Time Pilot
| Time Pilot | |
|---|---|
 North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto |
| Artist(s) | Hideki Ooyama |
| Composer(s) | Masahiro Inoue |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Atari 2600, MSX, ColecoVision |
| Release | Arcade
|
| Genre(s) | Multidirectional shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
Time Pilot (タイムパイロット, Taimu pairotto) is a multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri,[1] and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East.[4] While engaging in aerial combat, the player-controlled jet flies across open airspace that scrolls indefinitely in all directions.[7][8] Each level is themed to a different time period. Home ports for the Atari 2600, MSX, and ColecoVision were released in 1983.
A top-down sequel, Time Pilot '84, was released in arcades in 1984. It drops the time travel motif and instead takes place over a futuristic landscape.
Gameplay[edit]
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Players assume the role of a pilot of a futuristic fighter jet trying to rescue fellow pilots trapped in different time eras. In each level, players battle enemy aircraft and then a stronger aircraft. Players' fighter jet is in the center of the screen at all times. Players eventually battle a mothership of the time period they are in; once the mothership is defeated, they move onto the next time period. Parachuting pilots will occasionally appear and award players points if collected.
There are five levels: 1910, 1940, 1970, 1982/1983, and 2001. After the fifth level is finished, the game repeats thereafter.
Extra lives are given at 10,000 points, and per 50,000 scored up to 960,000; thereafter, game goes to "survival of the fittest" mode.
Fighters are destroyed if they collide into bullets, enemy ships, or missiles. Game ends if last fighter is destroyed.
Development[edit]
According to his account, Yoshiki Okamoto's proposal for Time Pilot was initially rejected by his boss at Konami, who assigned Okamoto to work on a driving game instead. Okamoto secretly gave instructions to his programmer to work on his idea, while pretending to be working on a driving game in front of his boss.[9]
Reception[edit]
In North America, the game topped the Play Meter arcade earnings chart in February 1983.[10] In Japan, Game Machine listed Time Pilot on their June 1, 1983 issue as being the eighteenth most popular arcade title at the time.[11]
Legacy[edit]
Re-releases[edit]
- Super Famicom as a Time Pilot '95 bonus game in Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Douchuu: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake.
- PlayStation in Konami Arcade Classics, 1999.
- Game Boy Advance as part of Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced on March 18, 2002.[12] This version includes a hidden sixth era, 1,000,000 BC, with pterodactyls.
- PlayStation 2 as part of the Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono series in 2005 in Japan.
- Xbox 360 as part of Xbox Live Arcade on August 30, 2006.[13]
- Nintendo DS as part of Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits.
- i-mode mobile phones in Japan, 2004.
Clones[edit]
Fury is a 1983 clone from Computer Shack for the TRS-80 Color Computer.[14] Two clones, both called Space Pilot but otherwise unrelated, were released in 1984: from Kingsoft for the Commodore 64[15] and Superior Software for the BBC Micro. Vector Pilot is a 2011 hobbyist-written clone for the Vectrex console.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Overseas Readers Column - Konami's Video "Time Pilot" Licensed To Century Of U.S.A.". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 203. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1982. p. 30.
- ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot, Konami (USA)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot / Pooyan (Konami, UK)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Industry News: Atari, Konami Announce Pact For 'Time Pilot'". Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. 18 December 1982. p. 106.
- ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot, Karateco (France)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ Time Pilot at the Killer List of Videogames
- ^ "Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits - NDS - Review". GameZone. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2011-04-08. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Konami Arcade Classics: Well, at least it's classic". IGN. January 7, 2000. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2011-04-08. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Kent, Steven. "VideoGameSpot's Interview with Yoshiki Okamoto". Archived from the original on December 7, 1998.
- ^ "The Top 15 Arcade Games: February 15, 1983". Video Games. Vol. 1 no. 7. April 1983. p. 82.
- ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 213. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 June 1983. p. 29.
- ^ "GBA Gems: Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced". IGN. IGN. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2006-09-01. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Time Pilot Flies Onto Xbox Live Marketplace". TeamXbox. IGN. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2006-09-01. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Boyle, L. Curtis. "Fury". The Tandy Color Computer Games List.
- ^ "Space-Pilot". Lemon64.
- ^ {{cite web|last=Tuts|first=Kristof |title=Vector Pilot|url=https://tbone1892001.wixsite.com/vectrex-guide/vector-pilot%7Cwebsite=The Definitive Guide to Vectrex Collecting}
External links[edit]
- Time Pilot at the Killer List of Videogames
- Time Pilot at the Arcade History database
- Time Pilot entry at the Centuri.net Arcade Database