Return Of The Jedi, 1984 Atari (20 From 1984 #17)
16Fairly meh (IMHO) color 3/4 perspective forced scrolling continuation of the Atari series of arcade games, one year after the color vector masterpiece STAR WARS. This of course takes elements from the film EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, including the Endor forest speed scooter scene, an AT-AT Walker piloted by Chewbacca, flying through the reconstructed Death Star to destroy a reactor, and an outer space shooter sequence with the Millennium Falcon and 2 other ships. The Endor forest and Death Star scenes are the only ones seen the first time around, and then afterwards all scenarios are played. You have a flight yoke to maneuver whichever craft you pilot, and you can push forward to move ahead on the screen or pull back to back up. I would not recommend either flying forward or staying in front of an enemy for very long at all-- the former for things you can more easily slam into and the latter because the enemies will shoot at you; duh! A breakdown of the scenarios: ENDOR SPEED SCOOTER CHASE: As Leia, you hop on a scooter on your way to the Ewok camp at the end of the forest, where you reunite with CP3-0, R2D2, and the others. Along the way you can easily slam into trees if you're not careful (you can hug the walls without consequence) and try to avoid getting shot by the stormtroopers on scooters. If you are FIRST through an Ewok trap you can destroy the enemies behind you and get a substantial bonus, though the hollow logs (on later forest scenarios) are 5,000 for flying through them! If a stormtrooper makes it through the trap first it will get you if you follow. When you get near the end remember that there will be 3 like groups of trees before the ending; hug the right wall and you'll safely pass through this unscathed. AT-AT WALKER: Chewy (with his hearty growl) boards the mobile monstrosity and can shoot left, ahead and right (ahead is really the only important choice). Logs roll at you and rocks are fired in your direction. You can shoot the logs before they reach you and if you're at the far right you'll avoid the rocks. It's best to be at the far right and dodge left only once in a while maybe to shoot a log that may hit you (costs you a life). This segues occasionally into: SPACE BATTLE: The Millennium Falcon and 2 other ships fly through space, shooting enemy ships and cannons atop enemy space battleships. This is easily the lamest scenario of all, and glitchiness is highly probable here. Just stay alive long enough to go back to the AT-AT Walker scene, which eventually ends at an enemy camp. The last scenario (2nd the first time around) is DEATH STAR: You will fly the Falcon with Lando Calrissian giving guidance as you fly ahead of enemy ships trying to shoot you from behind as you try to avoid slamming into walls. You will eventually reach the reactor which you must shoot-- well, you can avoid doing so and crash but you'll lose a life (or your last and end the game) and skip to the next go-through without a 10,000 point Death Star destruction bonus. On the way back out the action is a bit faster and enemies will be ahead of you trying to make it out alive. You will be trying to out-run a wall of flame (again, you can die here if you have reserve lives but you don't get the bonus). Later go-rounds have little additional bonuses like the hollow logs, doors that close on enemies in the Death Star, etc. Not a great entry in the Star Wars gaming library but I did see it at ALL the arcades. Stick with the color vector one or the later, better ones. Stay warm and see you for game #16, folks!