''Fire Power'' (also ''Firepower'') is a military tank
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 ...
developed by Silent Software for the
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...
. It was released in
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...
and published by
MicroIllusions MicroIllusions, based in Granada Hills, California was a computer game developer and publisher of the home computer era (late 1980s to early 1990s). MicroIllusions, as a company, was a strong supporter of the Amiga and typically released titles on ...
and
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
. Ports were released for the
Apple IIGS
The Apple IIGS (styled as II), the fifth and most powerful of the Apple II family, is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Computer. While featuring the Macintosh look and feel, and resolution and color similar to the Amiga and Atari S ...
, the
Commodore 64 and for
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...
in 1988. An
Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx is a hybrid 8/ 16-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Atari Corporation in September 1989 in North America and 1990 in Europe and Japan. It was the first handheld game console with a color liquid-crystal di ...
version was planned but development never started due to internal conflict with
Epyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before r ...
.
Summary
The gameplay consists of controlling a tank through an expansive, outdoor landscape. Each map has at least two bases - one for the green team, and one for the yellow (red in the PC version) team. Initially, the base locations were hidden from the players, so an extensive search of the landscape had to be conducted first.
Nonetheless, many players chose to rampage around the map, simply blasting away. Obstacles included enemy
turrets spread around the map, various fortifications and destructible buildings. If the player stood still for too long (to set up an ambush, for instance), a series of enemy helicopters would appear from off screen and attack. The helicopters could be shot down with the tank's main weapon.
Bases and tanks
Each base has several different types of buildings, such as armories, barracks, and bio-domes. The objective is to
capture the flag
Capture the flag (CTF) is a traditional outdoor sport where two or more teams each have a flag (or other markers) and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base", and bring it safely back to their own base. ...
from inside the enemy base by blasting through walls and destroying any defenses. You could also rescue
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
by destroying the POW camps that were scattered throughout the enemy base. Destroying the camps would allow the captives to hop in your tank for a ride back to your base. An extra tank life is rewarded for each fifteen POWs rescued.
Three different tanks are available: one is fast and fragile, one is slow but strong, and the third is rated in between the two. Each tank could carry a different amount of POWs. To capture the enemy flag, you had to carefully maneuver your tank into the flag building and drive over the enemy flag to pick it up. Your weapons could not destroy garages.
Features
The game includes the ability to run over enemy soldiers, crushing them with an accompanying "squish" sound effect and a bloody "splat" that remains on the battlefield for several minutes. A map editor allows creation of custom multiplayer experiences.
''Fire Power'' can be played alone, against a human opponent on a split screen, or over a
modem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by modulating one or more c ...
, which allowed players to chat with each other while playing.
Reception
Roy Wagner reviewed the game for ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...
'', and stated that "I find Fire Power to be a fair priced design with exceptional presentation. In other words, it is a great shoot 'em up arcade wargame."
Reviews
*''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' (Jun, 1988)
*''
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
''ACE'' (Advanced Computer Entertainment) was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.
History
ACE launched in October 1987, roughly the same time as ...
'' (Oct, 1989)
*''
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
''ACE'' (Advanced Computer Entertainment) was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.
History
ACE launched in October 1987, roughly the same time as ...
'' (Jul, 1988)
*''
Info
Info is shorthand for "information". It may also refer to:
Computing
* .info, a generic top-level domain
* info:, a URI scheme for information assets with identifiers in public namespaces
* info (Unix), a command used to view documentation produ ...
'' (Nov, 1987)
*''
The Games Machine
''The Games Machine'' is a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', '' Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines.
History
The magazine ran head to head w ...
'' (Jun, 1988)
*''
Commodore User
''Commodore User'', known to the readers as the abbreviated ''CU'', was one of the oldest British Commodore magazines. With a publishing history spanning over 15 years, it mixed content with technical and video game features. Incorporating ''V ...
'' (Jun, 1988)
*''
Games-X'' (Aug 08, 1991)
*''
Commodore Format'' (Jun, 1991)
*''
ST/Amiga Format'' (Jul, 1988)
*''
Commodore User
''Commodore User'', known to the readers as the abbreviated ''CU'', was one of the oldest British Commodore magazines. With a publishing history spanning over 15 years, it mixed content with technical and video game features. Incorporating ''V ...
'' (Oct, 1989)
*''
The Games Machine
''The Games Machine'' is a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', '' Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines.
History
The magazine ran head to head w ...
'' (Nov, 1989)
*''Australian Commodore and Amiga Review'' (Apr, 1990)
*''Your Amiga'' (Jun, 1988)
Legacy
''Fire Power'' spawned two sequels, ''
Return Fire'' and ''
Return Fire 2
''Return Fire 2'' is a computer game developed by Silent Software and published for Windows by Ripcord Games in 1998. It is a sequel to ''Return Fire''.
Gameplay
The game simulates a vehicle-based capture the flag competition.
Upon starting th ...
''.
References
External links
*
''Firepower''at Lemon Amiga
{{Authority control
1987 video games
Action video games
Amiga games
Apple IIGS games
Cancelled Atari Lynx games
Commodore 64 games
DOS games
Tank simulation video games
Video games developed in the United States
MicroIllusions games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Silent Software games