Spider Fighter
| Spider Fighter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Programmer(s) | Larry Miller[1] |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Spider Fighter is a fixed shooter designed by Larry Miller for the Atari 2600 and published by Activision in 1982.[1] The game is a re-themed version of the arcade video game Stratovox. The object of Spider Fighter is to protect an orchard containing fruit—grapes, strawberries, oranges, and bananas—from four kinds of bugs.[2]
According to the manual, Miller was "the newest addition to the Activision design team."[2] He went on to create the Atari 2600 racing game Enduro for Activision, released in 1983.[1]
Gameplay
In each level, the player protects three pieces of fruit using a blaster that moves horizontally along the bottom of the screen. The joystick button fires a shot upward toward four types of attackers. Each level contains a set number of "master nests": enemies which can grab a piece of fruit and drag it off the left side of the screen. A nest drops the fruit when shot. The game ends if all fruit has been stolen or all of the blasters are destroyed. The type of fruit varies per level: grapes, strawberries, oranges, and bananas.
There is an option to have the shots move horizontally with the blaster after being fired, allowing them to be steered.[2]
At the time of release, anyone who sent a photo showing a score of 40,000 or more points received a patch for the Activision "Spider Fighters".[2]
Reception
Spider Fighter was not as successful as Activision's other fixed shooter released earlier the same year, Megamania.
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games gave the game 3 out 4 joysticks in the May 1983 issue.[3] A June 1983 Electronic Games review was more critical, claiming it a "keen disappointment" and a "mediocre title from a superior game company."[4] Joystik took the middle road, calling it "a better than average bottom-shoot game that somehow looks like it should be more difficult than it is."[5]
In a retrospective look, Digital Press described it as "much like the coin-op game Stratovox but w/o the voice".[6] Writing for AtariHQ, Keita Iida said "2600 players who are familiar with Activision's usual efforts (which are exceptional overall) might feel a bit let down by Spider Fighter."[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
- ^ a b c d "Spider Fighter Manual". archive.org. 1983.
- ^ Wiswell, Phil (May 1983). "Spider Fighter". Electronic Fun with Computers & Games: 64.
- ^ "Spider Fighter". Electronic Games: 40. June 1983.
- ^ Gorzelany, Jim (July 1983). "The Home Front: Spider Fighter". Joystik. 1 (6): 61.
- ^ "The Digital Press Virtual Collectors Guide". Digital Press.
- ^ Iida, Keita. "Spider Fighter". AtariHQ.
External links
- Spider Fighter at Atari Mania
- Spider Fighter can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
- 1983 TV commercial