Missile Command "Story"

[Rex Dart]

I've read in several places that the fictional story was made due to the Cold War. The original plan was for a simulated missle attack on American ciites, with one base on the Atlantic and another on the Pacific with the third one in the center. There were concerns though that a game that struck that 'close to home' like that would hurt sales, cause a panic, and give a lot of bad negative media attention. This was in the early 80's, mind you, when the Cold War was heating up again and Regan was in office. Even the creator of the game said he woke up several times from nightmares of a nuclear attack when programing the game. So the back story was changed to a more generic fictional sci-fi one.

 

Also, Star Wars.

[Cynicaster]

Holy shit, after all these years I've always just assumed that the game was a cold war reference and left it at that. I'm a bit ashamed that it never occurred to me that the cover art depicting some guy wearing a Star-Wars-esque mullet helmet would be ludicrous in a real world context. Oh well, it's a fun game.

[Rex Dart]

It sure is! I had actually never tried it (the VCS version) before reading this thread. Since I tend to get a copy with every batch of carts I buy, I figured it was sort of a throwaway game. It's actually very nice! Can it be played with anything other than a joystick though?

 

 

edit: Also, doesn't the woman/effeminate man on the left look just like Leia with her hair pulled back? I hadn't really noticed the art either, just assumed space wars cca. 1980 = star wars fame cash-in.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Rex Dart

[godzillajoe]

Atari always had some crazy story in their catalogs for every game. Even Othello is set in space, showing "you" playing against some Dr. Doom looking cyborg guy. In MC's case I don't think "You have to defend American cities from the Soviet missiles or your family dies! Good luck, Timmy!" would have gone over too well. Also, I never thought they were US cities since we never had yellow or magenta skies and cities with missile bases sitting right next to them.

[Rex Dart]

Atari always had some crazy story in their catalogs for every game. Even Othello is set in space, showing "you" playing against some Dr. Doom looking cyborg guy.

True, true. See also: Buzz Aldrin's Technicolor Freakout.

 

In MC's case I don't think "You have to defend American cities from the Soviet missiles or your family dies! Good luck, Timmy!" would have gone over too well.

Maybe not back then, but I'd sure as hell play a game described as such today.

 

Also, I never thought they were US cities since we never had yellow or magenta skies and cities with missile bases sitting right next to them.

But in the 1980 vision of the near future, perhaps?

Edited January 20, 2011 by Rex Dart

[toptenmaterial]

I still prefer "Beat Em & Eat Em's" backstory. Now that's original!

[tz101]

Still doesn't mean that Atari could not have changed their "story" at a later time, you know like after Atlantis came on the scene.

The revised story was also used in the original manual for 2600 Missile Command, which has a 1981 copyright date and would have had to have been written months before the game came out. Nothing was changed after the fact.

 

How could the story be "revised" if it was used in the original. "Revised" means it was changed from one thing to something else. So, if it was "revised" then maybe it originally had a cold war theme.

Edited January 21, 2011 by tz101

[+Psionic]

How could the story be "revised" if it was used in the original. "Revised" means it was changed from one thing to something else. So, if it was "revised" then maybe it originally had a cold war theme.

Jesus Christ, what a ballbuster.

 

You just don't know when to quit do you?

[Mayhem]

True, true. See also: Buzz Aldrin's Technicolor Freakout.

Space Rainbow Tennis, surely?

 

 

[jaybird3rd]

How could the story be "revised" if it was used in the original. "Revised" means it was changed from one thing to something else. So, if it was "revised" then maybe it originally had a cold war theme.

 

I think my use of the terms "original" and "revised" were perfectly clear in this context. "Revised" means that the setting was changed from the Cold War missile attack of the coin-op version to the "alien planet" of the 2600 version. When I said "original manual," I was referring to the 2600 version's original manual (as I clearly indicated), the point being that the revised storyline was the "official" backstory of the 2600 version from the beginning, not something that was imposed on it later. The story was never changed after the 2600 version was published, nor was it changed from the original coin-op storyline "in response" to Atlantis or any other competing product.

 

1980: Original Coin-Op Missile Command, with the original Cold War storyline

1981: 2600 Missile Command, with the revised "alien planet" storyline

1982: Atlantis, which did not influence 2600 Missile Command in any way whatsoever because it didn't exist yet.

 

Got it??? Sheesh.

[tz101]

How could the story be "revised" if it was used in the original. "Revised" means it was changed from one thing to something else. So, if it was "revised" then maybe it originally had a cold war theme.

Jesus Christ, what a ballbuster.

 

You just don't know when to quit do you?

 

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Thank you for not using His name in exclamations of frustration.

[toptenmaterial]

True, true. See also: Buzz Aldrin's Technicolor Freakout.

Space Rainbow Tennis, surely?

 

 

is this for real? it's extremely funny!!

[jaybird3rd]

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Thank you for not using His name in exclamations of frustration.

I can think of several very easy responses to that, but I think I'll take the high road and refrain from posting them.

 

Instead ... to continue on a more positive note, I decided to post the Yars' Revenge album, which I also scanned and transferred to MP3. Here is a direct link, in case anyone's interested (again, this file is about 30 megabytes).

 

And here's the front cover:

 

[Rex Dart]

is this for real? it's extremely funny!!

 

I think that's from an SA Photoshop Phriday.

[Cynicaster]

is this for real? it's extremely funny!!

 

I think that's from an SA Photoshop Phriday.

 

I can't remember if it was on AA or not but a while back somebody posted a link to a whole bunch of these spoofed Atari box art pictures. I thought it was funny as hell, but can't remember where it was. Anybody have a link?

[Rex Dart]

I can't remember if it was on AA or not but a while back somebody posted a link to a whole bunch of these spoofed Atari box art pictures. I thought it was funny as hell, but can't remember where it was. Anybody have a link?

 

I'd check the SA Photoshop Phriday archives.

[Trinity]

I can't remember if it was on AA or not but a while back somebody posted a link to a whole bunch of these spoofed Atari box art pictures. I thought it was funny as hell, but can't remember where it was. Anybody have a link?

 

I'd check the SA Photoshop Phriday archives.

 

 

opp's

Edited January 21, 2011 by Trinity

[Trinity]

It's all here!!!

 

[diogoandrei]

edit: Also, doesn't the woman/effeminate man on the left look just like Leia with her hair pulled back? I hadn't really noticed the art either, just assumed space wars cca. 1980 = star wars fame cash-in.

 

...are you sure?

[jaybird3rd]

edit: Also, doesn't the woman/effeminate man on the left look just like Leia with her hair pulled back? I hadn't really noticed the art either, just assumed space wars cca. 1980 = star wars fame cash-in.

It's pretty clearly influenced by Star Wars: the guy at the controls wearing a Star Wars style helmet, the princess looking on in the background, and so forth. It's not surprising, given that The Empire Strikes Back had been released only about a year earlier. It may not have much to do with the gameplay, but the Missile Command cover art is still among my favorites. I just love the highly-detailed, "montage" paintings that Atari used for their games during the Warner years.

[diogoandrei]

edit: Also, doesn't the woman/effeminate man on the left look just like Leia with her hair pulled back? I hadn't really noticed the art either, just assumed space wars cca. 1980 = star wars fame cash-in.

It's pretty clearly influenced by Star Wars: the guy at the controls wearing a Star Wars style helmet, the princess looking on in the background, and so forth. It's not surprising, given that The Empire Strikes Back had been released only about a year earlier. It may not have much to do with the gameplay, but the Missile Command cover art is still among my favorites. I just love the highly-detailed, "montage" paintings that Atari used for their games during the Warner years.

 

Totally agree with the overall Star Wars feeling.

Regarding the look of the chick, I think it's more of a cultural reference than a look alike Leia, IMHO =)

[raskar42]

is this for real? it's extremely funny!!

 

I think that's from an SA Photoshop Phriday.

 

I can't remember if it was on AA or not but a while back somebody posted a link to a whole bunch of these spoofed Atari box art pictures. I thought it was funny as hell, but can't remember where it was. Anybody have a link?

Atari renamed

[diogoandrei]

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Thank you for not using His name in exclamations of frustration.

I can think of several very easy responses to that, but I think I'll take the high road and refrain from posting them.

 

Instead ... to continue on a more positive note, I decided to post the Yars' Revenge album, which I also scanned and transferred to MP3. Here is a direct link, in case anyone's interested (again, this file is about 30 megabytes).

 

And here's the front cover:

 

 

Awesome, awesome! Thanks for that!

[Rex Dart]

Atari renamed

 

Aww, hell yeah. These are great.

 

Thanks!

[godzillajoe]

It's all here!!!

 

 

Never saw her reviews before. Excellent.