Tempest 4000

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Tempest 4000
Tempest 4000 logo.png
Developer(s) Llamasoft
Publisher(s) Atari
Programmer(s) Jeff Minter
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Microsoft Windows
Nintendo Switch
Atari VCS
ReleasePlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
  • WW: July 17, 2018
Nintendo Switch, Atari VCS
  • WW: March 22, 2022
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

Tempest 4000 is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari, SA. It is a modern reimagining of the classic arcade game Tempest, which was released in 1981. In Tempest 4000, players control a spaceship and navigate through a series of increasingly challenging levels while fighting off waves of enemies. Tempest 4000 was released for Atari VCS, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch.

Contents

The game features colorful, neon-filled graphics and a techno soundtrack that adds to its futuristic and immersive gameplay experience.

Gameplay

Tempest 4000 is a shoot 'em up video game. Players take a control of the Claw, a spacecraft that can shoot at enemies and obstructions. Levels take place on geometric prisms. The goal of the game is to survive each level by eliminating enemies as soon as possible and to achieve high scores for leaderboard positions. The game features one hundred levels and three game modes: standard, pure, and endurance. [1]

Development

Tempest 4000 was developed by Llamasoft, a company founded by British video game designer and programmer Jeff Minter. [1] In 1994, Minter created Tempest 2000 —a remake of the 1981 arcade game Tempest —for the Atari Jaguar. [1] [2] In 2015, Llamasoft released the Tempest-inspired video game TxK independently for the PlayStation Vita. [1] Due to similarities between Tempest and TxK, Atari, SA blocked the release of TxK on other platforms. [1] Minter was unhappy with Atari's intervention; despite this, he partnered with the company to create Tempest 4000. [1] Tempest 4000 started out development as a virtual reality (VR) version of TxK but Atari forced the developer to remove the VR mode from the final game. [3]

The game supports native 4K resolution and features a soundtrack inspired by 1990s-era techno music. [1]

Release

Tempest 4000 was announced August 2017, and the game was showcased later that month at Gamescom. [1] The game was expected to release on Windows-based personal computers, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One video game consoles. [4] Tempest 4000 was scheduled to be released on the PlayStation 4 on 28 March 2018 but was delayed, [5] until in July and was released for multiple platforms. [6]

Atari later announced that the game would be a launch title for their then-upcoming Atari VCS microconsole in 2019, but this was denied at the time by Llamasoft. [7] [8] The game was released for the Nintendo Switch and Atari VCS on March 22, 2022. [9]

Reception

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yin-Poole, Wesley (8 August 2017). "Tempest 4000 is real, Jeff Minter is developing it and Atari is publishing it". Eurogamer . Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (8 August 2017). "Jeff Minter making Tempest 4000 for Atari". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. ↑ Yarwood, Jack (2 February 2023). ""I'm All Tempested Out", Says Legendary Llamasoft Developer Jeff Minter". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Moyse, Chris (6 September 2017). "Footage surfaces for Jeff Minter's Tempest 4000". Destructoid . Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  5. ↑ Clements, Ryan (23 March 2018). "The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 3/27/2018". PlayStation Blog . Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Tempest 4000 finally lives after delays, legal threats—but what's up on PC?". 17 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Atari VCS: Game, Stream, Connect Like Never Before". Indiegogo. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Atari VCS is fake, Tempest 4000 developers call out Atari for lying about their game running on the system".
  9. ↑ "Atari Arcade Classic Finally Lands On Nintendo Switch Next Month". Forbes .
  10. ↑ "Tempest 4000 (PC)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Tempest 4000 (PS4)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Tempest 4000 (Switch)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Tempest 4000 (Xbox One)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
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