Page 16 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #3

BLUE

SHARK

by Kyle Snyder
T 200 points.
here’s something that I’ve
been in the dark about for
over 20 years now: An
obscure, dinky little toy that
slightly faster than the swords when
I was fascinated with but never The sharks were trickier. They were
actually got to see. At least I think it swimming low, but then they’d dart
was a toy. Honestly, I don’t know upwards along the extreme left or right,
what the hell it was. Its name? The and speed across the top of the screen
“Smoking Pet.” in an arc-like pattern.
When my father and I would ride The game awarded you a nice 500
up to the local Dart Drug store for points for scoring such a difficult shot,
Anacin, WD-40, or a good Christmas versus 300 for low swimming blues.
tree (Dart Drug was VERY However, the increased speed,
diversified in its product selection), I distance from your gun, and
would inevitably find my way to a unpredictable movement made the
little vending machine with goofy shark a very challenging target to nail
“cereal box prize” items for sale. dead on.
One such item was the “smoking The octopi were a mixed bag.
pet.” I vaguely recall a crude They’d appear stationary in one spot
cartoon showing a mutant dog-type for two seconds, then shake their
thing with a cigarette in its mouth. tentacles and disappear, often
Quite disturbing, if you ask me. reappearing a few seconds later on the
Perhaps somebody complained, for other side of the screen. Occasionally,
on one trip to Dart Drug in the one would happen into your targeted
summer of 1979, the smoking pet area, and you’d get a quick 400 points.
and his/her/its machine of bizarre Usually, however, you’d fire, and he’d
junk was gone. It had been replaced “wink out” before your harpoon met its
with a large wooden cabinet, mark.
decorated with fierce sharks glaring After several seconds, the machine
at me. Hmmmm... it has a cool gun on button, an electronic “dart gun” was would send out a friendly deep-sea
it. Oh, neat! There are sharks and other mounted on the control panel as a diver. I’m not quite sure of his motives,
sea creatures swimming around, and I means of firing at the various denizens as he was apparently oblivious to the
guess you shoot at them with the gun... of the deep. The object of the game underwater carnage going on around
“Daddy, can I have a quarter?” was to rack up a high score by him. Perhaps he was attracted to the
That, my friends, is how I became shooting as many swordfish, sharks sunken treasure that was part of the
acquainted with Midway’s Blue Shark. (Blues, perhaps?), and octopi in the backdrop. Whatever his story, Midway
Blue Shark would become the allotted time of wanted you to be nice
precursor to later hit games such as 99 seconds to your fellow man, as
Crossbow, Operation Wolf, and to an per quarter shooting him would
extent, even Area 51. They all operate spent. subtract 500 points
on the same principal: shoot a mock Swordfish from your score.
gun at the monitor to hit targets for were the (Funny that the shark
points. While these later games added easiest didn’t attack him...
power ups, interactive backgrounds, targets, as maybe that was going
and plot, Blue Shark existed purely as they just kind to be in Blue Shark II!)
an underwater shooting gallery. of meandered, So, for a quarter, you’d
Midway produced a very eye- lazily get 99 seconds to
catching game here. The game play swimming harpoon as much
was displayed on a standard black and slowly and low underwater life as
white raster monitor, which was located to the ground. possible, while
near the base of the cabinet. The Because your resisting the urge to
monitor faced upwards, at a two-way harpoons shoot the divers.
mirror angled toward the player. Behind emerged from Sounds like a pretty
the mirror was an elaborately painted the bottom of the screen and traveled good deal; sign me up.
underwater scene complete with rocks, north towards the target, the lower a And, if anybody out there knows
sea plants, and schools of fish, all creature appeared on the screen, the what those dang “smoking pets” were,
illuminated using hidden lights in the quicker he could be speared. please let me know. I promise not to
top of the cabinet. The end result was Sometimes a swordfish would foil your tell the authorities.
that the player saw the REFLECTION plans and reverse direction just as you
of the video sea creatures “swimming” had him in your sights. But no matter.
around underwater. A nifty Unless the fish managed to swim off
environmental effect, indeed. the side of the screen, you’d have Blue Shark Flyer Photo Courtesy of
Instead of a joystick and a fire another clear shot shortly, and an easy www.basementarcade.com
Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2000 16