Random Game O' the Day: Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom

[digitalpress]

The Superfantastic DP Galaxy Generator of Game Choices (tm) chooses the Atari 5200 version of Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom, though we'll open the discussion on this game up to the other versions (Atari 26, 8-bit, C64, TI-99/4A and arcade as well as any that I just left out) as well.

I've never seen an actual Buck Rogers arcade machine outside of the TV show Starcade, but I've played it in MAME and I think the game is just as much fun at home as it is in the arcade, if not more so, really. For a game that was so widely released on a variety of platforms in the 80's, not having seen the arcade machine and not knowing anyone who would ever list Buck Rogers as a favorite of theirs always seemed a bit of an anomaly to me.

What do you think of the game? Write your mini-review here.

DP Guide sez:

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (Atari 5200, by Sega) $8/R3
Based on the 1982 Sega coin-op. PERIODICALS: Named "Best Action Game of 1984" (on all systems) by Electronic Games Magazine. #005-02.

Atari 5200:
http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/atari5200/buckrogers.gif

Arcade:
http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/arcade/buckrog.png

[Tempest]

I played Buck Rogers on my Atari 400 all the time growing up (it was the second game I got right after Donkey Kong). I liked it, but it got a bit boring after awhile. My favorite thing to do was to go full speed and try to weave in and out of the posts. Did you know that if the explosion from your ship manages to cross the last set of posts before it dissappears it counts? I always used to end my levels that way just because it was so funny.

I never saw a BR arcaade machine, but I have to say that it looks a hell of alot better than any home version.

Tempest

[Trellisaze]

This was the one real game I had on the ADAM, and I played the hell out of it when I was young.

Hooked the ADAM up a few years ago, and cnecked Buck Rogers again, and wow, was it ever a lot slower than I remembered. It was still kinda fun, but I doubt I'll play it much more except for nostagia's sake.

[Gunstarhero]

I first played this game on Apple IIE. Heck I didn't even know it was an arcade game until now! The only version I have of the game presently is the 2600 version, and well, its just not as fun as it used to be. Although, I would like to have the 5200 version because it looks alot nicer. That arcade version looks like it has some decent graphics, judging by that screenshot, but it looks totally different in terms of level design. All I know about BR on the home console is you basically slalom thru those posts while shooting flying saucers. Gets a little boring.

[Aswald]

The ColecoVision version, although it looks great in still shots, is really not a good game. Too sputtery, too much left out...stick to Moonsweeper.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Hate to say it, but none of the home versions of BR ever really "grabbed" me. I just recently tried out the arcade game again via MAME for the first time since '83, and WOW, what a beautiful, fast-moving game that was. The 5200 version - well, all of the home versions really - just lack that sense of speed that made the ZOOM so appropriate in the arcade game's name.

Beedy beedy beedy...Buck, you're my kinda guy.

[Jorpho]

It's all about the ADAM version. (It was the ADAM pack-in game, after all.) Apparently Coleco ported that version (and the Colecovision version) themselves, while Sega did all the other, shorter, inferior home versions.

Of course, even the ADAM version pales in comparison to the original. I particularly like that stage where you can't see any ships until you blow up the asteroids. Does anyone know more about why it was so difficult to emulate? Something about "analog sprite-scaling", as I recall.

Have you seen the PC version? It fits in a 60k COM file, and even has CGA graphics and PC speaker sound!
________
Kitchen Measures (http://kitchenmeasures.com/)

[Cafeman]

I know I played Buck Rogers at the arcade as a kid, but I can't remember which arcade had it. I think it was either too hard or 50 cents a game because I didn't give it much time back then. I think it was sitdown cockpit with a flight stick, wasn't it?

Well regardless, I have the 5200 version and I've played the 2600 version and I don't like the home versions at all. Sega's games never translated well to the 5200 IMHO -- Buck Rogers, Zaxxon, Congo Bongo, Star Trek , all are way too watered down, but Buck Rogers is particularly uninteresting with only the horrible Congo Bongo beating it out in badness factor.

The speed and graphic punch isn't there, and the control doesn't feel right either. Too bad Buck Rogers didn't make it to one of the Shenmue arcades. Why SEGA, why don't you release compilations of those 80's games?!

[Arcade Antics]

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/images/B/sBuck_Rogers_Planet_Of_Zoom.jpg

This the one you played? :) Our local Chuck E. Cheese had the upright version; played it often there too, but you're right - it was .50 a play for the longest time!

I like the game a lot and don't mind the console versions for the most part, but they're definitely lackluster next to the awesome spectacle of the real thing.

[Cafeman]

Forward scrolling "3d" games were always difficult to pull off until the 32-bit systems came out. Last night I spent an hour playing Genesis Super Hang On -- the fake sprite scaling and color-cycling 'terrain' is much better than what the classic 8bit systems could do, but still nothing like the coin-ops.

[Mayhem]

Buck Rogers was one of the games played last season for the Llamasoft Lleague challenge that we have. Fast moving, tricky game I must say. Sadly the C64 version sucked the big one completely, only had some of the stages, was very much easier and graphics are terrible...

[Zaxxon]

Why SEGA, why don't you release compilations of those 80's games?!

Agreed! Sega has tons of games from the 80's and they just keep on re-re-re-re-releasing Afterburner, Hang-On, Space Harrier over and over on every system. Ugh.

[opcode]

Why SEGA, why don't you release compilations of those 80's games?!

Agreed! Sega has tons of games from the 80's and they just keep on re-re-re-re-releasing Afterburner, Hang-On, Space Harrier over and over on every system. Ugh.

If I remember correctly, SEGA was an US company sold for Japanese investors back in 84. So maybe the "new SEGA" doesn't like the games created by the "old one".

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I dunno...wasn't there a Zaxxon 3D or Zaxxon Mothership or something like that on the Genesis or Master System?