Stratovox
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
| Stratovox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sun Electronics |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Stratovox, known in Japan as Speak & Rescue (スピーク&レスキュー), is a 1980 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published in Japan by Sun Electronics and released in North America by Taito. It is the first video game with voice synthesis.[2][3] The player must shoot UFOs attempting to kidnap astronauts that appear on the right side of the screen. If all astronauts are kidnapped, the game is over.
Among the voices the player hears are the phrases "Help me, help me", "Very good!", "We'll be back", and "Lucky". The phrase "Help me" is played during attract mode. The Japanese version of the game features Japanese speech, such as「助けて！」 ("Tasukete!") instead of "Help Me!"
Legacy
[edit]Bandits from Sirius Software for the Apple II (1982) is a Stratovox clone where the player protects fruit instead of astronauts. Spider Fighter (1982) for the Atari 2600 also has the player protecting fruit, and Digital Press described it as the coin-op version of Stratovox but with voice.[4]
World record
[edit]According to Twin Galaxies, John Brissie, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, scored a world record 140,900 points on Stratovox on April 16, 2008.
See also
[edit]- Berzerk (1980), another arcade video game with speech synthesis
References
[edit]- ^ スピーク ＆ レスキュー, Japan Media Arts Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- ^ "Gaming's Most Important Evolutions". GamesRadar. October 8, 2010. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ^ Adlum, Eddie (November 1985). "The Replay Years: Reflections from Eddie Adlum". RePlay. Vol. 11, no. 2. pp. 134-175 (160-3).
- ^ "The Digital Press Virtual Collectors Guide". Digital Press.
External links
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