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''Starfox'' is a
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
published by
Ariolasoft Ariolasoft GmbH, later known as United Software, was a German video game developer, publisher and distributor. It started in 1983 as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records, itself the record division of Germany's large Bertelsmann empire. ...
on their Reaktor label in 1987 for the
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 ...
, Commodore 64, and
Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the S ...
. The player assumes the role of Hawkins, a space fighter pilot charged with protecting the Hyturian
star system A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a '' star cluster'' or ''galaxy'', although, broadly speakin ...
from invading alien forces. The game uses wireframe and shaded
vector graphics Vector graphics is a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display ...
to depict combat, in a similar fashion to games such as ''
Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. ...
'' and ''Starstrike 2'', which were also created by Realtime Games. Ariolasoft had previously published the
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
titles Skyfox and Arcticfox and the name was chosen to build on the success of those titles. The US Commodore 64 release was titled ''The Rubicon Alliance''.


Gameplay

There are eight missions in all. The route taken can be mapped out by means of the "holocube", a 3D representation of the system, that can be zoomed and viewed from any angle. The holocube will also record the positions of planets and enemy convoys. Once the route is plotted the player may fast-forward to their destination. The player pilots the ''Starfox'' craft from the main cockpit view, which also features three scanners showing views to the rear and sides. The "Mark 1 Laser" is aimed from here and is one of three weapons the ship is capable of carrying at any one time. As the game progresses the weapon systems can be upgraded by finding a planet and docking at its orbital space station, where damage can also be repaired. Fuel will deplete over time and at varying rates depending on how fast the ship is flown, and can only be replenished by locating and using a fuel ship. Two logs are automatically kept, one that records the positions of dangers such as electron storms and ice storms, and details of enemy ships, and weapon details. The second is an autopilot log for helping navigate to logged planets.


Reception

The game got a generally positive reception from the gaming press in 1987. ''
CRASH Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch s ...
'' praised the ZX Spectrum version for its "outstanding graphics" and concluded it was "very good if you put some effort into it", while ''
Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History Th ...
'' thought it " disappointingly ''Elite''-ish game ... seems very slow". ''
Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...
'' commented that despite the game having "the ability to be excruciatingly infuriating", it was overall "a damned good shoot-out", and a "very high quality game". Commodore User were less enthusiastic about the Commodore 64 version of the game; they said "Star Fox is initially a fun game, but somehow it seems like a diluted version of Elite ... it just gets all a little too slow and frustratingly dull at points."


References


External links

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''Starfox''
at
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''The Rubicon Alliance''
at GameBase64 {{Realtime Games Software 1987 video games Amstrad CPC games Ariolasoft games Commodore 64 games First-person shooters Space combat simulators Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games