Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom

• Release Date: 1984
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Vehicle Shooter
• Similar Games: Zaxxon (Arcade), Space Harrier (Sega Genesis 32X), Space Harrier (Sega Game Gear), Space Harrier (Sega Master System), Space Harrier (Commodore 64/128), Zaxxon (Commodore 64/128), Zaxxon (Atari Video Computer System), Space Harrier (Arcade), Space Harrier (Nintendo Entertainment System), Space Harrier (TurboGrafx-16), Zaxxon (ColecoVision), Subroc (ColecoVision), Zaxxon (Atari 5200)

Game Description

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom lets you take the command seat of the Buck Rogers fighter. You must fly to the Planet of Zoom before it is destroyed by an alien force.

You view this game from behind your fighter, which travels progressively forward and can move up, down, right, left and diagonally on the screen. When you release the controls, the ship automatically moves left or right to center itself.

Each of the seven chapters (levels) of play in this game involves shooting and dodging enemy ships that appear in the distance and get closer and closer to your fighter. You'll maneuver your ship over the surface of planet Zoom, through the darkness of outer space and through long, narrow trenches while battling flying saucers, rockets and enemy planes. Level six is peppered with asteroids as well as rockets and saucers. Each level is timed -- you should destroy as many saucers and enemy planes as possible in each section before time runs out. You get no points for shooting rockets.

In the final chapter of this game you'll meet up with your ultimate foe: the Command Ship controlling Zoom. You must ward off squadrons of enemy planes while trying to destroy the ship's four engines in a limited amount of time. Then you must blast away the reactor gates at the center of the Command Ship.

After you destroy your ultimate foe, the game is not over. You must repeat the entire process again and again until all your ships are destroyed or your mother (or wife) calls you to dinner, which ever comes first.

Roots & Influences

First available as a Sega Arcade game in 1982, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom is based on the exploits of 25th century space adventurer William Anthony "Buck" Rogers. Philip Francis Nowlan created the character in 1928. Buck has been the star of a television series and numerous comic strips, books, serials and films.

Review: Overall

I was excited at the prospect of Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom coming to the ColecoVision. I had never played the Arcade version, but I liked the character and the outer space premise. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by the game. Its many flaws mar what could've been a great shooter.

If Coleco had commissioned an artist to reproduced a series of stills based on the graphics in Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, I would've been among the first to buy a set. The game has rich colors, dazzling star fields, cool ships, boldly drawn tunnels and lots of detail. The asteroids, which are textured and look fantastic, make me wish Blasteroids was available for the ColecoVision. However, when set in motion, the visuals in this game fall apart. Blinking is rampant (entire walls disappear), the animation is jerky, and a lame 3D effect hurts gameplay. Oftentimes it's hard to judge the relation of your fighter to certain enemy ships.

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom is a flashy shooter that is ambitious in design, but annoyingly dull. I like the level design, the variety and the basic concept, but the action is slow and the controls are sluggish. The rapid-fire option is a welcome aspect of the game, as are the tunnels, but these features don't salvage the mundane space battles.

The sound in this game is suitably otherworldly, but there is one effect that drove me bonkers. Throughout some of the levels, a headache-inducing, siren-like noise wails in the background. A throbbing noise, which has a certain '50s sci-fi sound to it, is far less obtrusive. The explosions and gunfire are average at best.



I enjoy most videogames in which shooting is the primary objective, and I enjoyed playing this one to a small degree. However, with some fundamental tweaking by the programmers here and there, it could've been so much better. I wanted to count Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom among my favorite ColecoVision titles, but it ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Review: Enjoyment

The tunnels and asteroids add variety to the levels, but sluggish gameplay is not what I look for in a shooter.

Review: Graphics

The game is colorful and detailed, but blinking and jerky animation ruin the overall effect.

Review: Sound

The song that plays at the end of the game is very good, but the sound effects are mostly average. The siren sounds will give you a migraine headache.

Review: Replay Value

Once you've been through the levels a few times, you'll go back to the excitement of {*Centipede} or {*Zaxxon}.

Review: Documentation

The manual is professional in design and offers detailed information on point values and levels.