Astro Blaster
AMG AllGame Guide:
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Astro Blaster
- Release Date: 1981
- Genre: Shooter
- Style: Fixed Screen Shooter
Review: Overall
Not to be confused with Astroblast for the Atari 2600, Astro Blaster is a difficult game in which players maneuver a ship horizontally at the bottom of the screen, firing upward at colorful enemy ships that attack horizontally, vertically, diagonally and otherwise evasively. There are 29 different waves (spread among six sectors), each ending with a meteor shower and docking sequence. Shooting fireballs during the meteor shower partially replaces fuel, which is a key factor in the game. Shooting too frequently for too long overheats the laser, temporarily disabling the ship's firing power. A warp button is available for use in briefly slowing down the enemies. What sets Astro Blaster apart from the pack of "slide-and-shoot" games, other than its extreme challenges, are secret bonuses that occur when the player performs specific feats, such as not losing a ship or not reaching "Laser Temperature Critical" through an entire sector. Also crucial to the game's uniqueness are voice effects warning the player of low fuel supply and high laser temperature.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Astro Blaster
| Astro Blaster | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer, showcasing the different arcade cabinets used for the title |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Gary Shannon, Barbara Michalec |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Game |
| Release date(s) | 1981 (Arcade) |
| Genre(s) | Shooter game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet | Vertical |
| Arcade system | Sega G80 Raster hardware |
| CPU | Z80 |
| Sound | Sound CPU : I8035 Sound Chips : SP0250 + samples |
| Display | Raster, 224 x 256 pixels, 65 colors |
For the Disney attraction, see Buzz Lightyear (attractions).
For the educational toy, see Astro Blaster (educational toy).
For the Transformers weapon, see Requiem Blaster.
Astro Blaster is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Sega in 1981.
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Contents
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Gameplay
The player controls a ship (bearing a resemblance to the Battlestar Galactica) which can fire and move left or right. The player must continuously monitor the onscreen temperature and fuel gauges; if the ship overheats, its weapon is disabled, and if it is depleted of fuel, the vessel itself explodes. The player must battle through waves of enemies, which attack with varied formations and flight patterns. When a wave is destroyed, a new one appears. At the end of each sector, the player flies through an asteroid belt and can obtain extra fuel by shooting fireballs. After this, the mother ship is met, where the player docks and refuels for the next sector. Also, the player is rewarded various bonuses for accomplishing certain feats, such as, shooting all enemies in a specific order or shooting all enemies without missing.
Interesting facts
Astro Blaster features "speech synthesis" technology. This was a novel feature at the time that was shared with Midway's contemporary arcade title Gorf, and had been pioneered a year earlier by Stern's, with "Berzerk".
In Sega's 2001 Dreamcast epic, Shenmue, an Astro Blaster cabinet can be seen in the YOU Arcade in Dobuita, but it has an "out of order" label on it and is not playable.
The current world record high score is held by Gus Pappas with 299,100 points scored on Astro Blaster on November 20, 1982 in Napa, California, USA.[1]
External links
- Astro Blaster at Arcade-History.com
- Astro Blaster at the Killer List of Videogames
- Twin Galaxies High Score Rankings on Astro Blaster
Notes
- ^ "Twin Galaxies' Astro Blaster High Score Rankings". Retrieved 27 December 2009. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&pi=2&gi=3816&vi=645.
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