Blitz (originally ''Vic New York'', then later ''New York Blitz'') is an

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform ...

published by

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

for its

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the ...

home computer in 1981. The game is based on the 1977 arcade game ''

Canyon Bomber ''Canyon Bomber'' is a black-and-white 1977 arcade game, developed and published by Atari, Inc. It was written by Howard Delman who previously programmed '' Super Bug'' for Atari. ''Canyon Bomber'' was rewritten in color and with a different vi ...

'' from

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

, replacing the goal of clearing boulders with bombing closely packed skyscrapers. Several later clones of the concept also use the urban setting. The game is played with a single button which drops a bomb. ''Blitz'' was followed by ''Blitz-64'' for the Commodore 64 and ''Blitz-16'' for the

Commodore 16 The Commodore 16 is a home computer made by Commodore International with a 6502-compatible 7501 or 8501 CPU, released in 1984 and intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was ...

Gameplay

A plane flies across a single-screen

cityscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' i ...

at a steady speed. When it reaches the edge of the screen, it wraps to the other side at a lower altitude, with its speed increasing each pass. The player drops bombs from the plane, and each bomb removes one or more segments of the structure it hits. As the plane descends, it risks colliding with remaining buildings. The level is complete when all buildings are destroyed, and the plane has descended safely to the bottom of the screen.

Development

The game was prompted by a verbal description of the arcade game ''

'' (

, 1977). The change from a canyon filled with rock pillars to a city of skyscrapers was copied by later clones including ''Blitz'' (ZX Spectrum), ''City Bomber'' (C64), and ''City Lander'' (ZX81). Simon Taylor wrote the game as ''Vic New York'' before he contracted with Commodore in 1982. Taylor later produced versions for the Commodore 64, Commodore 16, and

Epson HX-20 The Epson HX-20 (also known as the HC-20) was the first "true" laptop computer.Michael R. Peres''The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography'', page 306 Taylor & Francis It was invented in July 1980 by Yukio Yokozawa, who worked for Suwa Seikosha, a bran ...

portable computer.

Legacy

Mastertronic Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved by ...

later sold the game as the budget-priced ''New York Blitz''.

Jeff Minter Jeff Minter (born 22 April 1962) is an independent English video game designer and programmer who often goes by the name Yak. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and has created dozens of games during his career, which began in 19 ...

wrote a 1982

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

game inspired by ''Blitz'' called ''Bomber'' (also published as ''City Bomber'').

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , last1=Wills , first1=John , title=Gamer Nation , date=2019 , publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press , isbn=978-1421428703 , page=119 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OeqKDwAAQBAJ&q=%22vic+new+york%22+vic-20+game&pg=PA119 1981 video games VIC-20 games Video games developed in the United Kingdom