Astron Belt1983

Data East used footage from the film Harmagedon to create a laserdisc video game titled Bega's Battle. It was released in June 1983. In the game, the player to take on the role of the robot Bega (Vega) whose goal was to stop the invasion forces of the alien Varga (Genma), while also rescuing his three friends who had been kidnapped by them. Even among laserdisc games Bega's Battle has become somewhat rare because many of the machines were converted into Cobra Command machines as part of a discount deal offered by Data East in exchange for the internals of the Bega's Battle arcade cabinet. Similar to Astron Belt, the game used the footage mainly for backgrounds, while the actual gameplay was a shooting game with sprites laid over the video. Bega's Battle also used brief full-motion video cut scenes to develop a story between the game's shooting stages. Years later, this would become the standard approach to video game storytelling. Bega's Battle also featured a branching storyline. The Twin Galaxies world record for Bega's Battle was set by Steve Harris (later the founder of Electronic Gaming Monthly) on July 18, 1983.

Sega released the arcade video game Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom in 1982. It was a forward-scrolling rail shooter where the user controls a spaceship in a behind-the-back third-person perspective that must destroy enemy ships and avoid obstacles; the game was notable for its fast pseudo-3D scaling and detailed sprites. The game would later go on to influence the 1985 Sega hit Space Harrier, which in turn influenced the 1993 Nintendo hit Star Fox. Buck is never seen in the game, except assumedly in the illustration on the side of the arcade cabinet, and its only real connections to Buck Rogers are the use of the name and the outer space setting. Home versions were released for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari XE, ColecoVision, Coleco Adam, Intellivision, MSX and Sega SG-1000 video game systems, and the Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, Apple II and ZX Spectrum computers. A version for IBM PC using CGA graphics was also available.

Interactive Laser Disc space battle game with computer-generated overlaid graphics. Control a space craft to defend against attacking enemy waves then destroy the enemy command ship. Huge explosions. Video images are from a Toei film - Message From Space.

The peaceful and prosperous solar system Junos was located at the end of the Milky Way. Those who called its five planets home had no idea what was about to happen... Halcyon, ruler of the Fourth Empire, had Junos marked as its final target in the galactic massacre, and had sent the bulk of his attacking force in with a single purpose – the elimination of all life forms in the system, and the construction of a gigantic fortress on each of the five planets from which to rule the galaxy. Galaxy Force II is not a true sequel to the orginal game but a an enhanced version of the original. It was released roughly two months after the release of the first part thus making it obsolete.

A call for help comes from deep in the universe. Fantasyland has been taken over by destructive forces. Quick on the scene is Space Harrier equipped with his laser, who must attempt to outwit and outmanoeuvre the hoards and prevent Fantasyland from being blown into oblivion!

On a planet 6000 light-years from earth, there were creatures called Exes, which resemble large insects, that were used for industrial purposes. However, these creatures one day took to revolting against their creators. Two battle machines have been sent to fight against the Exes, known as Colonel and Sargent. The Exes are nearing completion of their secret weapon, Exed Exes, and they must be defeated before this is allowed to happen! Exed Exes is a basic vertical scrolling shooter; the game scrolls forward, and the player can maneuver their ship around the screen to shoot enemies and avoid attack. POW icons sometimes appear that can power up the ship or turn enemies into fruit that are worth extra points. The game can be played either solo or two-player cooperatively.

A home version of the arcade game of the same name, Galaxian 3 allows up to four players to blast away at oncoming enemy fighters from a first-person perspective. In a similar vein to Atari's 1983 Star Wars arcade game, the computer is actually flying the ship, and the players are simply gunners given plenty to shoot at. In addition to bringing home the coin-op's "Project Dragoon" scenario, another entire mission, "The Rising Of Gourb," is also included. This mission allows players to follow up their recent rescue of the Earth with a desperate mission to save another world from the alien menace. Galaxian3 has little or no connection to Namco's Galaxian coin-op classic, and the PlayStation edition is only available as a Japanese import, despite the fact that it did make it to some U.S. arcades. Inspired by the "walk-in" theatrical-style arcade game, Galaxian3 is a blast-fest for up to four players. While the computer does the flying in this first-person shooter, the players are trigger-happy gunners with plenty of alien ships crowding the sky as targets. Everything, from stationary gun platforms on enormous alien command ships to agile fighters, is fair game. Occasionally reactors and other strategic targets must be hit, including one sequence that bears a bit of resemblance to a certain chase through a certain Death Star. The complete arcade game is included, along with an original second "mission" involving an alien planet that must be saved.

In the distant regions of our galaxy, far beyond the darkest limits of the Orion Nebula, a deadly force has bee unleashed upon the universe and is heading straight for Earth. Get ready to travel forward to a time, when the fate of the universe rests in the palm of your hands! - See more at: