was published instead by Messe Sansao. Taking place in a future where the Terrakian Pirates have seized control of a colonized foreign planet, players are tasked with piloting an armed hovercraft vehicle in an attempt of rescuing the captured colonists and obliterate the invading alien forces from the surface of the planet before the Federation armada arrives.

<i>Checkered Flag</i> (1991 video game) 1991 video game

Checkered Flag is a racing video game released for the Atari Lynx in 1991. A remake was released for the Atari Jaguar in 1994. Destination Software also planned to release a Game Boy Advance version of the title around 2005, but it was cancelled before it was released.

<i>Dracula the Undead</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Dracula - The Undead is a video game released in 1991 for the Atari Lynx handheld system. The game is loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and features Bram Stoker in the story as the narrator.

<i>Manchester United Europe</i> 1991 video game

Manchester United Europe developed by Krisalis Software is the follow-up to the 1990 video game Manchester United which had sold over 100,000 copies. The Atari Lynx port was released under the title of European Soccer Challenge.

<i>Awesome Golf</i> 1991 video game

Awesome Golf is a 1991 golf video game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx. The first project to be created by Hand Made Software, players have the choice to compete either solo or against other human players using the console's ComLynx system on matches set in any of the three available countries across any of the game modes available. Its gameplay mainly uses a two-button configuration.

<i>BattleWheels</i> 1993 video game

BattleWheels is a 1993 first-person vehicular combat video game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx. The first project to be created by Beyond Games, the game takes place in a dystopian future where civilization has been reduced to a Mad Max-inspired landscape and players take the wheel of heavily armed and armored cars called Hi-Tech in order to compete against either computer-controlled opponents or other human players using the Lynx's ComLynx system in matches set across multiple post-apocalyptic locations.

<i>Blue Lightning</i> (1995 video game) 1995 video game

Blue Lightning is a 1995 combat flight simulator video game developed by Attention to Detail and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar CD. It is a conversion of Epyx's 1989 Atari Lynx title of the same name, and one of the pack-in games for the Jaguar CD. In the game, the player assume the role of a rookie fighter pilot from the Blue Lightning squadron, taking control of multiple military aircraft across various missions to stop general Drako, who betrayed the United Nations and gained power of military organizations through corruption to expand his organized crime empire all over the world.

<i>Space War 2000</i> 2001 video game

Space War 2000 is an unreleased first-person space combat simulation video game developed and originally planned to be published by Atari Corporation on a scheduled November 1995 release date exclusively for the Atari Jaguar. It is an update by Robert Zdybel of Ian Shepard's 1978 Atari 2600 game Space War. In the game, players assume the role of a space knight to fight against other opponents.

References

  1. 1 2 "LYNX Soft > 1989-1991". GAME Data Room (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  2. 1 2 Philippe, Jean (2002). "La console lynx au Japon - La LYNX ce fait japonaise". pageperso.aol.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hawken, Kieren (March 2016). "The Making Of: Blue Lightning". Retro Gamer . No. 152. Future Publishing. pp. 52–55. Archived from the original on 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  4. 1 2 3 Blue Lightning game manual (Atari Lynx, US)
  5. 1 2 "Entertainment: Lynx - Blue Lightning" (PDF). Atari Explorer. Atari Corporation. February 1991. pp. 63–64. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  6. ↑ Covell, Chris (March 3, 2016). "Japanese Secrets! - Other Systems: Jul. - Sept. 1989 - Atari Lynx Announcement". chrismcovell.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Hot From The USA - ACES From The Biggest Computer Show On Earth". ACE . No. 23. EMAP. August 1989. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  8. ↑ Rignall, Julian (August 1989). "Review - Atari's Unbelievable Advantage". Computer and Video Games . No. 93. Future Publishing. pp. 8–9.
  9. ↑ Knight, Kyle. "Blue Lightning - Review". AllGame . Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  10. ↑ "Report - Lynx Da Geht Der Luchs Ab! - Die Weichteile - Blue Lightning". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). No. 40. Tronic Verlag. March 1990. pp. 94–95.
  11. ↑ "Review Crew - Lynx - Blue Lightning". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 9. Sendai Publishing. April 1990. p. 24.
  12. ↑ "En Cartel - Blue Lightning (Lynx) - El resplandor celeste". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 3. December 1991. p. 93.
  13. 1 2 A. Jung, Robert (July 6, 1999). "Blue Lightning - Sensational graphics and great gameplay highlight Atari's portable action hit". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ Demoly, Jean-Marc (March 1990). "Consoles - Lynx - Lynx Test - Blue Lightning". Joystick (in French). No. 3. Anuman Interactive. p. 44.
  15. ↑ J.G.V. (November 1990). "Punto de mira - Consola Lynx: Blue Lightning". Micromanía (in Spanish). Vol. 2, no. 30. HobbyPress. p. 52.
  16. ↑ Scamps, Olivier (October 1990). "Tests De Jeu - Lynx - Blue Lightning". Player One (in French). No. 2. Média Système Édition. p. 16.
  17. ↑ "Le cahier des consoles n°1: Lynx - Blue Lightning". Amstar (in French). No. 49. Soracom Editions. September 1990. p. 45.
  18. ↑ Iida, Keith. "AGH Lynx Review: BLUE LIGHTNING". atarihq.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  19. ↑ Rignall, Julian (November 1990). "Complete Guide to Consoles - The Complete Games Guide - Lynx - Blue Lightning". Computer and Video Games Mean Machines . No. 4. EMAP. pp. 66–67.
  20. ↑ M. Rosenthal, Marshal (February 1990). "Consoles - Atari Lynx - Reviews - Blue Lightning". The Games Machine . No. 27. Newsfield Publications. p. 28. Archived from the original on 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  21. ↑ "Test - Lynx - Blue Lightning". Génération 4 (in French). No. 22. Computec Media France. May 1990. p. 70.
  22. ↑ Fisch, Henrik (March 1990). "Power Thema - Lynx im Test". Power Play (in German). No. 24. Future Verlag. pp. 26–27.
  23. ↑ "Blue Lightning". ST Action . No. 43. Gollner Publishing. November 1991.
  24. ↑ Hutchinson, Andy (December 1992). "Screenplay - Lynx Games - Lynx Roundup - Blue Lightning". ST Format . No. 41. Future plc. p. 102. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  25. ↑ "The Best (And Worst) Of 1990 - Best Hand-Held Game of the Year - Atari's Blue Lightning". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 15. Sendai Publishing. October 1990. p. 16.
  26. ↑ Molyneaux, Maurice (September 1990). "Gaming on the Go - Blue Lightning by Epyx". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment . No. 20. Larry Flynt Publications.
  27. ↑ "Console News - Lynx: Blue Lightning". Joystick (in French). No. Hors-Serie 3. Anuman Interactive. July–August 1991. p. 140.
  28. ↑ Walnum, Clayton (December 1990). "The Lynx Collection - Blue Lightning". STart . No. 39. Antic Publishing. pp. 67–73. Archived from the original on 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  29. ↑ Dragon, Lost (July 6, 2017). "The EPYX Titles Atari Wanted on Lynx..." atari.io. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  30. ↑ "News - La Jaguar ronronne - On attend sur Jaguar". Génération 4 . No. 64. Computec Media France. March 1994. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  31. ↑ "Scene - Erste CD-ROM-Titel für Jaguar". Mega Fun (in German). No. 21. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. June 1994. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  32. ↑ The Ripper (June 1994). "Europa!". GameFan . Vol. 2, no. 7. Shinno Media. p. 144. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  33. ↑ "Atari Jaguar CD system pounces onto multimedia marketplace". TheFreeLibrary.com . Business Wire. September 21, 1995. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.