Publisher: Sega
Release: 1984
Controller: Joystick
Players: 1
Genre: Shoot’em Up
Alternate Title: N/A
Model: # 011-01
Rarity: 6
Programmer: Jeff Lorenz
Dual Controller Module, basically a piece of plastic
This port of the arcade classic is scaled down, but passable.
Turn up the Peter Gunn theme as you get behind the wheel of the world’s most sophisticated turbo-charged spy mobile. Hit the streets to clear them of every enemy agent out to destroy you, and presumably the world.
The game starts with the red weapons van dropping you off on the highway, setting you loose to lay waste to enemy agents. As you drive along you can use your machine gun to take out enemies like the Road Lord and Enforcer, both of whom will try and knock you off the road to your doom. The biggest threat however is the Switch Blade, a car that has blade extensions on every wheel, which will cut your vehicle to shreds if it gets close enough.
Your machine gun isn’t the only weapon to help you deal with troublesome enemies, as the weapons van can give your car an upgrade. The oil slick will create a slippery hazard that will destroy a single car if it touches it. The smoke screen however will completely clear the road behind you of anything that might be a threat.
After driving for a bit the action shifts to the water, as your car transforms into a boat. The action stays pretty much the same, only now there are mines in the water that will end your journey in a hurry. Helicopters also appear around this time and attempts to drop bombs on you.
Due to there being multiple firing modes, the game included a Dual Controller Module, which housed two controllers in such a way that you’d have easy access to two firing buttons. While this was little more than a cheap piece of molded plastic, it did the job quite well.
This is a significantly scaled down version of the classic, with there only being a couple of cars on screen at any given time compared with the near rush hour level of traffic in the full game. Outside of that however the rest of the game is spot on. The controls are good, the graphics are solid and non-flickering, and it retains the spirit of the original. If you are looking for car based mayhem and destruction, this one should be on your list.
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Derek began playing video games in the early 80s, cutting his teeth on every Atari 2600 game he could get his hands on. This kickstarted a lifelong love of games, which continues to this day. No matter how advanced the systems and games become, the love for Atari remains supreme, which is why the Atari 2600 Encyclopedia project was done. With this massive project completed, Derek looks to begin work on another system encyclopedia, hoping to pay tribute to the games that shaped his childhood.
