Difference between revisions of "Vanguard"

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==Review==
 
==Review==
 
* '''Overall:''' 4/10
 
* '''Overall:''' 4/10
−
* '''Best Version:''' Arcade
+
* '''Best Version:''' Atari 2600
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 +
* The game is a pioneer in the scrolling shooter genre, alternating the direction of scrolling each level.
 +
* Altering your ship's speed based on whether you're shooting was a nice tactical addition.
 
*  
 
*  
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
−
*  
+
* The game's graphics are pretty bad. Drawing cavern walls with boxes is pretty cheap, even for 1981.
 +
* The game only has two caves, both nearly identical, which continually repeat.
 +
* I don't like how enemy shots block your own.
 +
* The Atari ports don't accurately handle to dual joystick firing mechanic of the arcade, so you're forced to move in the direction you want to shoot.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===

Revision as of 14:06, 19 January 2018

2600 box art.

Vanguard, known in Japan as ヴァンガード [Ban Gado] Vanguard" is scrolling shooter developed by TOSE and published by SNK in arcades in 1981. It was later ported to the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. In the game's story you pilot a space ship through the dangerous Mountain Zone, Rainbow Zone, Styx Zone, Stripe Zone, Bleak Zone, and to the City of Mystery where you must defeat Gond before he destroys the space colonies. Each zone is occupied with a different type of enemy ship that must be shot and natural hazards that must be avoided. Vanguard used a unique for the time 2 joysticks, one to control movement, the other to control firing. It also was one of the first scrolling shooters to scroll in multiple directions over the course of the game. The famous musical tune that plays when you touch the energy block is Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men) from the Flash Gordon film.

I first played Vanguard in the mid-1980s on my family's Atari 2600. My family and our neighborhood friends pretended it was like a Star Wars game and make believe we were characters like Yoda and Luke would It wasn't until years later that I learned it was originally an arcade game.

Status

I no longer own Vanguard, but my current high score is 76,870.

Review

  • Overall: 4/10
  • Best Version: Atari 2600

Good

  • The game is a pioneer in the scrolling shooter genre, alternating the direction of scrolling each level.
  • Altering your ship's speed based on whether you're shooting was a nice tactical addition.

Bad

  • The game's graphics are pretty bad. Drawing cavern walls with boxes is pretty cheap, even for 1981.
  • The game only has two caves, both nearly identical, which continually repeat.
  • I don't like how enemy shots block your own.
  • The Atari ports don't accurately handle to dual joystick firing mechanic of the arcade, so you're forced to move in the direction you want to shoot.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Box Art

  • The 2600 box art has a lovely painting of your ship firing at enemies down a tunnel that's both industrial and cavernous. The art is very impressive and perfectly depicts the game. This is my favorite.

  • The 5200 is more like the arcade flyers. It shows a simpler ship firing at enemies in a more TRON-like environment.

Documentation

  • 2600 manual.

  • 5200 manual.

Links

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