| Submarine Commander | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Sears |
| Programmer(s) | Matthew Hubbard [1] |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Submarine Commander is a shoot 'em up for the Atari 2600 developed by Matthew Hubbard at Atari, Inc.. [1] It released exclusively under the Sears Tele-Games label in 1982. [2] [3]
The player controls a submarine going through enemy territory. The player must shoot targets in order to win the game. [3] The player views the action via a periscope that can be rotated through 360 degrees - a rarity for the time. Information provided to the player includes a radar scope, a depth-charge-detector, a fuel gauge, and an engine temperature gauge for detecting engine-overheating. There are eight modes of play, made up of single and two-player mode and four different levels of difficulty for each. [4]
The game was one of three developed by Atari exclusively for Sears, the others being Stellar Track and Steeplechase. [5] It was based on the Midway arcade game Sea Wolf II that was played with a periscope. [6]
A December 1982 review in Joystik magazine described Submarine Commander as being a "very basic shooting-gallery type game." [3]
A retrospective review at 8-Bit Central said the game was "not a visually pleasing experience", but that it the complexity of the gameplay made it "worth playing". 8-Bit Central gave the game 2.5/5 overall. [4] A December 2012 review on the Video Games Critic website called it "an eye-opening experience" and liked the faux-3D graphics and action and gave it a grade of "B+" overall. [7]
Asteroids is a space-themed multidirectional shooter arcade video game designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg released in November 1979 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a single spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers. The object of the game is to shoot and destroy the asteroids and saucers, while not colliding with either, or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire. The game becomes harder as the number of asteroids increases.
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System, it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F in 1976. The VCS was bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a game cartridge—initially Combat and later Pac-Man. Sears sold the system as the Tele-Games Video Arcade. Atari rebranded the VCS as the Atari 2600 in November 1982 alongside the release of the Atari 5200.
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Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct five frogs to their homes by dodging traffic on a busy road, then crossing a river by jumping on floating logs and alligators.
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Air-Sea Battle is a fixed shooter developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari VCS. It was one of the nine launch titles for that system when it was released in September 1977. Air-Sea Battle is partially based on the 1975 Atari arcade video game Anti-Aircraft where each player uses a ground-based gun to shoot passing aircraft. The cartridge adds other variants, such as planes dropping bombs on ships and a carnival-themed shooting gallery.
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Megamania is an Atari 2600 game by Steve Cartwright and published by Activision in 1982. Versions were released for the Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit family in 1983. Megamania is similar to Sega's 1981 arcade title Astro Blaster. Both games have nearly identical patterns of approaching enemies with the player relying on an "energy" meter. The player's ships are remarkably similar in both games.
James Bond 007 is horizontally scrolling shooter published in 1984 by Parker Brothers for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and ColecoVision. It was developed and published in Japan by Tsukuda Original for the SG-1000 under the title 007 James Bond. It was the first video game based on James Bond to be given a worldwide release.
Tutankham is a 1982 arcade video game developed and released by Konami and released by Stern in North America. Named after the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, the game combines a maze shoot 'em up with light puzzle-solving elements. It debuted at the European ATE and IMA amusement shows in January 1982, before releasing worldwide in Summer 1982. The game was a critical and commercial success and was ported to home systems by Parker Brothers.
Outlaw is a single-player arcade game by Atari Inc., originally released in 1976. It simulates an Old West fast draw duel between the player and the computer. Outlaw was a response to Gun Fight, released by Midway in North America the year before.
Skiing is a video game cartridge for the Atari 2600. It was authored by Bob Whitehead and released by Activision in 1980. It's one of the first video games developed by Activision.
Submarine Commander is a simulation video game for the Atari 8-bit family written by Dean Lock and published by Thorn EMI Computer Software in 1982. A VIC-20 port by Gary York was released in 1983, and an Apple II version by Patrick Buckland the same year. The Atari version was re-released in 1985 on cassette on the Sparklers budget label. A version for the TI-99/4A was announced but was not released until 1986 when a third party bought the rights.
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Stellar Track is an Atari VCS video game programmed by Rob Zdybel of Atari, Inc. and published by Sears under the Tele-Games brand in 1980. It is one of three such games that were released only through Sears. Stellar Track is a text-based game based on the mainframe computer game Star Trek.
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