Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom
From Sega Retro
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): VCO Object, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MSX, PC Booter, TI-99/4A, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega (US) Coleco (US) CBS Electronics (EU) U.S. Gold (UK) Philips | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Sega Sega Electronics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Parco Electrics (UK) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom is an early arcade game developed by Sega for VCO Object hardware. It uses the Buck Rogers comic book/television license, and stands as one of Sega's first licensed video games, along with Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, both debuting in 1982. The game is adapted from the earlier Zoom 909, a largely identical game seen predominantly in Japan.
Contents
Gameplay
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom is one of the earliest examples of a "rail" shoot-'em-up game. Gameplay is played in a pseudo-3D third-person perspective, with enemies and obstacles moving towards the camera. 2D sprites are scaled in real-time to give an illusion of depth - technology which would serve as a basis for a plethora of arcade games produced by Sega in the 1980s.
In its original arcade form, each "round" is divided into 8 "sectors", each with slightly different aesthetics and gameplay. When a round is complete, the game loops, becoming more challenging in the process.
History
Legacy
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom was brought to a wide variety of home consoles and computers between 1982 and 1985, including the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, IBM PC (as a PC booter), TI-99/4A, VIC-20 and ZX Spectrum, each suffering slightly due to weaker hardware. Due to odd circumstances, the MSX received two ports of the game by different developers and publishers, one under the Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom name, and another as Zoom 909.
An Amstrad CPC version was advertised by Amsoft in 1985 but was not released.
Versions
Most of the home conversions opt only use two different types of levels - a "ground" level which acts as a hybrid between the arcade sectors 3 and 7, and a "space" level which plays like sector 2 (albeit often without a background). Only the ColecoVision version attempts to replicate the arcade game's content in full - it still drops some sectors (there are six in total, and called "sections" in this port), but by featuring tunnels, it remains the closest home conversion of the game (though home ports of Zoom 909 for the MSX and SG-1000 also feature tunnels).
Magazine articles
- Main article: Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
- Main article: Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom/Promotional material.
Photo gallery
Physical scans
VCO Object version
Apple II version
Atari 2600 version
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||
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60 | |
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Based on 2 reviews |
Atari 5200 version
Atari 8-bit Family version
ColecoVision version
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
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72 | |
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Based on 1 review |
Commodore 64 version
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
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|
45 | |
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Based on 1 review |
MSX version
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
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|
93 | |
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Based on 1 review |
PC Booter version
IBM PC, US |
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TI-99/4A version
Sega Retro Average | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
90 | |
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Based on 1 review |
VIC-20 version
ZX Spectrum version
References
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1983" (UK; 1983-06-16), page 31
- ↑ Computer Entertainer, "March 1984" (US; 1984-03-xx), page 16
- ↑ Computer Entertainer, "April 1984" (US; 1984-04-xx), page 16
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Computer & Video Games, "June 1985" (UK; 1985-05-16), page 118
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Computer & Video Games, "October 1984" (UK; 1984-09-16), page 34
- ↑ TeleMatch, "Februar 1984" (DE; 1984-xx-xx), page 31
- ↑ Tilt, "Mars 1984" (FR; 1984-xx-xx), page 40
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "" (UK; 1989-10-16), page 50
- ↑ Zzap!64, "May 1985" (UK; 1985-xx-xx), page 58
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom | |
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