Let's Compare ( Missile Command )

Video Locations
Arcade 0:45
Emerson Arcadia 2001 2:04
Enterprise 128 3:33
Game Gear 4:52
Genesis / Megadrive 6:21
Atari 2600 7:56
Atari 5200 / 800 / XE 9:15
ZX Spectrum 10:34
Commodore 64 11:52
Gameboy / Gameboy color 13:24
Amiga 14:43
BBC Micro 16:13
Lynx 17:42
Sega Master System 19:01
MSX 20:35
Flash 22:04
Flash 23:39
Sharp x68000
Intro 25:08
Gameplay 25:47
Playstation
Intro 27:36
Classic Gameplay 28:36
Cinema 30:04
3D Gameplay 31:09
Windows 32:36
Vectrex 34:11
Description Source:
en.wikipedia.or...
Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari, Inc. that was also licensed to Sega for European release. It is considered one of the most notable games from the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games. The plot of Missile Command is simple: the player's six cities are being attacked by an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of them even splitting like multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), and in later levels smart bombs which can evade a less than perfectly targeted missile. As a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries, the player must defend six cities in their zone from being destroyed.
Gameplay
The game is played by moving a crosshair across the sky background via a trackball and pressing one of three buttons to launch a counter-missile from the appropriate battery. Counter-missiles explode upon reaching the crosshair, leaving a fireball that persists for several seconds and destroys any enemy missiles that enter it. There are three batteries, each with ten missiles; a missile battery becomes useless when all its missiles are fired, or if the battery is destroyed by enemy fire. The missiles of the central battery fly to their targets at much greater speed; only these missiles can effectively kill a smart bomb at a distance.
The game is staged as a series of levels of increasing difficulty; each level contains a set number of incoming enemy weapons. The weapons attack the six cities, as well as the missile batteries; being struck by an enemy weapon results in destruction of the city or missile battery. Enemy weapons are only able to destroy 3 cities during one level. A level ends when all enemy weaponry is destroyed or reaches its target. A player who runs out of missiles no longer has control over the remainder of the level. At the conclusion of a level, the player receives bonus points for any remaining cities or unused missiles. Between levels missile batteries are rebuilt and replenished; destroyed cities are rebuilt only at set point levels (usually 10 or 12K).
The game inevitably ends when all six cities are destroyed, unless the player manages to score enough points to earn a bonus city before the end of the level. Like most early arcade games, there is no way to "win" the game; the game just keeps going with ever faster and more prolific incoming missiles. The game, then, is just a contest in seeing how long the player can survive. On conclusion of the game, the screen displays "The End", perhaps a poke at oncoming Nuclear Holocaust rather than the standard "Game Over" text. This conclusion is skipped, however, if the player makes the high score list and the game prompts the player to enter his/her initials.
The game features an interesting bug: once a score of 810,000 is reached, a large number of cities are awarded (176 cities plus the continuing accrual of bonus cities) and it is possible to carry on playing for several hours. At some later stage the speed of missiles increases greatly for a few screens. On the 255th and 256th yellow screens, known as the 0x stages, the scoring increases by 256 times the base value. For good players these two 0x stages could earn over a million points. This enabled them to reach a score of approximately 2,800,000 (although only 6 digit scores were shown, so it would display 800,000) and at this point the accelerated rate would suddenly cease and the game would restart at its original (slow) speed and return to the first stage, but with the score and any saved cities retained. In this way it was possible to play this game for hours on end.
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[@MrVenom1974]

Missile Command is an everlasting classic! The Vectrex version is really great.

[@offrampt]

I agree. Vectrex made a superb version.

[@KeenRetroGames]

John Dondzila’s Patriots wasn’t an official game but it sure was great.

[@zomgl2pnoobffs]

It's always amazed me how many of the Missile Command copies miss the point of having slow-moving missiles launched from multiple bases. Without that you lose all the planning aspect that makes the game interesting. The BBC Micro version is the first to get it right, about half-way through!

[@beyondobscure]

The 2600 version's A game has slow missiles.

[@sweetpeachnectar]

the sharp x68000 version totally rocks! :D but i also like the zx spectrum one a lot. :)

[@GamingHistorySource]

Me too ! The Game gear & genesis ports were a complete letdown though. The SMS blew them both out of the water.

[@CarozQH]

If you click on the grey area left of the video and then type in 1980 with your keyboard you can play a youtube version of this game.

[@RaverSnowLep]

Holy shit you really can!

[@lynchie137]

Wow. That's really cool. Thanks for the tip.

[@DragonBallZKaifan2]

Did you know that the developer of this game had nightmares as he was making this game?

[@bobsaturday5840]

I believe... Game not fun at all with it idea (in good way) - it's pretty realistic and show the possible nuclear war, which always will end with billions of dead... ,_,

[@scooterahlers6719]

GHS/Wingnut4427 Thanks for this video. Missile Command was a MAJOR classic back in the day and I'm clad to see you covered it. My favorite ports are the Microsoft Arcade, Gameboy, and Atari 2600.

[@1xWertzui]

LOL @ the Japanese... anime intro and music to Missile Command... it really blows away the ominous "coold waar, we'll all fuckin' die from nukes" feeling from this game (the Sharp X68000 version).

[@theghostofcottonmather8621]

Some people think you blow up meteors or spaceships like most games of the time,but you are actually blowing up Russian intercontinental nuclear missiles

[@jeffzebert4982]

Nowadays, one can easily imagine "Missile Command" as Caprica's last stand against an onslaught of missiles from the Cylons -- especially since the Cylons DID use nuclear missiles to destroy the Twelve Colonies!

[@TheDemoniusX]

lol the arcadia version has heart explosions! unless that is a codec or recording issue.

[@neodonkey]

Yeah the arcadia has only a range of a few pre-programmed characters if I recall correctly, its resources are tiny.

[@1983parrothead]

I've seen Satoshi Tajiri in a video playing the arcade version of this and he seem's quite good at playing it.

[@dave4shmups]

If you have an Atari Jaguar, definitely get Missile Command 3D! It's really cool!

[@matslarsson5988]

My favorite Missile Command is a non official clone made for the Amiga.. But I cant remember the name. I think it was done by a demo-group and released as share-ware. But Im not 100% sure. Anyone who knows what game Im talking about?

[@aziz_light]

Have you seen the Arcade Classics game with the 2 player version of Centipede and Missile Command? It's a fun twist. Both versions are a bit easier. Maybe because it's a prototype? I think one machine was made.

[@SireSquish]

Definitely worth a mention, although it doesn't carry the name Missile Command: Rocket Raid for DOS. Unequivocally the best missile command clone ever made. Wow, it's not as easy to find these days... dosgamer.com/rocket-raid/

[@hardstyle3196]

aye! that vectrex one with its minimalist approach both looked and sounded pretty sexxxy!

[@clarenceboddicker6679]

lol the emerson arcadia wasnt powerful enough to handle lines moving down from the top of the screen, it could only handle small dots instead

[@scottbreon9448]

That's mainly because the system could only do Ascii graphics, so it wasn't much different than the VIC-20 in that regards

[@elizabethbuczkowski7188]

The KZbin Easter egg version is my favorite ngl

[@ianbrooke9313]

I wonder if there is a we rock easter egg but no worries, it is actually identical to the youtube version but now with horrid 6 bit dac beep sound similar to the missile defense found on the zx spectrum

[@Trusteft]

Too bad you didn't include the ST version. I thought it was arcade perfect though impossible later on as is the arcade game. Something about the Master System version makes it the on I like the most among those shown here. I find it funny how some versions have gone away from defending the cities from basically WW3 to a more war vs aliens theme. BTW, the people in the air baloon in the PS1 version have balls of steel! Thanks for the video.

[@ggeorge747]

You missed the Jaguar version, Missile Command 3D. It has a classic mode too.

[@RayWrightRayrite]

Atari 2600 version rocks! loved the sound effects. why was the Genesis version so crappy?

[@GamingHistorySource]

To address a comment that I seem to be getting a lot. I did not include the Atari Jaguar version because I could not get it to work. This was the main reason it took me so long to complete this project. I had it on hold for months because of this. I'm not sure why I missed the Atari ST version. I thought I accounted for it but evidently through all the time & editing I must have deleted it because I do remember obtaining it. If I manage to get the Jaguar version I'll update this video. But in the mean time it will have to wait. I've had this project on the back burner for 7 months as a result of this. :\ I will continue to look for options. I even considered buying a jaguar to obtain footage but since the Daytona USA debacle I have decided that is not in my best interest to spend any more money making these videos. But I am not opposed to taking donated hardware & software .. ( eh hem ) lol

[@thesman32]

you should of said i have a working version of it i could of sent ya.

[@GamingHistorySource]

chris ferguson It is a video I made using the real hardware except for the arcade. I caught more shit over that video than any. From that point foreword I decided that it wasn't worth investing money into making the videos. One guy even told me my emulation on the dreamcast version was buggy. I asked how that is since it wasn't emulation ? I got no response & He removed his own comment.

[@EugenioAngueira]

I'm surprised you did not include the Atari Jaguar version. It does have a "classic" version of the game included in the cartridge.

[@EugenioAngueira]

wingnut4427 That sucks, because it is an excellent version.

[@bluethunder7391]

Atari 2600, great childhood memories!

[@1xWertzui]

I had a small shareware clone called Warheads for Windows 3.1

[@javaykirk2688]

Why wasn't this available for Atari 7800

[@petsasjim1]

GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS wingnut4427 .THANK YOU I HOPE IN THE FUTURE YOU WILL ADD ATARI ST VERSION (I KNOW JAGUAR YOU SAID DONT PLAYS)

[@beyondobscure]

sega missile command looks like no fun. if you hold a button does it accelerate?

[@1xWertzui]

I commented too early, there is the Playstation version. Oh well the whole Cold War theme was pretty outdated then. The alien invasion theme still does not feel so out of place as the anime style in the Sharp version. I find the Vectrex version weak because of the soft sound effects. Atari 5200 wins this one. BOOOM!

[@THOMASSU63]

The Atari ST did have a version of this if I'm not mistaken. I prefer the Atari 8-bit computer version with track-ball.

[@wingnut4427]

not sure how I missed that one. :(

[@NightSprinter]

Yeah, it's just not many still know to press Control+T to enable that mode.

[@dschult3]

All hail the mighty Vectrex!

[@MaximRecoil]

Why is the Genesis version so shitty? The Genesis is more than powerful enough for an arcade-perfect port of Missile Command. The Genesis controller actually has 3 buttons, perfect for Missile Command, yet they only gave you one missile base, like the Atari 2600 version (and many others). Missile Command is one of those arcade games that no one ever got right on a console, which is strange, because the arcade graphics and sound effects are very simple. The Windows version appears to be the most accurate port.

[@virtuafighter3]

Agreed. even Frogger gets close to the arcade and it is more complicated. The Sega Master System Version is better than the Mega Drive version. Maybe they too the game Gear versions code and converted it from that to the MD?

[@WARREN_9000]

I Have the 2600 Version.🕹On My Atari Flashback 6 🎮 Edit: Now The Arcade! on my Legends Ultimate

[@Starxxon]

Wow, the Genesis version is actually worse than the Atari 2600 version!

[@paoloretrogamer]

You Are Missing The SNES Version.[Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1].

[@GamingHistorySource]

yeah.. but it's a direct emulation of the arcade. I guess dealing with so many versions .. It happens. :(

[@markzilla9623]

but that's what we want ..is the next best thing to the arcade original..i find it better than the PS etc. AGH:Atari Col.1 ..hands down the SNES is the most playable there is..coming from an old school gamer back when the game was brand new in the arcades :)

[@hardstyle3196]

FUCK!!! that Amiga one was creepy as fuck!

[@Novabug]

Like the look of ps version myself. Nice.

[@toasteee252]

Ugh...you must've gotten the only copy of the emerson

[@AtariCrypt]

No Atari ST or Jaguar?? :(

[@Accelluter]

Chuck's feelings XD

[@ThomwoththeWeather]

Intellivision Amico 2020 with the winner!!!

[@rbrtck]

The C64 version was unlicensed, and unsurprisingly it looks like it was written in BASIC. Why an official port was never done is a mystery to me. It always amazes me when people go through all of the effort it takes to make a game port while putting zero effort into making it look and play like the original--I'm speaking in general, although this is especially egregious in the case of Missile Command its many ports.

[@luisedgarf]

What do you expect? Western game development in that era was crap, and it's no wonder why the video game crash happened.

[@scottbreon9448]

luissedgarf The game was developed by Interceptor Software, which was NOT based in the US, it was based in the UK. And THERE WAS NO CRASH IN THE UK OR THE REST OF EUROPE OH, AND THE CRASH ONLY EFFECTED HOME CONSOLES, NOT COMPUTERS

[@rbrtck]

@@luisedgarf I expect an effort more in line with what was generally done back then, especially on the C64 specifically. In this case, there was no official port, and even the best unofficial ports (not the one shown here) were a far cry from the original. Interestingly, the Atari 2600 port from back then is quite playable, while some imitations of that simplified (but hard to program on the 2600) version don't play as well on more advanced hardware. There is no excuse for that. How much time were the developers given, 1 person-week? Lately I've been working on my own C64 port of Missile Command. After just a few days of work (cumulative), I've found a way to make a near-pixel-perfect representation of the cities and bases on the C64 (plus other key parts of the game such as the explosions). Here is an image of the current cities and bases: i.ibb.co/vh4624Z/Missile-Command-C64.png It's not a perfect facsimile of the original, but very close. A couple of the cities are 1 or 2 pixels off, but those flaws can be fixed (just working on the rest of the game currently). For now, the resolution is the exact same as the original arcade machine, which is 256 pixels wide, but I might eventually scale it up to the C64's 320-pixel maximum. Because the C64 has lower vertical resolution, I've removed 2 pixels of height from the planet, but kept everything else the same. Development is going well, with progress being made every time I've been able to find time to work on it. Even just this still image takes nearly every standard (non-demo level) trick the C64 offers to pull off at this resolution. Reducing the horizontal resolution to 160 pixels would have made things much, much easier, but where is the challenge in that? :) I'm still trying to decide between 320-pixel (256 pixels used) or 160-pixel modes for the incoming ICBMs and outgoing ABMs. Maybe it could be an option because there are visual trade-offs involved. For now I'm working in the 160-pixel mode because it has fewer, if any, artifacts, despite the lower resolution. The cities and bases will always be in 320-pixel mode.

[@rbrtck]

@@scottbreon9448 That's all true, and for some reason, generally European programmers made more use--as well as more unorthodox use--of the C64's most powerful features. One of them told me that one reason was that European programmers back then were not trained professionals, so they did everything they could rather than just in the "right" ways. I don't know whether that's true, but it's a nice theory, in any case. Well, I'm not European (I'm American), but I think it's fun to make the C64 (or any computing platform) do things that it supposedly cannot do. :) And like I said, even at this early stage of developing my own C64 port of _Missile Command_ , I've had to use a bunch of tricks just to make a setting that is true to that of the original arcade game. I wonder why no one has tried for so long. Well, I'm trying now, and the tricks I'm using were all known back in the day (especially in Europe). Actually, I am using one novel trick that I just made up, although others might have used it before (I don't know of any examples, but probably?).

[@KyleRichoux]

WARNING: the game over/the end screen may give you a seizure

[@Jilvenhong]

i seen it many times before..

[@PotholesInMyLawn]

Wow the Amiga is fast

[@Gooberslot]

There was also a PD Amiga version. Here's a video of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ6TgWZom9J0fdU

[@czuczu666]

20:38 FUCK! this is some serious shit..

[@hardstyle3196]

for reals! I got ready to fuckin die!

[@aenoire]

There's also the atari st version Wish they still had game room up, i may just have to hack my xbox 360 and get a copy

[@ajnc78]

SEGA Master System version is better than Genesis/Megadrive!!!

[@ztevezen9434]

9:10 it says 2015 on the top

[@ajkarmela3635]

IIts 2018 now

[@TerryJohno]

2600 2600 2600 2600 2600 2600

[@unebonnevie]

Sega ports are crappy! Amiga version is really nice!

[@paoloretrogamer]

Master System Is A Good Port. MD/GEN Version Sucks Balls For An 16-Bit System. Is Possible To Be The Same As SNES Version. Also, Game Gear Uses One Missile Only.

[@toasteee252]

The msx version, why the annoying voice? Nice rip off of star wars music on second level tho.