ZX Spectrum 48k Longplay - Lazer Tag
10Lazer Tag, developed by Probe Software and published by Go Media in 1987.
"Transport yourself to the year 3010 where competition and sport have replaced blood thirsty lust for violence and confrontation. Yes, you’ll experience the danger of combat. Yes, you’ll feel the rush of adrenalin as you face your challenge. But this battlefield does not render injury, it creates a fever pitch atmosphere of nerve jangling exhilaration and pulsating excitement. Sharpen your reflexes and test your energy levels as one round of Lazer Tag makes the ultimate demands of concentration and skill on your mind and body alike."
The game features six levels split into two modes of play. The first is 'Shoot Out' which is pretty much a deathmatch between you and a horde of enemies. Your goal is to make it to the top clearing out the final wave before the time runs out. The second stage 'Target' is a bonus round where you shoot as many targets as possible in as few shots as possable. You cant die in this round and is just a score builder.
You have only one life and it has to last you the whole game. You start with six units of energy which deplete as you get hit. There is usually and energy collectable in each level. Other pickups include extra time and faster fire. You'll notice I miss some of these as they are not easy to see as you run through the level within a time limit. There is no ending and the game just keeps looping level six until you lose all energy and get a game over.
This is another game that benefits from pal rf colour artifacting and is otherwise seen in monochrome with a higher quality connection. The plus3 disk version is being played here which would have been a steep £12.99 on release. I was never fan of plain old single load 48k releases with no 128k enhancements shoved onto a disk. Better of buying the tape and freezing the game to save to a disk yourself.
00:00:00 Level 1 Neophyte
00:02:10 Level 2 Beamer
00:04:35 Level 3 Lance
00:07:17 Level 4 Armsman
00:10:20 Level 5 Professional
00:13:30 Level 6 Duelist
00:16:30 Level 6 Duelist (Again)