Spider Fighter
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision
Programmer(s)Larry Miller[1]
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release1982
Genre(s)Fixed shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Spider Fighter is a fixed shooter designed by Larry Miller for the Atari 2600 and published by Activision in 1982.[1] The object of Spider Fighter is to protect an orchard containing fruit—grapes, strawberries, oranges, and bananas—from four kinds of bugs.[2] Digital Press described it as "much like the coin-op game Stratovox but w/o the voice."[3]

According to the manual, Miller was "the newest addition to the Activision design team."[2] He went on to create the Atari 2600 racing game Enduro for Activision, released in 1983.[1]

Gameplay

The player still has all three oranges (upper right).

In each level, the player protects three pieces of fruit using a blaster that moves horizontally along the bottom of the screen. The joystick button fires a shot upward toward four types of attackers. Each level contains a set number of "master nests": enemies which can grab a piece of fruit and drag it off the left side of the screen. A nest drops the fruit when shot. The game ends if all fruit has been stolen or all of the blasters are destroyed. The type of fruit varies per level: grapes, strawberries, oranges, and bananas.

There is an option to have the shots move horizontally with the blaster after being fired, allowing them to be steered.[2]

At the time of release, anyone who sent a photo showing a score of 40,000 or more points received a patch for the Activision "Spider Fighters."[2]

Reception

Spider Fighter was not as successful as Activision's other fixed shooter released earlier the same year, Megamania.

Electronic Fun with Computers & Games gave the game 3 out 4 joysticks in the May 1983 issue.[4] A June 1983 Electronic Games review was more critical, claiming it a "keen disappointment" and a "mediocre title from a superior game company."[5] Joystik took the middle road, calling it "a better than average bottom-shoot game that somehow looks like it should be more difficult than it is."[6]

In an AtariHQ retrospective review, Keita Iida said "2600 players who are familiar with Activision's usual efforts (which are exceptional overall) might feel a bit let down by Spider Fighter."[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Spider Fighter Manual". archive.org. 1983.
  3. ↑ "The Digital Press Virtual Collectors Guide". Digital Press.
  4. ↑ Wiswell, Phil (May 1983). "Spider Fighter". Electronic Fun with Computers & Games: 64.
  5. ↑ "Spider Fighter". Electronic Games: 40. June 1983.
  6. ↑ Gorzelany, Jim (July 1983). "The Home Front: Spider Fighter". Joystik. 1 (6): 61.
  7. ↑ Iida, Keita. "Spider Fighter". AtariHQ.
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