Heli Fire

Last updated
Heli Fire
Helifire arcadeflyer.png
Developer(s) Nintendo R&D1
Ikegami Tsushinki [1]
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Composer(s) Hirokazu Tanaka
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • JP: September 1980
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns

Heli Fire [lower-alpha 1] is a video game developed by Nintendo, and released in arcades in September 1980 by Nintendo. [2] Some sources [3] claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Heli Fire. Similar to Taito's Polaris (1980), players control a submarine and must survive as long as possible against a barrage of enemy attacks from the sea and above.

Contents

Heli Fire was manufactured in both upright and cocktail arcade cabinets. It uses color raster graphics on a Sanyo 20-DZC monitor. The game can be played with one player or two players who alternate turns. [4] The sound, provided by Hirokazu Tanaka, [5] consists of one amplified monoural channel. [4]

Gameplay

Screenshot Helifire screenshot.png
Screenshot

The submarine can move in eight directions and can defend itself with missiles. While ships and mines attack the submarine from the water, enemy helicopters, which come in four different colors that designate their speed, drop missiles and depth charges at the submarine from the air. [2] Each level consists of three sets of ten helicopters (for a total of 30) which must be destroyed within a specified time limit, or else they start to attack in a "special assault pattern". After a certain number of helicopters are destroyed, the submarine resurfaces, and a native girl dances (called "dancers of the isles" [2] ) on top of the submarine while bonus points are awarded. After each level, the water level rises, placing the submarine closer to the helicopters and underwater traps. [6]

Reception

According to Florent Gorges' book The History of Nintendo, Heli Fire, "for once, really put the players' skills to the test"; he explained that players had to dodge attacks from the air as well as pay attention to what is in the water in order to avoid ships and mines. [2] The Killer List of Videogames website listed the game as one of the rarest machines amongst the members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ヘリファイア, Hepburn: Heri Faia

Related Research Articles

<i>Zaxxon</i> 1982 video game

Zaxxon is a scrolling shooter developed and released by Sega as an arcade video game in 1982. The player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki was also involved in the game's development.

<i>Radar Scope</i> 1980 shooter arcade game

Radar Scope is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Nintendo R&D2 and published by Nintendo. The player assumes the role of the Sonic Spaceport starship and must wipe out formations of an enemy race known as the Gamma Raiders before they destroy the player's space station. Gameplay is similar to Space Invaders and Galaxian, but viewed from a three-dimensional third-person perspective.

<i>Tiger-Heli</i> 1985 video game

Tiger-Heli is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall.

<i>Popeye</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Popeye is a 1982 platform game developed and released by Nintendo as an arcade video game. It is based on the comic strip of the same name created by E. C. Segar and licensed from King Features Syndicate. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki did programming work on the game. As Popeye, the player must collect hearts thrown by Olive Oyl from the top of the screen while being chased by Bluto. Popeye can punch bottles thrown at him, but can only hurt Bluto after eating the one can of spinach present in each level. Unlike Nintendo's earlier Donkey Kong games, there is no jump button. There are three screens.

<i>Congo Bongo</i> 1983 video game

Congo Bongo, also known as Tip Top, is a platform game released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1983. A message in the ROM indicates it was coded at least in part by the company Ikegami Tsushinki. The game is viewed in an isometric perspective, like Sega's earlier Zaxxon (1982), but does not scroll. Numerous home ports followed.

<i>Rushn Attack</i> 1985 video game

Rush'n Attack, also known as Green Beret in Japan and Europe, is a run-and-gun and hack-and-slash video game developed and released by Konami for arcades in 1985, and later converted to the Nintendo Entertainment System and home computers. Its North American title is a play on the phrase "Russian attack" due to its Cold War setting. It was ported to home systems and became a critical and commercial success for arcades and home computers.

Ikegami Tsushinki Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of professional and broadcast television equipment, especially professional video cameras, both for electronic news gathering and studio use. The company was founded in 1946.

<i>Captain America and The Avengers</i> 1991 arcade game

Captain America and the Avengers is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and released by Data East in 1991. It features the Avengers team of Marvel Comics characters in a side-scrolling brawling and shooting adventure to defeat the evil Red Skull. The game received ports for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and Game Gear. A different Data East game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

<i>Alpha Mission</i> 1985 video game

Alpha Mission, known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object 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.

<i>Vulgus</i> 1984 video game

Vulgus is a vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Capcom in Japan in 1984 and released in North America by SNK the same year. The game was Capcom's first video game. The game is included in Capcom Classics Collection and is available as freeware.

<i>Field Combat</i> 1985 video game

Field Combat is a 1985 shooter video game developed and published by Jaleco for arcades. In Field Combat, the player fights as a commanding officer in a futuristic battlefield. It was ported to the Famicom by Tose, which was later re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007. A sequel game, Field Combat DX, was released for Japanese mobile phones in 2004.

<i>Zero Gunner 2</i> 2001 video game

Zero Gunner 2 is a 3D multidirectional shooter developed by Psikyo as a sequel to Zero Gunner, the original arcade game. It was released for the Dreamcast in Japan in 2001.

<i>Twin Cobra II</i> 1995 video game

Twin Cobra II is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Takumi Corporation and published in 1995 by Taito in Japan, Asia and Europe. It is the sequel to Twin Cobra from 1987. Taking place after the events of the previous game, players assume the role of two pilots taking control of their respective attack helicopters to overthrow the returning enemy forces.

<i>Sheriff</i> (video game) 1979 video game

Sheriff, also known as Bandido, is a 1979 multi-directional shooter arcade game by Nintendo. It is one of several Western-themed video games from the 1970s, along with Western Gun, Outlaw, and Boot Hill. The player controls a county sheriff tasked with defense of a town against bandits, to rescue the captured woman. It was a commercial success in Japan, where it was among the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1979.

<i>Space Fever</i> 1979 arcade game

Space Fever is a 1979 arcade game by Nintendo R&D2. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did programming work on Space Fever. It was released in both monochrome and color versions. The gameplay is similar to Space Invaders, which had been released by Taito in 1978. In America, the game was distributed by Far East Video.

<i>Mr. Heli</i> 1987 video game

Mr. Heli, fully titled in Japan as Mr. HELI no Daibōken is a multidirectional scrolling shooter developed and published in arcades in 1987 by Irem. It was released in North America as Battle Chopper.

<i>Kung Fu Heroes</i> 1984 video game

Chinese Hero, also known in Japan as Super Chinese, is a beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Nihon Game and published by Taiyo System and Taito in October 1984. Chinese Hero is the first game in the Super Chinese series. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System as Kung-Fu Heroes in Japan by Nihon Game in 1986 and was published in North America in 1989 using the Culture Brain name. The game was included in a 2004 Game Boy Advance collection titled Super Chinese I+II Advance. It was released for the Nintendo Switch Online service on August 21, 2019.

<i>Space Firebird</i> 1980 video game

Space Firebird is a 1980 arcade video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released by Nintendo in Japan and Europe. In America, the game was distributed by Far East Video. Sega-Gremlin also released a version of the game in North America.

<i>Thunder Blade</i> 1987 video game

Thunder Blade is a third-person shoot 'em up video game released by Sega for arcades in 1987. Players control a helicopter to destroy enemy vehicles. The game was released as a standard stand-up arcade cabinet with force feedback, as the joystick vibrates. A helicopter shaped sit-down model was released, replacing the force feedback with a cockpit seat that moves in tandem with the joystick. It is a motion simulator cabinet, like the previous Sega Super Scaler games Space Harrier (1985) and After Burner (1987). The game's plot and setting was inspired by the film Blue Thunder (1983).

<i>Monkey Magic</i> (video game) 1979 video game

Monkey Magic (1979) is a video game released in arcades by Nintendo in exclusively in Japan in 1979. It is a Breakout clone and one of Nintendo's earliest arcade games. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Monkey Magic. Players control a paddle to hit the ball at a large number of blocks shaping a monkey's face. To earn a victory the user must destroy the entire face of the monkey. Players can also earn different numbers of points by catching blocks that fall, as well as hitting the ball in different places.

References

  1. ↑ McFerran, Damien (2018-02-26). "Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gorges, Florent (2010). The History of Nintendo. Vol. 1 (1889–1980). Collaborated by Isao Yamazaki, translated by Raphael Mourlanne. Triel-sur-Seine, France: Pix 'n Love Publishing. p. 204. ISBN   978-2-918272-15-1.
  3. ↑ It started from Pong (それは『ポン』から始まった : アーケードTVゲームの成り立ち, sore wa pon kara hajimatta: ākēdo terebi gēmu no naritachi), Masumi Akagi (赤木真澄, Akagi Masumi), Amusement Tsūshinsha (アミューズメント通信社, Amyūzumento Tsūshinsha), 2005, ISBN   4-9902512-0-2.
  4. 1 2 3 "Heli Fire". Killer List of Videogames . Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Nintendo Archive". Hirokazu Tanaka. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ Heli Fire arcade flyer. Kyoto, Japan: Nintendo. 1980. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
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.