Sea Wolf (video game)
| Sea Wolf | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Dave Nutting Associates |
| Distributor(s) | Midway |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Military shooter |
| Cabinet | Standard |
| CPU | Intel 8080 |
| Sound | Amplified Mono (one channel) |
| Display | Horizontal orientation, raster (Black and White with Blue color overlay) |
Sea Wolf is an arcade game by Midway, originally released in 1976.[1] It was a video game update of an earlier coin-operated electro-mechanical (em) Midway game, Sea Devil,[2] itself based on Sega's 1966 coin-op electro-mechanical arcade submarine simulator Periscope.[3] Midway's video game version was designed by Dave Nutting and eventually sold 10,000 video game arcade cabinets. A color sequel, Sea Wolf II, was released in 1978 that sold another 4,000 units.[4]
Gameplay
The player looks through a large periscope to aim at ships moving across the virtual sea line at the top of the screen, using a thumb button on the right handle of the scope to fire torpedoes. The periscope swivels to the right and left, providing horizontal motion of a targeting cross-hair. The cabinet features a mixture of video game and older electro-mechanical technology for player feedback. Using back-lit transparencies reflected inside the scope, the number of torpedoes remaining are displayed, as well as a red "RELOAD" light which lights up momentarily when the player has launched five torpedoes. Additionally, when ships are hit on the screen, an explosion "light" is reflected inside the scope. A blue overlay is affixed to the screen to provide a "water color" to the sea. Sounds include a sonar ping and the sound of the PT boat racing across the screen.
Sea Wolf is time-limited, with the player having an opportunity to win bonus time by reaching an operator-set score. The player's score is shown on the bottom half of the screen as well as the high score, one of the first known instances of a high score in a video game. Targets include destroyers, a fast-moving PT boat, and mines floating across the screen that serve as obstructions.
Legacy
Sea Wolf was followed by Sea Wolf II in 1978.
In 2008, Coastal Amusements released a "retro video"[5] redemption game based on the original Sea Wolf, released by Midway in 1976.[6] It is a 3D remake.[7]
Ports
In 1982 Commodore International produced ports of Sea Wolf for the Commodore VIC-20 and then-new Commodore 64 computers, released in cartridge form.[8]
In 1983 Epyx ported Sea Wolf II and another Midway game, Gun Fight, to the Atari 8-bit family, and released them in an "Arcade Classics" compilation.[9]
Highest score
The current world record holder for Sea Wolf is Alan Radue with a score of 11,300 points. The record was set on October 2, 2011 at the Tranquility Base Arcade and verified by Twin Galaxies International on October 9, 2011.
References
- 1 2 "Sea Wolf Killer List of Video Games Entry". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ↑ Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. "1976 Midway Sea Wolf". Archived from the original on May 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ↑ Steve L. Kent (2001), The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond: the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world, p. 102, Prima, ISBN 0-7615-3643-4
- ↑ Steven L. Kent (2000), The first quarter: a 25-year history of video games, BWD Press, p. 83, ISBN 0-9704755-0-0, retrieved 2011-04-09,
Sea Wolf, which was another creation of Dave Nutting, did solid business, selling more than 10,000 machines. (A later color version sold an additional 4000 units.)
- ↑
- ↑ "Sea Wolf Redemption". Highwaygames.com. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ↑ Shaggy. "Shaggy's Review – Sea Wolf by Coastal Amusements". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ↑ "Sea Wolf for Commodore 64 (1982) - MobyGames". Retrieved 2012-06-07.
- ↑ "Atarimania - Arcade Classics: Sea Wolf II / Gun Fight". Retrieved 2011-02-01.