Page 20 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #2

by Kyle Snyder
Stratovox
Stratovox

When I was growing up, there visible. Never mind that two mystery ship in Space Invaders
was a quaint little country store heavenly bodies so close to one with any reasonable accuracy).
about a mile from home called another would rip each other apart When you strike down a saucer
Maloney's. In addition to candy, with gravity. carrying a
milk, cigarettes, and trinkets, they This is a video soldier, the
featured two arcade games for game, not soldier is
their patrons to play. Most of the physics 101! "saved" and
biggest hits cycled through this little Now, here's magically
place, PacMan, Ms.PacMan, where it gets reappears
Centipede, Asteroids, and Galaxian strange. On the back on the
among them. Every now and again, moon, several moon. If the
however, games that weren't very soldiers are aliens carry a
well known or mainstream would standing in a man back to
show up. Games like Space vertical line. their armada,
Encounters, Omega Race, and They look much he is lost
Frenzy all took up residence there, like the stock forever. The
in addition to a 1980 Taito title I've "man" graphic game will
never seen anywhere else. . . from the also end if all
STRATOVOX. Odyssey 2 three of your
Stratovox was of the "slide-and- home systems. ships are lost
shoot" class of Space Invaders On the left, a to alien
variant: use a two way joystick to small armada of collision or
control a left-right moving defense flying saucers hovers out of reach firepower, or when all men are
base at the bottom of the screen; of the player's weaponry. Every kidnapped.
use the lone fire button to launch few seconds, the saucers peel out Okay, so what's the big deal, you
missiles at attacking aliens. Yeah, and attack the player with a cluster may be asking yourself. The big
been there, done that. Or have we? of missiles. They attack in small deal, is SPEECH! Despite popular
The first thing you notice about groups of three, or larger groups of myth, the first game with voices
the game is five, with from within was not Midway's Gorf,
that the fancy loops Stern's Berzerk, or Sega's Space
player's similar to Fury. The soldiers say, "HELP ME!"
ship is some of the when abducted by the aliens,
actually aliens’ "THANK YOU" when rescued by
moving on movements the player, and "LUCKY" at the end
a planet in Galaga. of a round when the remaining
surface - a Furthermore, soldiers are added up for bonus
large these aliens points.
yellow have taken a The result is a unique game
(sometimes shining to the with elements of various titles from
blue) arc of soldiers on the classic era and engaging,
a planet, the moon and challenging gameplay.
complete occasionally Maloney's store closed about
with abduct one of 10 years ago, survived for a few
craters! the poor years afterwards as an antique
There is grunts. shop, and now sits derelict.
also a The Whenever I visit Maryland and
smaller saucers carry drive by, I can feel the rush of
"moon" on the men adrenalin I got when I'd play
the right horizontally Stratovox, and I swear I can hear
hand side along the "HELP ME" echoing in
of the screen, where once again, very top of the screen (not too the breeze. . .
the edge of the planet is all that is difficult a target if you can hit the
CGM

Classic Gamer Magazine Winter 2000 20