Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom Arcade - Attract Mode

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Published on September 15, 2025 1:01:01 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW6F-phsrfw

Game:

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (1982)

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Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom was an arcade game released by Sega in 1982. It came out during the early boom years of arcade gaming, when developers were experimenting with new kinds of graphics and gameplay.

The game was a 3D-style space shooter, which was very advanced for its time. Instead of a flat screen like Pac-Man or Galaga, this one gave you a sense of depth and perspective—you saw your spaceship from behind as it flew “into” the screen, a lot like driving games such as Turbo or Pole Position. The screen scrolled smoothly as if you were rushing through space at high speeds, which felt groundbreaking in the early ’80s.

Gameplay was simple but exciting. You controlled Buck Rogers’ spaceship, dodging and shooting enemy ships while flying through rings (almost like tunnels in space). The further you went, the faster and more chaotic it got. Each stage had enemies that swooped in, lasers to dodge, and obstacles to avoid. The combination of speed, shooting, and maneuvering made it stand out from other space games of that era.

The cabinet itself was also a big part of the attraction. Sega made a deluxe sit-down version that looked like a mini cockpit, so players could feel like they were piloting a real spacecraft. For kids and teenagers in the early ’80s, this was an eye-catching experience that felt closer to being “inside” the game than most other machines at the arcade.

While it doesn’t get talked about as much today as games like Space Invaders or Galaga, Planet of Zoom was an important step forward in arcade technology. It showed what was possible with scaling graphics and laid the groundwork for future 3D shooters and racing games. Many players who grew up in that era still remember being amazed the first time they saw it running in an arcade.