Eliminator (video game)
| Eliminator | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) |
Multi-directional shooter Space combat |
| Mode(s) | 2 player, additional 4 player model |
| Cabinet | Vertical |
| Display | Vector, Color |
Eliminator is a multi-directional shooter space combat game, created and released by Sega in 1981. This space shooter game, which was similar to the monochrome Star Castle,[1] was notable for its color vector graphics, and for allowing cooperative as well as competitive multiplayer gameplay.[2] It is also the only four-player vector game ever made.[1]
Gameplay
Players pilot a space ship around the playfield (space) and must destroy alien drones. The ultimate goal is to evade and destroy the Eliminator, a huge asteroid base. The players fire causes any enemy that is struck (with the exception of the Eliminator itself) to rebound and careen off in another direction. With a little skill, shots can propel the enemy into the Eliminator thus destroying them. There is only one way to destroy the Eliminator, fire a cannon blast down the trench into its center. This can be done directly or via a ricochet. Failure to destroy the Eliminator after a preset time causes the center to activate a drone that flies out of the Eliminator to shoot down the player with a destructive energy blast. The playfield becomes enclosed in an invisible barrier that bounces shots and ships off it, thus increasing the chances of death. Once the Eliminator is destroyed, the game restarts with a tougher set of enemies. The four player version allowed four players to simultaneously make attack runs on the Eliminator while trying to evade or destroy various other opponents. In four player mode, players must also dodge other player's ships.
Trivia
- The Four player version of Eliminator was the only 4 player vector game ever made.
- The game is included as an unlockable game in the PSP version of Sega Genesis Collection.
- Eliminator was also the name of a Defender clone for the TRS-80 and Apple II, published by Adventure International.[3]
References
- 1 2 Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), The video game explosion: a history from PONG to PlayStation and beyond, ABC-CLIO, p. 69, ISBN 0-313-33868-X, retrieved 2011-03-28
- ↑ Eliminator at the Killer List of Videogames
- ↑ TRS-80.org - The Eliminator