Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space

Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space is a space flight simulator game designed by Steve Kitchen for the Atari 2600 and published by Activision in 1983.[1] It is one of the first realistic spacecraft simulations available for home systems. Space Shuttle was adapted to the Atari 8-bit family and Atari 5200 by Bob Henderson (1984),[2][3] then ported to the ZX Spectrum (1984),[4] Commodore 64 (1984),[5] Amstrad CPC (1986), and MSX (1986).[6] The 1984 Activision Software catalog also mentions an Apple II version.[7]

Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision
Designer(s)Steve Kitchen
Platform(s)Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX
Release1983: 2600
1984: Atari 8-bit, 5200, C64, Spectrum
1985: Amstrad, MSX
Genre(s)Flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player

The player controls the most critical flight phases such as Launch, Stabilizing Orbit, Docking, Deorbit Burn, Reentry, and Landing, each with its own set of instructions to follow.[1] The original Atari 2600 version came with an overlay since it made use of all the switches.[8]

Reception

In an April 1984 review for Video Games magazine, Dan Persons wrote:

Space Shuttle is not a game for everybody. It requires a considerable amount of patience and, perhaps not too surprisingly, a considerable amount of brainpower. Players who seek the visceral thrills of the standard shoot'em-up may ultimately find this simulation's complexity frustrating. But those of you who are ready for a richer, more sophisticated experience will probably recognize Space Shuttle for the monumental achievement it is.[9]

References
  1. "Space Shuttle: A Journey Into Space magazine ad". archive.org. 1983.
  2. Atarimania, Atari 8-Bit Box and Instructions, complete scans
  3. Atariage Atari 5200 Space Shuttle Information
  4. Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space - World of Spectrum
  5. Lemon - Commodore 64, C64 Games, Reviews & Music!
  6. Space Shuttle - A Journey into Space (1986, MSX, Activision) | Generation MSX
  7. Activision Software Catalog 1984, page 2
  8. AtariProtos.com - All Your Protos Are Belong To Us!
  9. Persons, Dan (April 1984). "Space Shuttle". Video Games. 2 (7): 58–59.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.