Borderline (video game)
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| Borderline | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sega Compile (SG-1000) |
| Publisher(s) | Arcade Home
|
| Platform(s) | Arcade, SG-1000, Atari 2600 |
| Release | Arcade SG-1000 Atari 2600 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter, maze |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Dual |
Borderline (ボーダーライン, Bōdārain) is a vertically scrolling shooter maze game released by Sega as an arcade video game in April 1981.[7][3][2] The player controls a jeep and has to destroy enemy refineries. There are four stages with different gameplay. The first stage plays like a vertically scrolling shooter. In the second stage, the player maneuvers his Jeep through underbrush, and enemies can only follow on its path, a concept later found in Namco's Dig Dug (1982).
Borderline was reissued later in the year with slightly altered graphics as Star Raker. Borderline was a game for the SG-1000 in 1984.[5] It was converted for the Atari 2600 under the name Thunderground, released by Sega's home division;[8] it was one of the last games Sega released as a third-party developer for Atari.[6] The SG-1000 and Atari 2600 ports received positive reviews from critics.
Reception
[edit]E.C. Meade and Jim Clark of Videogaming Illustrated magazine reviewed the Atari 2600 version Thunderground in 1983.[6] Despite the original Borderline predating Dig Dug and Mr. Do! (1982),[1] the reviewers were under the impression that Thunderground was a "semi-clone" of Dig Dug and Mr. Do! Despite this, they gave it positive reviews. Meade gave it an A rating; she said "there are superficial similarities to Dig Dug and Mr. Do" but Thunderground "is a semi-clone with muscle!" She called it "a real challenge" to play, stating "What a game!" Clark gave it a B rating, calling it "a thrilling game" and very "good stuff" but said "the sense of deja-vu detracted from its appeal" while also commenting on its "violence" though he didn't "think anyone will be too bothered."[6]
French magazine Tilt reviewed the SG-1000 version of Borderline in 1984. They gave the game an overall rating of 5 out of 6 stars, while giving 5 stars for the graphics and 4 stars for the sound.[4]
In a retrospective review of the SG-1000 version in 2014, Sega Does gave it a generally favorable review with a B− rating.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Akagi, Masumi (13 October 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. pp. 35, 42, 52, 131. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ a b "Borderline Advert(Japanese, top-right)". Game Machine Magazine 15th April '81. Amusement Press Inc., Osaka, Japan. 15 April 1981. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Video Game Flyers: Borderline, Karateco (EU)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Borderline". Tilt. No. 12. May 1984. pp. 35–6.
- ^ a b "Home Video Game Console(Japanese, top-right)". Game Machine Magazine 15th July '85. Amusement Press Inc., Osaka, Japan. 15 July 1985. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Meade, E.C.; Clark, Jim (December 1983). "Thunderground (Sega for the 2600)". Videogaming Illustrated. p. 14.
- ^ Borderline at the Killer List of Videogames
- ^ Federico, Chris (May 30, 2016). "Thunderground". Orphaned Computers & Game Systems. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Cornelius, Dylan (30 April 2014). "Borderline (SG-1000)". Sega Does. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
External links
[edit]- Borderline at Atari Mania
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