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395:" plays. After selecting control and difficulty options and pressing start, the screen shows the aircraft speeding down the runway. The player is required to push the joystick in order to take off, but not before the plane reaches a certain minimum speed. From then on the screen scrolls diagonally in the fashion of
428:
The player's aircraft may be damaged by enemy firepower. Each shot taken causes one of four possible impairments: gun damage, bomb gear damage, fuel leak, or decreased maneuverability. The fifth shot taken obliterates the plane. The player may also die by colliding with ground or an enemy plane, or
417:
The game is divided into several areas, each one ending with a runway on which the player should land. The first area consists of a large river on the left side of the screen and a grassy treed area on the right. In the second area the river eventually gives way to land and roads filled with tanks
436:
In order to access the next area, the player must destroy a certain number of special targets: flashing cars and planes, and buildings and bridges marked with a flashing cross. If not enough special targets have been destroyed, the plane, upon taking off, will fly through the same area again.
39:
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to simulate three-dimensionality. The player can move left and right, forward and backward, or raise or lower their altitude with the joystick. The fire button shoots the machine guns continually, while pressing and moving the stick down at the same time causes a bomb to drop.
440:
The ultimate goal is to reach the final area and bomb the three bunkers inside the heavily defended city, and then reach the airfield at the end of the stage. Upon finishing, either by succeeding or dying, the player is given a numerical rank based on their performance.
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After flying a certain distance the player is notified, by a beeping sound, that a friendly airbase is about to appear. The player should then land on the airfield, which refuels the aircraft, fixes its damage, and replenishes its supply of bombs.
370:
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approved of the game's sound and 3D graphics but criticized the unrealistic plane shadow. While the reviewer stated "Occasionally I found myself wishing for more action. No, not more action—
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gave the game an overall A rating, calling it "very enjoyable" with "a realistic sensation of flying," and concluded that it "has great depth of play to hold interest for a long time".
989:
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deserved to be a hit, this deserves to be a monster." In 1984 the magazine's readers named the game the second most-popular Atari program of 1983, after
425:, tanks, bridges, various buildings, and enemy biplanes that appear periodically in front or behind the player and shoot at the player's aircraft.
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and enemy airbases. The third and final area is the city, composed of skyscrapers and bunkers, destruction of which is the main goal of the game.
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574:, was released in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family and Commodore 64. Unlike the original, it received mixed reviews.
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action", he concluded "Bob Polin has done an exceptional job; this is one game that is really addictive". In 1996,
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541:. It is one of those few good games that have successfully combined strategy with arcade play".
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wrote, "along comes a game that may make standard two-dimensional eye/hand games obsolete ...
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called the Atari version "remarkably well implemented" and "very playable and a lot of fun."
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Each area contains various targets to destroy, including warships in the river that fire
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Stanton, Jeffrey; Wells, Robert P.; Rochowansky, Sandra; Mellid, Michael, eds. (1984).
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The game opens with the player's aircraft parked on a runway while a rendition of "
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ranked the C64 version of this "fun shooter" as the 142nd best game of all time.
231:. While the original was well received, the sequel was considered disappointing.
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may well be the best action game there is." It stated that the game improved on
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published the
Commodore 64 version in the UK in 1984 and ported the game to the
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Blue Max theme song "Rule, Britannia!", Atari 8-bit version
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Commercial video games with freely available source code
524:is head and shoulders above other shooting games."
218:, informally known as Blue Max. Its theme song is "
568:A futuristic sequel otherwise similar in design,
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670:InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers
963:can be played for free in the browser at the
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903:on atariage.com by Kevin Savetz (Mar 5 2016)
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577:Author Bob Polin made the assembly language
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273:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
1015:Video games developed in the United States
527:The C64 port received a similar response.
37:
643:The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software
602:
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469:cited it as "innovative" and a "winner".
337:Learn how and when to remove this message
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199:as a cartridge styled for the then-new
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763:"Blue Max For Atari And Commodore 64"
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467:'s Essential Guide to Atari Computers
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484:s graphics, describing the game as "
271:adding citations to reliable sources
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225:In 1984, Synapse released a sequel,
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1020:Video games with oblique graphics
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708:Christie, Andrew (Nov–Dec 1983).
413:Gameplay screenshot (Atari 8-bit)
179:in 1983. It was released for the
673:. Harper & Row. p. 74.
607:Plotkin, David (February 1984).
382:Problems playing this file? See
367:
243:
894:
868:Basher, Jon (August 30, 1983).
861:
849:. November 1996. pp. 64–80
815:Herring, Richard (April 1984).
21:Blue Max: Aces of the Great War
788:Brannon, Charles (June 1984).
646:. Addison-Wesley. p. 93.
1:
918:ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast
901:Blue Max source code for you.
693:: CS1 maint: date and year (
588:
560:The game sold 10,000 copies.
429:by using up all of the fuel.
19:For the 1990 video game, see
843:"150 Best Games of All Time"
761:Gutman, Dan (January 1984).
585:publicly available in 2016.
444:
7:
870:"Video firm is aiming high"
460:Book of Atari Software 1984
234:
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985:Atari 8-bit computer games
955:at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
742:. Mar–Apr 1984. p. 49
286:"Blue Max" video game
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1035:Single-player video games
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171:written by Bob Polin for
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537:has far more depth than
1025:World War I video games
736:"The Best and the Rest"
494:with meat on it ... if
1005:Synapse Software games
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206:The player controls a
914:"Bob Polin Interview"
847:Computer Gaming World
769:(review). p. 148
554:Computer Gaming World
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173:Atari 8-bit computers
667:Mace, Scott (1984).
267:improve this section
710:"Synapse Takes Off"
1000:Scrolling shooters
995:Commodore 64 games
794:Compute!'s Gazette
530:Compute!'s Gazette
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403:oblique projection
357:
1030:ZX Spectrum games
680:978-0-06-669006-3
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193:Atari Corporation
175:and published by
169:scrolling shooter
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145:Scrolling shooter
93:Peter Adams (C64)
91:Bob Polin (Atari)
70:Atari Corporation
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980:1983 video games
965:Internet Archive
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177:Synapse Software
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327:December 2020
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282:Find sources:
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252:This section
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228:Blue Max 2001
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208:Sopwith Camel
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155:Single-player
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886:– via
880:. Retrieved
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851:. Retrieved
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798:. Retrieved
796:. p. 92
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716:. p. 21
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265:Please help
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181:Commodore 64
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108:Commodore 64
59:Publisher(s)
47:Developer(s)
947:at Lemon 64
878:. p. 4
630:at Lemon 64
579:source code
212:World War I
191:. In 1987,
189:ZX Spectrum
112:ZX Spectrum
104:Atari 8-bit
99:Platform(s)
77:Designer(s)
974:Categories
817:"Blue Max"
773:30 October
589:References
487:River Raid
384:media help
297:newspapers
201:Atari XEGS
195:published
134:Atari XEGS
124:Atari, C64
689:cite book
615:(47): 65.
465:InfoWorld
445:Reception
254:does not
185:U.S. Gold
81:Bob Polin
66:U.S. Gold
960:Blue Max
952:Blue Max
944:Blue Max
936:Blue Max
882:June 17,
853:25 March
767:Compute!
714:Softline
627:Blue Max
613:SoftSide
583:Blue Max
535:Blue Max
522:Blue Max
514:Blue Max
509:Compute!
479:Blue Max
477:praised
474:Softline
451:SoftSide
401:, using
235:Gameplay
197:Blue Max
164:Blue Max
140:Genre(s)
129:Spectrum
32:Blue Max
827:27 June
746:28 July
740:St.Game
720:29 July
311:scholar
275:removed
260:sources
151:Mode(s)
118:Release
800:6 July
677:
650:
564:Legacy
549:bigger
539:Zaxxon
518:Zaxxon
501:Archon
496:Zaxxon
492:Zaxxon
398:Zaxxon
313:
306:
299:
292:
284:
821:Ahoy!
544:Ahoy!
482:'
318:JSTOR
304:books
167:is a
132:1987:
127:1984:
122:1983:
884:2022
855:2016
829:2014
802:2014
775:2013
748:2014
722:2014
695:link
675:ISBN
648:ISBN
456:The
423:flak
290:news
258:any
256:cite
581:of
504:.
269:by
222:".
976::
916:.
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792:.
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738:.
712:.
691:}}
687:{{
611:.
597:^
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656:.
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340:)
334:(
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325:(
315:·
308:·
301:·
294:·
277:.
263:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
