Commodore 64 Longplay [033] Death Star Interceptor (EU)

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Published on February 1, 2020 11:00:09 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx6ROCth9uY

Duration: 10:21

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161

http://www.longplays.org

Played by: MadMatty

Death Star Interceptor, developed by Mark Cale and released by System 3 Software in 1984.

This is the first game released by System 3 on the Commodore 64. Even in 1984 I dont think this really did much for the platform and played on the fact that it has a Death Star from Star-Wars. Even though the game has nothing to do with Star Wars. Well apart from the awful attempt at the Star-Wars title screen music …

I think this game is terrible. Even in 1984 it was terrible. The music is bad, the sound is bad, the gfx are bad and the gameplay ….. Is bad. Before launching you can start on any of four difficulty levels. The game is endless but would jump up a difficulty each time you finish it. The problem is due to janky collision detection eating up your shields and eventually lives, you wont have many lives left to go into the next difficulty. The game does not give you any extra lives. It’s more like a prototype for an idea that got pushed through for release.

The first level plays fine although you have to move a bit and hope your shots land. Just keep shooting at the enemy triangles coming out of the death star until a cruiser comes out of it to pull you into the trench run. The sound effects are already grating at this point. Once in the trench the game falls apart. The enemies are just all over the screen and your movement isnt really restricted to the trench and just looks odd. Dodge barriers and shoot your way to the turret guns and then a single shot to the exhaust port wins the game! Except it's not as easy as it should be. You have to shoot it when lit up red for like 1 millisecond in every 50 so it takes a while for it to register as a hit. Then, after the poorest explosion effect in a game you go through the relaunch sequence into the next difficulty. The trench run breaks up into a few different modes which is nice but it does restrict your movement which can be annoying when those bullets come at you with the janky collision detection.

Amazingly the company didn't fold overnight and went onto release the game on the ZX Spectrum in 1985. Out of the prototype stage and an actual proper game emerged. Complete with gameplay tweaks, graphical effects and even tie fighters. The whole game looks and sounds a lot more like Star Wars but ...it has nothing to do with Star Wars… that would have required a licensing deal! Its still not the greatest game ever or anything but it is definitely what the game was meant to be and more enjoyable than the c64 original. And doesn't really look out of place for a spectrum game in 1985 at all.

The longplay shows a single run through master difficulty but keeps going as the game is endless. I throw away my remaining lives to show the scoreboard and end it there. -
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