SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

n/a

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

System(s): Sega System 16, Sega Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64,ZX Spectrum

Publisher:

Sega

Activision (UK)

MCM Software (ES)

Developer:

Distributor:

Tonka (US)

Ecofilmes (PT)

Tec Toy (BR)

Samsung (KR)

Peripherals supported:

FM Sound Unit

Genre: Shooting^[1]

Number of players: 2

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	1987-04-20^[2]	¥?	?
US	1987	$?	?

JP	1987-10-24^[1]	¥5,0005,000	G-1338
US	1988-03^[3]	$40.0040.00^[4]	5102
EU	1988-03		MK-5102-50
PT	1991		MSJ5102
UK	1988-03^[5]	£19.9519.95^[6]^[7]	MK-5102-50
AU	19xx
BR	19xx
KR	19xx		GB-1338
UK	1989	£24.9924.99
UK	1988^[8]	£19.9919.99^[9]
ES (Cassette)	19xx
UK (Disk)	1988	£14.9914.99^[8]
UK (Cassette)	1988	£9.999.99^[8]
UK (The Hit Squad)	19xx	£2.992.99
UK (Disk)	1988	£14.9914.99^[9]^[8]
UK (Cassette)	1988	£9.999.99^[9]^[8]
UK (The Hit Squad)	19xx	£2.992.99^[10]
ES (Cassette)	19xx		SEC 576
UK (Cassette)	1988	£9.999.99^[9]^[8]	URK 301
UK (The Hit Squad)	19xx	£2.992.99^[11]

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative (エス・ディー・アイ) is a 1987 shoot-'em-up arcade game developed by Sega for the Sega System 16 arcade platform.

Gameplay

Unusual for its time, SDI has the player assume the role of a satellite, tasked with destroying enemy satellites and missiles. Each level is divided into two "modes" - "offensive" mode, which takes the form of a sidescrolling shoot-'em-up, and "defensive" mode which is built more similarly to Atari's Missile Command. Beating both modes allows the player to progress, however, if the player can destroy all the enemies in offensive mode, defensive mode does not take place.

SDI not only gives the player control over the movement of the satellite, but also its aim. This mechanic was implemented in the original arcade cabinet through the form of a joystick and trackball - the joystick moving the player, the trackball moving the crosshair. On the top of the joystick is a button for firing.

A perfect game of SDI will result in the satellite being replaced with Flicky.

Versions

SDI was ported to the Sega Master System in 1987/1988, where western versions were renamed Global Defense. The Master System version, as well as cutting back on the graphical and audio quality, has to vastly reduce the difficulty of the game to match up with a new control scheme - as the console lacks a trackball, the player needs to switch between moving and aiming during play (holding while moving the D-Pad allows the satellite to move, otherwise the D-Pad only controls the crosshair). This makes moving and aiming at the same time impossible. However, the U.S. manual lists an alternate two-controller configuration in which the first Control Pad aims and the second Control Pad moves the satellite. When the game is started in this configuration, the satellite fires automatically. To start the game with two Control Pads, either press + or + on the second Control Pad^[12].

Activision brought the game to home computers in Europe - the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum (not to be confused with S.D.I., an unrelated game also released for the Amiga and Atari ST).

These days, SDI is often grouped with another arcade game from the era, Quartet. Both were released as part of Volume 21 of the Sega Ages 2500 series, Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 21: SDI & Quartet: Sega System 16 Collection for the PlayStation 2. SDI & Quartet: Original Soundtrack contains the official soundtrack of both games.

History

During development, the game was known under the working title of Space Shooting.^[13]

Production credits

Main article: SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative/Production credits.

Digital manuals

Judgment manual

Magazine articles

Main article: SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

PDF

System 16 US flyer

PDF

System 16 JP flyer

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #85: "November 1988" (1988-10-15)
also published in:

ACE (UK) #14: "November 1988" (1988-xx-xx)^[14]

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #115: "June 1991" (1991-05-11)

Physical scans

System 16 version

System 16, JP

Instuction card(s)

Master System version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

ACE (UK)

62

^[15]

Complete Guide to Consoles (UK)

79

^[16]

Complete Guide to Consoles (UK)

80

^[17]

The Complete Guide to Sega (UK)

PAL

80

^[18]

Console XS (UK)

PAL

75

^[19]

Computer & Video Games (UK)

80

^[20]

The Games Machine (UK)

81

^[6]

Mean Machines Sega (UK)

80

^[21]

Power Play (DE)

65

^[22]

S: The Sega Magazine (UK)

PAL

78

^[23]

Sega Power (UK)

PAL

75

^[24]

Sega Pro (UK)

78

^[25]

Sega Pro (UK)

PAL

75

^[26]

User (GR)

PAL

43

^[27]

	74
Based on 14 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Master System, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster

Master System, EU
Cover
Cart File:Global Defense SMS EU Manual.pdf Manual PCB

Master System, EU (Sega®)
Cover

Master System, EU ("No Limits")
Cover

Master System, PT
Cover

Master System, AU
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Hotline sticker)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (NIAL sticker)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Sega Promo)
Cover

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, KR

Cart

Master System, MX
Cover
Cart

Amiga version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

The Games Machine (UK)

57

^[28]

New Computer Express (UK)

50

^[29]

	54
Based on 2 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Amiga, UK

Amstrad CPC version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

ACE (UK)

79

^[30]

Amstrad Computer User (UK)

49

^[31]

The Games Machine (UK)

29

^[32]

	52
Based on 3 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Amstrad CPC, UK

Amstrad CPC, UK (The Hit Squad)
Cover

Amstrad CPC, ES
Cover

Atari ST version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

ACE (UK)

84

^[33]

Computer & Video Games (UK)

81

^[34]

The Games Machine (IT)

59

^[35]

The Games Machine (UK)

56

^[8]

Génération 4 (FR)

77

^[36]

	71
Based on 5 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Atari ST, UK

Commodore 64 version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

Commodore Force (UK)

46

^[37]

Commodore User (UK)

67

^[38]

Computer & Video Games (UK)

54

^[10]

Computer & Video Games (UK)

72

^[39]

The Games Machine (UK)

56

^[32]

Zzap!64 (UK)

64

^[40]

Zzap!64 (UK)

60

^[41]

Zzap! (IT)

84

^[42]

	63
Based on 8 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Commodore 64, UK (cassette)

Commodore 64, UK (disk)

Commodore 64, UK (The Hit Squad)
Cover

ZX Spectrum version

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

Computer & Video Games (UK)

59

^[11]

The Games Machine (UK)

37

^[32]

New Computer Express (UK)

25

^[43]

Sinclair User (UK)

70

^[44]

Your Sinclair (UK)

64

^[45]

	51
Based on 5 reviews

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

ZX Spectrum, UK
Cover

ZX Spectrum, UK (The Hit Squad)
Cover

ZX Spectrum, ES
Cover

Technical information

ROM dump status

System

Hash

Size

Build Date

Source

Comments

?

CRC32	b746a6f5
MD5	7ab485ee37ea7ce538f7dba08b64d95e
SHA-1	189ee1d4250a1f33e97053aa804a97b4e1467728

128kB

Cartridge (EU/US)

?

CRC32	1de2c2d0
MD5	4fd639981901032cdde4b12ca83d078c
SHA-1	2000b3b291dd7b76c3b8801a88fb0e293ca7e278

128kB

Cartridge (JP)

References

SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

Main page | Comparisons | Credits | Magazine articles | Reception

Music: SDI & Quartet: Sega System 16 Collection: Original Soundtrack (2005)

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20201114213233.2Fhttps:.2F.2Fsega.jp.2Fhistory.2Fhard.2Fsegamark3.2Fsoftware.html-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/segamark3/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-11-14 21:32)

[:File:Mdfan_JP_1992-05.pdf_p103-2] Mega Drive Fan, "May 1992" (JP; 1992-04-xx), page 103

[:File:ComputerEntertainer_US_Vol.6_12.pdf_p13-3] Computer Entertainer, "March 1988" (US; 1988-03-19), page 13

[:File:CGW_US_050.pdf_p45-4] Computer Gaming World, "August 1988" (US; 1988-xx-xx), page 45

[:File:SMSGamesCatalogueUK.pdf_p2-5] File:SMSGamesCatalogueUK.pdf, page 2

[:File:TGM_UK_05.pdf_p43-6] 6.0 ^6.1 The Games Machine, "April 1988" (UK; 1988-03-17), page 43

[:File:Mastertronic_UK_Catalogue_1988.pdf_p2-7] The Mastertronic Catalogue (UK; 1988), page 2

[:File:TGM_UK_14.pdf_p81-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 ^8.3 ^8.4 ^8.5 ^8.6 The Games Machine, "January 1989" (UK; 1988-12-15), page 81

[:File:CVG_UK_085.pdf_p43-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 Computer & Video Games, "November 1988" (UK; 1988-10-15), page 43

[:File:CVG_UK_116.pdf_p81-10] 10.0 ^10.1 Computer & Video Games, "July 1991" (UK; 1991-06-15), page 81

[:File:CVG_UK_116.pdf_p85-11] 11.0 ^11.1 Computer & Video Games, "July 1991" (UK; 1991-06-15), page 85

[:File:Globaldefense_sms_us_manual.pdf_p12-12] File:Globaldefense sms us manual.pdf, page 12

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20160406085411.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fwww.smspower.org.2Fforums.2F6961-JapaneseMagazineSegaSpecialIssue198711UnreleasedSegaMarkIIIGames-13] ttp://www.smspower.org/forums/6961-JapaneseMagazineSegaSpecialIssue198711UnreleasedSegaMarkIIIGames (Wayback Machine: 2016-04-06 08:54)

[:File:ACE_UK_14.pdf_p72-14] ACE, "November 1988" (UK; 1988-xx-xx), page 72

[:File:ACE_UK_14.pdf_p49-15] ACE, "November 1988" (UK; 1988-xx-xx), page 49

[:File:CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf_p57-16] Complete Guide to Consoles, "" (UK; 1989-10-16), page 57

[:File:CGtC_UK_04.pdf_p97-17] Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 97

[:File:TheCompleteGuideToSega_UK.pdf_p57-18] The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 57

[:File:Console_XS_UK_01.pdf_p141-19] Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 141

[:File:CVG_UK_078.pdf_p122-20] Computer & Video Games, "April 1988" (UK; 1988-03-15), page 122

[:File:MeanMachinesSega01UK.pdf_p133-21] Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 133

[:File:PowerPlay_DE_004.pdf_p93-22] Power Play, "Ausgabe 4" (DE; 1988-03-21), page 93

[:File:StheSegaMagazine_UK_08.pdf_p12-23] S: The Sega Magazine, "July 1990" (UK; 1990-06-07), page 12

[:File:SegaPower_UK_23.pdf_p57-24] Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 57

[:File:SegaPro_UK_03.pdf_p19-25] Sega Pro, "Christmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-12), page 19

[:File:SegaPro_UK_18.pdf_p71-26] Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 71

[:File:User_GR_28.pdf_p86-27] User, "Septémvrios 1992" (GR; 1992-0x-xx), page 86

[:File:TGM_UK_22.pdf_p91-28] The Games Machine, "September 1989" (UK; 1989-08-18), page 91

[:File:NewComputerExpress_UK_036.pdf_p50-29] New Computer Express, "July 15, 1989" (UK; 1989-07-13), page 50

[:File:ACE_UK_20.pdf_p78-30] ACE, "May 1989" (UK; 1989-04-06), page 78

[:File:AmstradComputerUser_UK_54.pdf_p36-31] Amstrad Computer User, "May 1989" (UK; 1989-xx-xx), page 36

[:File:TGM_UK_18.pdf_p43-32] 32.0 ^32.1 ^32.2 The Games Machine, "May 1989" (UK; 1989-04-20), page 43

[:File:ACE_UK_15.pdf_p75-33] ACE, "December 1988" (UK; 1988-xx-xx), page 75

[:File:CVG_UK_086.pdf_p58-34] Computer & Video Games, "December 1988" (UK; 1988-11-xx), page 58

[35] The Games Machine, "xxxx 198x" (IT; 1988-12-15), page 36

[36] Génération 4, "Décembre 1988" (FR; 1988-1x-xx), page 24

[:File:CommodoreForce_UK_08.pdf_p20-37] Commodore Force, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-06-24), page 20

[:File:CommodoreUser_UK_64.pdf_p64-38] Commodore User, "January 1989" (UK; 1988-12-19), page 64

[:File:CVG_UK_118.pdf_p88-39] Computer & Video Games, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-08-15), page 88

[:File:Zzap64_UK_047.pdf_p21-40] Zzap!64, "March 1989" (UK; 1989-02-16), page 21

[:File:Zzap64_UK_075.pdf_p79-41] Zzap!64, "July 1991" (UK; 1991-06-13), page 79

[:File:Zzap_IT_57.pdf_p51-42] Zzap!, "Giugno 1991" (IT; 1991-xx-xx), page 51

[:File:NewComputerExpress_UK_007_8.pdf_p41-43] New Computer Express, "December 24, 1988" (UK; 1988-12-22), page 41

[:File:SinclairUser_UK_113.pdf_p42-44] Sinclair User, "July 1991" (UK; 1991-06-15), page 42

[:File:YourSinclair_UK_67.pdf_p58-45] Your Sinclair, "July 1991" (UK; 1991-06-xx), page 58

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SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative

From Sega Retro

Contents

Gameplay

Versions

History

Production credits

Digital manuals

Magazine articles

Promotional material

Physical scans

System 16 version

Master System version

Amiga version

Amstrad CPC version

Atari ST version

Commodore 64 version

ZX Spectrum version

Technical information

ROM dump status

References