When George Lucas unleashed Star Wars into theatres in 1977, he created more than a great film. He forever changed how Hollywood would design and market movies, particularly on the merchandising front. After an avalanche of Star Wars action figures, T-shirts, plastic light sabers, and comic books hit the stores, what better way to immerse the Star Wars junkie into the film than to actually let them be a part of the action? Naturally, video games were the next logical extension in the Star Wars merchandising juggernaut.
Use the Joystick, Luke
In 1982, Parker Brothers released the first Star Wars video game, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, for the Atari 2600. The premise is simple: Stop the advancing Imperial Walkers from reaching the
shield generator by hitting them 48 times with laser fire from your Rebel Snowspeeder. The Imperial Walkers are equipped with tracking missiles, which can be fired from the front as well as from the rear. If you can keep your Snowspeeder alive for 2 minutes, “The Force Will be With You,” the Star Wars “Main Theme” will play, and you will be indestructible for 20 seconds. The Imperial Walker is also capable of launching smart bombs, which will follow your Snowspeeder unless you are able to out maneuver or shoot it down. – Read the rest of the article here from Classic Gamer Magazine (courtesy of Old School Gamer)!
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