Time Pilot

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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
ReleaseArcade
Atari 2600
  • WW: 1983
ColecoVision
  • WW: 1983
MSX
  • EU: 1983
  • JP: December 1984
Genre(s)Multidirectional shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Time Pilot[a] is a multidirectional shooter arcade video game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri,[4] and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East.[2] While engaging in aerial combat, the player-controlled jet flies across open airspace that scrolls indefinitely in all directions.[8][9] 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]

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, the game goes to "survival of the fittest" mode.

Fighters are destroyed if they collide into bullets, enemy ships, or missiles. Game ends if the 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.[10]

Reception[edit]

In Japan, the annual Game Machine chart listed Time Pilot as the fifth highest-grossing arcade video game of 1982.[11] Game Machine later listed Time Pilot on their June 1, 1983 issue as being the eighteenth most popular arcade title of the month.[12]

In the United States, the game topped the Play Meter arcade earnings chart in February 1983.[13] The Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) later listed it among the thirteen highest-earning arcade games of 1983.[14]

Computer and Video Games magazine gave the arcade game a generally favorable review upon release.[15]

Legacy[edit]

Re-releases[edit]

Clones[edit]

Fury is a 1983 clone from Computer Shack for the TRS-80 Color Computer.[19] Two clones, both called Space Pilot but otherwise unrelated, were released in 1984 and 1986: from Kingsoft for the Commodore 16 and Commodore 64[20] and Superior Software for the BBC Micro. Vector Pilot is a 2011 hobbyist-written clone for the Vectrex console.[21]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Japanese: タイムパイロット, Hepburn: Taimu pairotto

References[edit]

  1. ^ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 113. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. ^ a b c d "Industry News: Atari, Konami Announce Pact For 'Time Pilot'". Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. 18 December 1982. p. 106.
  3. ^ "TIME PILOT". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot, Konami (USA)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot / Pooyan (Konami, UK)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Video Game Flyers: Time Pilot, Karateco (France)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits - NDS - Review". GameZone. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  9. ^ "Konami Arcade Classics: Well, at least it's classic". IGN. January 7, 2000. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  10. ^ Kent, Steven. "VideoGameSpot's Interview with Yoshiki Okamoto". Archived from the original on December 7, 1998.
  11. ^ ""Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game: Game Machine's "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 207. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 March 1983. p. 30.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "The Top 15 Arcade Games: February 15, 1983". Video Games. Vol. 1, no. 7. April 1983. p. 82.
  14. ^ "AMOA Votes On Annual Game Awards". Cash Box. October 29, 1983. p. 60.
  15. ^ "Arcade Action". Computer and Video Games. No. 19 (May 1983). 16 April 1983. pp. 30–1.
  16. ^ "GBA Gems: Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced". IGN. 8 March 2006. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  17. ^ "Time Pilot Flies Onto Xbox Live Marketplace". TeamXbox. IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  18. ^ Hamster brings classic Time Pilot ’84 to Nintendo Switch tomorrow as part of Arcade Archives
  19. ^ Boyle, L. Curtis. "Fury". The Tandy Color Computer Games List.
  20. ^ "Space-Pilot". Lemon64.
  21. ^ Tuts, Kristof. "Vector Pilot". The Definitive Guide to Vectrex Collecting.

External links[edit]

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