B-1 Nuclear Bomber

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This article is about the 1980 videogame. For the warplane, see Rockwell B-1 Lancer.
B-1 Nuclear Bomber
Developer(s)Microcomputer Games
Publisher(s)Avalon Hill
Platform(s)Apple II, Atari 8-bit, PET, VIC-20, Commodore 64, CP/M, MS-DOS, TRS-80, TI-99/4A
Release
1981: Atari
Genre(s)Flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player

B-1 Nuclear Bomber is a flight simulator developed by Avalon Hill and Microcomputer Games and released in 1980 for the Apple II and other computers.[2][3] The game is based on piloting a B-1 Lancer to its target and dropping a nuclear bomb.[4] The USSR is one of the target countries.

Gameplay[edit]

The game box details a sample scenario set in the then-future of a bombing run over Moscow on July 1, 1991, which turned out to be just months before the official dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26 of that year.

Reception[edit]

Larry Kerns reviewed B-1 Nuclear Bomber in The Space Gamer No. 33. Kerns commented that

Overall, I feel that the [...] price tag is too high and the game is quickly boring. The big fancy box is a waste and although putting all three languages on one tape is an innovative idea, two-thirds of what you bought is wasted. I expected more from Avalon Hill's baby but was disappointed. I hope their other new games are better.[5]

Chris Cummings reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that

B-1 Nuclear Bomber [...] will bring hours of fun, especially to the war monger who has always wondered what it would be like to sit in the cockpit of a sophisticated flying machine and drop a nuclear load on the 'enemy'.[6]

In March 1983 B-1 Nuclear Bomber tied for eighth place in Softline's Dog of the Year awards "for badness in computer games", Atari 8-bit family division, based on reader submissions.[7] A 1992 Computer Gaming World survey of wargames with modern settings gave the game zero stars out of five, stating that "its play mechanics were embarrassing when it was initially released".[8] The magazine in 1994 said that AH's games such as B-1 "were dated even when they were released back on the old 8-bit machines".[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ B-1 Nuclear Bomber Release Information for Commodore PET - GameFAQs
  2. ^ B-1 Nuclear Bomber for Apple II (1980), Moby Games
  3. ^ Loguidice, Bill (2012-07-28). "More on Avalon Hill Computer Games on Heath/Zenith platforms". Armchair Arcade. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  4. ^ Two Games Of Strategy, Dale F. Brown, COMPUTE! ISSUE 49 / JUNE 1984 / PAGE 72
  5. ^ Kerns, Larry (November 1980). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer (33). Steve Jackson Games: 36.
  6. ^ Cummings, Chris (November–December 1981). "B-1 Nuclear Bomber: A Strategic Map". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 1. pp. 18–19.
  7. ^ "Everybody Doesn't Like Something". Softline. March 1983. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ^ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1992). "The Modern Games: 1950 - 2000". Computer Gaming World. p. 120. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  9. ^ Coleman, Terry Lee (July 1994). "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Sovereign". Computer Gaming World. pp. 110–111.

External links[edit]

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