| Robot Attack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Big Five Software |
| Publisher(s) | Big Five Software |
| Programmer(s) | Bill Hogue Jeff Konyu [1] |
| Platform(s) | TRS-80 |
| Release | 1981 |
| Genre(s) | Multidirectional shooter |
Robot Attack is a clone of the arcade game Berzerk written by Bill Hogue and Jeff Konyu for the TRS-80 and published by Big Five Software in 1981. [1] It was the first game from Big Five to include speech. [2]
Robot Attack is a game in which the player fights against hostile robots aboard a space station. [3] The player starts in a mazelike room full of robots, and the goal is to destroy the robots and exit the room. [2] The maze walls, robots, and the robots' shots are all deadly. After a while in each room, an indestructible "flagship" appears which performs the same function as Evil Otto in Berzerk.
Bill Hogue recorded the voice lines on tape and digitized them through the TRS-80 cassette port. [4]
Ian Chadwick reviewed Robot Attack in Ares Magazine #12 and commented that "Robot Attack is highly recommended for the nimble fingered arcade buff and even more so for the curious programmer who wishes to discover the secrets behind the usual technique of voice replication used here. Another feather in the cap of Big Five". [5]
Bruce Campbell reviewed Robot Attack in The Space Gamer No. 52. [3] Campbell commented that "Robot Attack gets a high recommendation. It will quickly pay for itself by saving you quarters you are spending at the arcade". [3]
Berzerk is a video game designed by Alan McNeil and released for arcades in 1980 by Stern Electronics of Chicago. The game involves a Humanoid Intruder who has to escape maze-like rooms that are littered with robots that slowly move towards and shoot at the Humanoid. The player can shoot at the robots to try and escape the room. Along with the robots, a smiley face known as Evil Otto appears to hunt down the player within each room.
Miner 2049er is a 1982 platformer game developed and published by Big Five Software in December 1982. It is set in a mine, where the player controls the Mountie Bounty Bob. The player controls Bounty Bob through multiple levels of a mine, with the goal of traversing all of the platforms in each level all while avoiding enemies and within a set amount of time.
Shamus is a shooter with light action-adventure game elements written by Cathryn Mataga and published by Synapse Software. The original Atari 8-bit computer version was released on disk and tape in 1982. According to Synapse co-founder Ihor Wolosenko, Shamus made the company famous by giving it a reputation for quality. "Funeral March of a Marionette", the theme song from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plays on the title screen.
Crush, Crumble and Chomp! is a video game where the player takes control of a movie monster and attacks a major city, such as New York or San Francisco. It was published in 1981 for the TRS-80, Apple II, and Atari 8-bit computers. Ports to the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and IBM PC compatibles were released later. Some versions were published under the company's original name of Automated Simulations, while the rest use Epyx.
Frenzy is a multidirectional shooter arcade video game published by Stern Electronics in 1982. It is a direct sequel to Berzerk; both games were developed by Alan McNeil. Frenzy's gameplay is very similar to Berzerk—the player enters a series of maze-like rooms containing armed robots and must shoot them to survive—but adds more variety. Ports were released for ColecoVision and ZX Spectrum.
Apple Panic is a game for the Apple II programmed by Ben Serki and published by Broderbund Software in 1981. Apple Panic is an unauthorized version of the 1980 arcade game Space Panic, the first game with ladders and platforms. While the arcade original remained obscure, Apple Panic became a top seller for home computers. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, VIC-20, IBM PC, and TRS-80.
SoftSide is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire.
Meteor Mission II is a clone of the Taito arcade game Lunar Rescue released by Big Five Software for the TRS-80 home computer in 1982. It was written by Big Five co-founders Bill Hogue and Jeff Konyu.
Big Five Software was an American video game developer and publisher in the first half of the 1980s founded by Bill Hogue and Jeff Konyu. The company developed games for the Tandy TRS-80 and later Atari 8-bit computers. Most of its TRS-80 games were clones of arcade video games, such as Galaxy Invasion (Galaxian), Super Nova (Asteroids), Defense Command, and Meteor Mission II. Big Five also sold an Atari joystick interface called TRISSTICK which was popular with TRS-80 owners.
Bill Budge's Space Album is a collection of four Apple II action games written by Bill Budge and published by California Pacific Computer Company in 1980. The games are Death Star, Asteroids, Tail Gunner, and Solar Shootout. Death Star was based around a scenario similar to the Death Star "trench battle" that formed the climax of the 1977 film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Asteroids was a variant of the popular arcade video game of the same name.
Galaxy Invasion is a clone of Namco's Galaxian arcade game written by Big Five Software founders Bill Hogue and Jeff Konyu for the TRS-80 16K and published in 1980. It is the first game from Big Five to include sound and music. Galaxy Invasion was followed by an enhanced version in 1982, Galaxy Invasion Plus, which includes voice.
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Super Nova is clone of Atari, Inc.'s Asteroids arcade game published by Big Five Software for the TRS-80 in 1980. Co-author Bill Hogue called Super Nova "the game that started the company."
Attack Force is a 1980 video game developed by Big Five Software for the TRS-80 16K. It was written by Big Five co-founders Bill Hogue and Jeff Konyu. Hogue later wrote Miner 2049'er. Attack Force is based on Exidy's 1980 Targ arcade game.
The Eliminator is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Terry Gilman and Wayne Westmoreland for the TRS-80 and published by Adventure International in 1981. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers and Apple II. The Eliminator is a clone of the Defender arcade game.
Reign of the Red Dragon is video game written by David Daring for the TRS-80 and published by Adventure International in 1982.
Voyager I: Sabotage of the Robot Ship is a computer game designed and programmed by William D. Volk, and published by the Microcomputer Games division of Avalon Hill. It was originally released for the Apple II in 1981, with later versions for the Atari 8-bit computers, TRS-80 Color Computer, TRS-80, and Commodore PET.
Planetoids is a clone of Atari, Inc.'s Asteroids arcade game published by Adventure International for the Apple II in 1980 and TRS-80 in 1981. Each was originally an independently sold game, neither of which was titled Planetoids. The Apple II version, written by Marc Goodman, was published as Asteroid. The TRS-80 game was written by Greg Hassett as Fasteroids by Adventure Works. Fasteroids was still sold by Adventure Works at the same time Planetoids was available through Adventure International. The TRS-80 version includes features not present on the Apple II or arcade original.
Space Ace 21 is a video game published by Synergistic Solar, Inc.