| Countdown to Shutdown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Creative Sparks |
| Publisher(s) | Creative Sparks |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1984 |
Countdown to Shutdown, originally known as Countdown to Meltdown in Europe, is a video game released in 1984 by Creative Sparks. In 1985 Activision published it in the US as Countdown to Shutdown.
Countdown to Shutdown is a game in which the player directs robots in a subterranean energy plant to cool its overheating core. [1]
Gregg Williams reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World , and stated that "Overall, I like the Apple version of Countdown, and I'm sure the C-64 version is even more enjoyable. If you ever get the game completely solved, you can play a randomized version that will keep you busy for a while longer." [1]
Star Raiders is a space combat simulator video game created by Doug Neubauer and published in 1980 by Atari, Inc. Originally released for the Atari 400/800 computers, Star Raiders was later ported to the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Atari ST. The player assumes the role of a starship fighter pilot, who must protect starbases from invading forces called Zylons. Piloting and combat are shown in the 3D cockpit view, while a 2D galactic map shows the state of the Zylon invasion. Neubauer made the game in his spare time at Atari, inspired by contemporary media such as Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars, as well as the 1971 mainframe game Star Trek.
Silent Service is a submarine simulator video game designed by Sid Meier and published by MicroProse for various 8-bit home computers in 1985 and for 16-bit systems like the Amiga in 1987. A Nintendo Entertainment System version developed by Rare was published in 1989 by Konami in Europe and by Konami's Ultra Games subsidiary in North America. Silent Service II was released in 1990. Tommo purchased the rights to this game and published it online through its Retroism brand in 2015.
Time Zone is a multi-disk graphical adventure game written and directed by Roberta Williams for the Apple II. Developed in 1981 and released in 1982 by On-Line Systems, the game was shipped with six double-sided floppy disks and contained 1,500 areas (screens) to explore along with 39 scenarios to solve. Produced at a time when most games rarely took up more than one side of a floppy, Time Zone is one of the first games of this magnitude released for home computer systems. Ports were released for Japanese home computers PC-88, PC-98 and FM-7 in 1985.
The Seven Cities of Gold is a strategy video game created by Danielle Bunten Berry and Ozark Softscape and published by Electronic Arts in 1984. The player takes the role of a late 15th-century explorer for the Spanish Empire, setting sail to the New World in order to explore the map and interact with the natives in order to win gold and please the Spanish court. The name derives from the "seven cities" of Quivira and Cíbola that were said to be located somewhere in the Southwest United States. It is considered to be one of the earliest open world video games.
Choplifter is a military themed scrolling shooter developed by Dan Gorlin for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1982. It was ported to Atari 8-bit computers the same year and also to the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, MSX, and Thomson computers.
The Eidolon was one of two games that were part of Lucasfilm Games' second wave in December 1985. The other was Koronis Rift. Both took advantage of the fractal technology developed for Rescue on Fractalus!, further enhancing it. In The Eidolon, Rescue's fractal mountains were turned upside down and became the inside of a cave.
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a role-playing video game set in the Buck Rogers XXVC universe. It was published in 1990 by Strategic Simulations for MS-DOS, Commodore 64, and Amiga. A Sega Genesis version was released in 1991. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is the 1992 sequel.
DEFCON is a real-time strategy game created by independent British game developer Introversion Software. The gameplay is a simulation of a global nuclear war, with the game's screen reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war in films such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and especially WarGames.
Mercury Meltdown is a puzzle-platform game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It is the sequel to Archer Maclean's Mercury. Like the first game, the goal is to tilt the stage to navigate one or more blobs of mercury to the destination. In contrast to the original, Ignition Banbury had more time and experience developing the game and listened to player feedback, allowing the game to be easier and providing players with more freedom to choose levels. The game has new hazards, enemies, and minigames.
The Halley Project: A Mission In Our Solar System is a space flight simulation game developed for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers by Omar Khudari and Tom Snyder and published by Mindscape in 1985. An Amiga version with updated graphics was released in 1986.
Thorn EMI Computer Software was a British video games software house set up in the early 1980s as part of the now-defunct British conglomerate Thorn EMI. They released a number of games in the early 1980s, initially for the Atari 8-bit computers, and later for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and VIC-20 computers. In 1984, the Thorn EMI name was dropped in favour of Creative Sparks as the company were reportedly unhappy with their image in the video games market. A budget label, Sparklers, was created in early 1985 to publish titles at £2.50. Later in 1985, Creative Sparks, Sparklers and the distribution company, Creative Sparks Distribution (CSD) gained independence from Thorn EMI after a management buyout.
The Record was a Canadian music industry magazine that featured record charts, trade news and opinions.
Shanghai is a computerized version of mahjong solitaire published by Activision in 1986 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, classic Mac OS, Apple IIGS, and Master System. Shanghai was originally programmed by Brodie Lockard. It was released as an arcade video game by Sunsoft in 1988.
Fight Night is a boxing video game developed by Sydney Development Corporation and published by Accolade in the United States and by U.S. Gold in the United Kingdom. It was initially released in 1985 for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and Commodore 64. The game includes both a single player mode and multiplayer mode. It includes the ability to customize the player's boxer. In total, there are five boxers to beat.
Transylvania is an adventure video game published by Penguin Software. It was released for the Apple II in 1982 followed by ports to the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. A Mac conversion was published in 1984, then versions for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1985.
Geometry Dash is a side-scrolling music platforming game series developed by Robert Topala. The game was released on 13 August 2013 on iOS and Android, and the Windows and macOS versions on 22 December 2014. In Geometry Dash, players control the movement of an icon and navigate music-based levels while avoiding obstacles such as spikes.
Zenji is a puzzle video game designed by Matthew Hubbard and published by Activision in 1984. It was released for the Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. Hubbard previously wrote Dolphin for the Atari 2600.
Make Millions is a business simulation game developed by Tom Snyder Productions and released for the Macintosh in 1984.
Movie Maker is a computer program published by Reston Publishing Company in 1984 which allows users to author animated visual sequences with audio. Self-playing movies can be viewed without the Movie Maker software. It was developed by Interactive Picture Systems for Atari 8-bit computers. In 1985 it was re-published by Electronic Arts, including a port to the Commodore 64.
Major Motion is a video game written for the Atari ST by Philip McKenzie and Jeffrey Sorenson and published by MichTron in 1986. An Amiga version followed in 1988. Major Motion is a clone of the Spy Hunter arcade game.