Phoenix (arcade game)
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Phoenix is a popular shoot 'em up arcade game created and manufactured by Amstar Electronics (which was located in Phoenix, Arizona) in 1980, and licensed to Centuri for US distribution, and to Taito for Japanese distribution.
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Description
Like many arcade games of that era, Phoenix is an outer space-themed fix shooter. Gameplay is somewhat predictable: each level has spaceships, alien birds that fire at your ship, and a mothership that is guarded by many of the same alien birds.
The player's spaceship moves horizontally at the bottom of the screen. In addition to the missiles, the ship is equipped with a shield that can be used to zap any of the alien creatures that attempt to crash into the spaceship. However, once used, the player must wait for a short period (approximately five seconds) before he/she can use the shield again.
Phoenix was one of the first full color arcade games along with Galaxian, so at the time it stood out. Also, it has distinctive shooting sounds that have become very familiar to fans of the genre. Most importantly, the Phoenix mothership was the first video arcade game boss where the boss was presented as a separate challenge.
Phoenix is a very popular game for graphing calculators, where it is one of the most common programs for the TI-83 and TI-84 model.
Gameplay
Each level has five separate rounds. The player must successfully complete a round before advancing to the next one.
- Rounds 1 and 2 – The player must destroy a formation of ailen birds. While in formation, some of the birds fly down kamakazie style, in an attempt to destroy the player's spaceship by crashing into it. The birds are yellow in round 1, pink in round 2. The player's spaceship is given rapid fire for round 2, where the birds fly somewhat more unpredictably.
- Rounds 3 and 4 – Larger alien birds, resembling the mythological phoenix, swoop down at the player's spaceship. The only way to fully destroy one of these birds is by hitting it in its belly; shooting at one of its sides merely damages the bird, and it will regenerate.
- Round 5 – The player is pitted against the mothership, which is controlled by an alien-like creature sitting in its center. To successfully complete this round, the player must first fire away at the hull and a conveyor belt-type shield to get a clear shot at the alien. Destorying the alien – only one shot is required – ends the level. The mothership fires missiles at the player, and has the alien birds (from rounds 1 and 2) protecting the ship.
The game continues, with the difficulty increasing per level.
Clones
- Griffon was released by Videotron in 1980.
- Falcon was released by BGV. in 1980.
- Vautour was released by Jeutel in 1980 in France.
- Batman Part 2 was released in 1981.
- Condor was released by Sidam in 1981.
Sequels
The official sequel to Phoenix was called Pleiads and was developed by Tehkan in 1981, and licensed to Centuri for US distribution.
The Flagship level in the Midway game Gorf was a take-off of the boss stage in Phoenix.
Ports
Atari later bought the home video game console rights to Phoenix. The Imagic game Demon Attack closely resembled Phoenix, so Atari sued Imagic but lost their lawsuit. The home version of Phoenix is one of the better arcade ports of the time.
In 2005, Phoenix was released on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and the PC as part of Taito Legends.