| Arkanoid | |
|---|---|
 Box art for Arkanoid for the Atari ST |
|
| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | Romstar |
| Designer(s) | Akira Fujita |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, MSX, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, NES, Super NES, DOS, Mac OS, TRS-80 Color Computer, Nintendo DS |
| Release date | Arcade version USA 1986MSX version  JPN 1986NES/Famicom version JPN December 26, 1986 USA August, 1987Commodore 64 version USA 1987 EU 1987Atari ST version USA 1987 EU 1987Amiga version USA 1987 EU 1987Amstrad CPC version EU 1987Apple IIGS version USA 1988BBC Micro version EU 1987DOS version USA 1988Mac OS version USA 1989TRS-80 Coco version USA 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Breakout |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Input methods | Optical rotary, 1 Button |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Display | Vertical, Raster, standard resolution (Used: 224 x 256) |
Arkanoid is an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. The Atari ST is a home / Personal computer that was commercially available from 1985 to the early 1990s A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video The is a Japanese developer of Video game software and arcade hardware wholly-owned by RPG publisher Square Enix. Romstar Inc was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, CA that started operations in 1984. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The Atari ST is a home / Personal computer that was commercially available from 1985 to the early 1990s The Amiga is a family of Personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation. The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was MS-DOS (short for M icro' s' oft D isk O perating S ystem is an Operating system commercialized by Microsoft. Mac OS is the trademarked name for a series of Graphical user interface -based Operating systems developed by Apple Inc The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (also called Tandy Color Computer, or CoCo) was a Home computer launched in 1980 The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction In Computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap, is a Data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of Pixels An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The is a Japanese developer of Video game software and arcade hardware wholly-owned by RPG publisher Square Enix. It is based upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s. Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the Vaus escapes.
Contents |
Gameplay
The player controls the "Vaus", a space vessel that acts as the game's "paddle" which prevents a ball from falling from the playing field, attempting to bounce it against a number of bricks. BALL ( Biochemical Algorithms Library) is a C++ library containing common algorithms used in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics. A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. The ball striking a brick causes the brick to disappear. When all the bricks are gone, the player goes to the next level, where another pattern of bricks appear. There are a number of variations (bricks that have to be hit multiple times, flying enemy ships, etc. ) and power-up capsules to enhance the Vaus (expand your Vaus, multiply the number of balls, equip a laser cannon, break directly to the next level, etc), but the gameplay remains the same. A laser is a device that emits Light ( Electromagnetic radiation) through a process called Stimulated emission.
At round 33, the final stage, the player will take on the game's boss, "DOH". A boss is a computer-controlled opponent which is found in Video games Their purpose is to test the skills that the player has accumulated over the course of a game Once a player reaches round 33, he must defeat DOH with his remaining extra lives because there are no continues on the final round.
Legacy
Because of the game's popularity, four versions of the game were developed for the coin-op market: Arkanoid, Tournament Arkanoid and Revenge of Doh (Arkanoid II) both in 1987 and Arkanoid Returns in 1997. Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh (aka Arkanoid 2) is an Arcade game released by Taito in 1987 as a sequel to Arkanoid. Arkanoid Returns (aka Arkanoid 4) is an Arcade game released by Taito in 1997 as the last in the Arkanoid series
Many of the 8-bit computer ports (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, MSX, Atari 8-bit, Apple II) were very popular in Europe in the 1980s. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 A console port on the NES was also popular, and the game was also ported for 16-bit computers Amiga, Atari ST, Apple IIGS and IBM PC. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Amiga is a family of Personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation. The Atari ST is a home / Personal computer that was commercially available from 1985 to the early 1990s The Apple, the fifth model inception of the Apple II, was the most powerful member of the Apple II series of personal computers made by Apple Computer. A port was released for the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1989. The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (also called Tandy Color Computer, or CoCo) was a Home computer launched in 1980 A Super NES version called Arkanoid: Doh It Again was released in 1997. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was Arkanoid Returns and a sequel, Arkanoid Returns 2000, were released in Japan for the PlayStation. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console 16-bit versions had identical graphics as the arcade game. Commodore 64 conversion of Arkanoid is known as the first game for the system to feature music that used digitized samples (composed by Martin Galway). Martin Galway (born January 3, 1966, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is one of the best known composers of music for the Commodore 64 Computer conversions were published by Imagine. For the American company see Imagine Software (US Imagine Software was a British Video games developer based in A version for the Nintendo DS handheld, titled Arkanoid DS, was released in Japan, with a North American release coming on August 1, 2008. The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo.
The controls used by various conversions differ from machine to machine, and some conversions allow for multiple control methods. The two basic control methods are digital and analog. Digital controls (many joysticks and control pads, and keyboards) are considered less desirable than analog controls (most mice, trackballs, and paddles); while digital controls limit the player to single-speed control, analog controls allow the player to move the Vaus at nearly any desired speed across the screen. The NES version of Arkanoid was originally packaged with what's considered one of the rarest of all NES controllers, the Vaus Controller: a small gray controller featuring one button, a small spinner (with limited turn radius), an adjustment port, and the Taito logo. The Arkanoid Controller, or Vaus is an optional Game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES game Arkanoid which enhances While the game may be played with the standard digital NES control pad, optimum gameplay is achieved with the Vaus Controller. Latter-day MAME arcade cabinet developers have created customized spinner controls to further simulate the arcade experience, although the Arkanoid controller had quirks which have made it difficult to achieve 100% reproduction. MAME is an Emulator application designed to recreate the Hardware of Arcade game systems in Software, with the intent of preserving gaming The Japanese DS version features an optional paddle controller that connects in the Game Boy Advance slot, but the paddle controller is not being released in America. The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo.
Arkanoid has remained a popular game and is commonly cloned by aspiring game developers in freeware and shareware titles. Freeware is computer Software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee The term shareware, popularized by Bob Wallace, refers to Copyrighted commercial Software that is Distributed without payment on a trial Many companies have also regularly cloned the game in video arcades. A video arcade (also known as an amusement arcade in the United Kingdom in Japan or as an "arcade" is a venue where people play arcade video games Arkanoid's popularity led to it being featured in Rainbow Islands, which has a whole level (4 stages in all) dedicated to the game, including Doh as the level boss. is a 1987 Arcade game from Taito. The game is subtitled "The Story of Bubble Bobble 2" and is the sequel to Taito's hit game Bubble Bobble Also, in some areas of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its Game Boy Advance remake Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, there are blocks inspired by Arkanoid which you must break through. Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island, released in Japan as is a platform Video game developed and published by Nintendo for the The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island, released in Japan as is a platform Video game developed and published by Nintendo for the However, Arkanoid and its sequels have not appeared on any of the recent Taito Memories or Taito Legends compilations – it has been claimed that this was due to legal action from Atari. Taito Legends is a compilation of 29 Arcade games released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC in October of 2005 Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972.
Reception
The Amiga version was reviewed in Computer Gaming World and praised as a perfect version of the arcade game. Computer Gaming World ( CGW) was founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication The review praised the computer versions for playability and features missing from other arcade-style games of the time, such as the ability to continue after all lives are lost. [1]
Plot
The plot of the game is remarkably simple. There are only two messages in the entire game that tell you anything about what you are doing. The first one, at the beginning of the game, says this:
THE ERA AND TIME OF
THIS STORY IS UNKNOWN.
AFTER THE MOTHERSHIP
"ARKANOID" WAS DESTROYED,
A SPACECRAFT "VAUS"
SCRAMBLED AWAY FROM IT.
BUT ONLY TO BE
TRAPPED IN SPACE WARPED
BY SOMEONE. . . . . . . .
The other message is at the end of the game, after destroying the "dimension-controlling fort" that looks like a red wire-frame Moai. Moai (or mo‘ai) (ˈmoʊаɪ are Monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island
DIMENSION-CONTROLLING FORT
"DOH" HAS NOW BEEN
DEMOLISHED, AND TIME
STARTED FLOWING REVERSELY.
"VAUS" MANAGED TO ESCAPE
FROM THE DISTORTED SPACE.
BUT THE REAL VOYAGE OF
"ARKANOID" IN THE GALAXY
HAS ONLY STARTED. . . . . .
Series
- Arkanoid (1986)
- Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh (1987)
- Arkanoid: Doh it Again (1997, Nintendo Super NES)
- Arkanoid Returns (1997)
- Arkanoid DS (2007) [1]
See also
- Breakout
- Breakout clones, which are sometimes described as 'Arkanoid clones'. Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh (aka Arkanoid 2) is an Arcade game released by Taito in 1987 as a sequel to Arkanoid. Arkanoid Returns (aka Arkanoid 4) is an Arcade game released by Taito in 1997 as the last in the Arkanoid series A Breakout clone (also known as a Breakout
References
- ^ Wagner, Roy (Feb 1988), “Warped in Space! "Breakout" of a Space Trap with Arkanoid!”, Computer Gaming World: 31
External links
- Arkanoid at the Killer List of Videogames
- Arkanoid at MobyGames
- Arkanoid at World of Spectrum
- dmoz.org (Open Directory Project) entry on the game
- Information on the TRS-80 port
- Illustrated Arkanoid story (Amiga)
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic