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|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|[[Sega]]|EU|[[Sega]]<ref name="CVG26"/>|NA|[[Bally Midway]]}}
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|[[Sega]]|EU|[[Sega]]<ref name="CVG26"/>|NA|[[Bally Midway]]}}
|designer =
|designer =
|release = {{vgrelease|JP|April 1983<ref name="GM211"/>|EU|July 10, 1983<ref name="CVG"/>|NA|October 1983<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=October 13, 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |pages=124-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n125/mode/2up}}</ref>}}
|release = {{vgrelease|JP|March 16, 1983<ref>{{cite web |title=Astron Belt |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&PID=C5auxw-dMYeDyp5D72slYzGXcKrW |website=[[United States Copyright Office]] |date=March 16, 1983 |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref>|EU|July 10, 1983<ref name="CVG"/>|NA|October 1983<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=October 13, 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |pages=124-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n125/mode/2up}}</ref>}}
|genre = [[Rail shooter]]
|genre = [[Rail shooter]]
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
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'''''Astron Belt''''' (アストロンベルト) is a [[laserdisc video game]] in the form of a third-person, [[Space combat game|space combat]] [[rail shooter]], released in [[Arcade game|arcades]] in 1983 by [[Sega]] in [[Japan]], and licensed to [[Bally Midway]] for release in North America.<ref name="AtariHQ">{{cite web|title=ASTRON BELT|publisher=Atari HQ|url=http://www.atarihq.com/coinops/laser/astbelt.html|accessdate=2011-03-25| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110320215956/http://www.atarihq.com/coinops/laser/astbelt.html| archive-date= 20 March 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="allgame">{{allgame|9550|Astron Belt}}</ref> Developed in 1982,<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Sega: From Service Games to Master Systems|author=Mark Isaacson|year=2002|url=http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,16/section,93/|accessdate=2011-03-25}}</ref> it is commonly cited as the first laserdisc game.<ref name="AtariHQ"/><ref name="allgame"/> The game combines [[full-motion video]] (FMV) footage from the laserdisc with [[Real-time computer graphics|real-time]] [[2D graphics]]. The arcade game was available in both upright and cockpit [[arcade cabinet]]s, with the latter having illuminated buttons on the control panel, a larger 25" monitor (the upright used a standard 19"), and a [[force feedback]] vibrating seat.
'''''Astron Belt''''' (アストロンベルト) is a [[laserdisc video game]] in the form of a third-person, [[Space combat game|space combat]] [[rail shooter]], released in [[Arcade game|arcades]] in 1983 by [[Sega]] in [[Japan]], and licensed to [[Bally Midway]] for release in North America.<ref name="AtariHQ">{{cite web|title=ASTRON BELT|publisher=Atari HQ|url=http://www.atarihq.com/coinops/laser/astbelt.html|accessdate=2011-03-25| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110320215956/http://www.atarihq.com/coinops/laser/astbelt.html| archive-date= 20 March 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="allgame">{{allgame|9550|Astron Belt}}</ref> Developed in 1982,<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Sega: From Service Games to Master Systems|author=Mark Isaacson|year=2002|url=http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,16/section,93/|accessdate=2011-03-25}}</ref> it is commonly cited as the first laserdisc game.<ref name="AtariHQ"/><ref name="allgame"/> The game combines [[full-motion video]] (FMV) footage from the laserdisc with [[Real-time computer graphics|real-time]] [[2D graphics]]. The arcade game was available in both upright and cockpit [[arcade cabinet]]s, with the latter having illuminated buttons on the control panel, a larger 25" monitor (the upright used a standard 19"), and a [[force feedback]] vibrating seat.


A prototype of the game was first unveiled at the 20th [[Amusement Machine Show]], held in [[Tokyo]] during September 1982, and then at [[Chicago]]'s Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in November 1982.<ref name="GM211">{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Sega's Astron Belt Will Be Shipped Soon|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=211|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 May 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830501p.pdf#page=16}}</ref> This marked the beginning of laserdisc fever in the video game industry,<ref name="AtariHQ"/> and its April 1983 release in Japan marked the first commercial release of a laserdisc game, with Sega projecting to ship 10,000 cabinets that year.<ref name="GM211"/> Sega subsequently released the game in Europe, where it was the first laserdisc game released in the region.<ref name="CVG26">{{cite magazine |title=Looks at Lasers: The Shape of Games to Come |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 November 1983 |issue=26 (December 1983) |pages=86-7 |url=http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/183/501/astron_belt_review.html |accessdate=2018-01-05}}</ref> However, Bally Midway delayed the game's release in the United States to fix several hardware and software bugs, by which time it had been beaten to public release by several laserdisc games including ''[[Dragon's Lair (1983 video game)|Dragon's Lair]]''.<ref name="AtariHQ"/>
A prototype of the game was first unveiled at the 20th [[Amusement Machine Show]], held in [[Tokyo]] during September 1982, and then at [[Chicago]]'s Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in November 1982.<ref name="GM211">{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Sega's Astron Belt Will Be Shipped Soon|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=211|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 May 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830501p.pdf#page=16}}</ref> This marked the beginning of laserdisc fever in the video game industry,<ref name="AtariHQ"/> and its early 1983 release in Japan marked the first commercial release of a laserdisc game, with Sega projecting to ship 10,000 cabinets that year.<ref name="GM211"/> Sega subsequently released the game in Europe, where it was the first laserdisc game released in the region.<ref name="CVG26">{{cite magazine |title=Looks at Lasers: The Shape of Games to Come |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 November 1983 |issue=26 (December 1983) |pages=86-7 |url=http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/183/501/astron_belt_review.html |accessdate=2018-01-05}}</ref> However, Bally Midway delayed the game's release in the United States to fix several hardware and software bugs, by which time it had been beaten to public release by several laserdisc games including ''[[Dragon's Lair (1983 video game)|Dragon's Lair]]''.<ref name="AtariHQ"/>


The game was a commercial success in arcades, especially in Japan where it topped the arcade charts for several months. Critical reception was positive in Britain, where it was the first laserdisc game released, but mixed in America, where it was compared unfavorably with other laserdisc games. ''Astron Belt'' was ported to the [[MSX]] home system in 1984 in [[Japan]].
The game was a commercial success in arcades, especially in Japan where it topped the arcade charts for several months. Critical reception was positive in Britain, where it was the first laserdisc game released, but mixed in America, where it was compared unfavorably with other laserdisc games. ''Astron Belt'' was ported to the [[MSX]] home system in 1984 in [[Japan]].

Revision as of 15:49, 5 May 2021

Astron Belt
Promotional flyer
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Arcade, MSX
Release
Genre(s)Rail shooter
Mode(s)Single-player
Arcade systemSega Laserdisc

Astron Belt (アストロンベルト) is a laserdisc video game in the form of a third-person, space combat rail shooter, released in arcades in 1983 by Sega in Japan, and licensed to Bally Midway for release in North America.[5][6] Developed in 1982,[7] it is commonly cited as the first laserdisc game.[5][6] The game combines full-motion video (FMV) footage from the laserdisc with real-time 2D graphics. The arcade game was available in both upright and cockpit arcade cabinets, with the latter having illuminated buttons on the control panel, a larger 25" monitor (the upright used a standard 19"), and a force feedback vibrating seat.

A prototype of the game was first unveiled at the 20th Amusement Machine Show, held in Tokyo during September 1982, and then at Chicago's Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in November 1982.[8] This marked the beginning of laserdisc fever in the video game industry,[5] and its early 1983 release in Japan marked the first commercial release of a laserdisc game, with Sega projecting to ship 10,000 cabinets that year.[8] Sega subsequently released the game in Europe, where it was the first laserdisc game released in the region.[4] However, Bally Midway delayed the game's release in the United States to fix several hardware and software bugs, by which time it had been beaten to public release by several laserdisc games including Dragon's Lair.[5]

The game was a commercial success in arcades, especially in Japan where it topped the arcade charts for several months. Critical reception was positive in Britain, where it was the first laserdisc game released, but mixed in America, where it was compared unfavorably with other laserdisc games. Astron Belt was ported to the MSX home system in 1984 in Japan.

Gameplay

The player controls a lone spacecraft on a mission to singlehandedly take down the entire enemy armada. Enemy fighters and ships shoot at the player, and there are mines and other objects that must be shot or avoided.

The game is divided into waves. At the end of each wave is a command ship that must be destroyed. In later waves the enemy fighters move and shoot more aggressively, and their shots are more accurate. Some waves take place in open space, while others require the player to battle enemies while flying through narrow trenches and tunnels. The player is on a timer at the beginning of the game, with an unlimited number of lives available. The length of the timer can be adjusted by the machine operator, but is normally 60 seconds. After the timer expires, the player is given a limited number of additional lives. When all of those lives are lost, the game ends.

The background videos used in the game are a mixture of original artwork and borrowed material. In addition to the scenes created specifically for the game, the designers also incorporated footage from three science fiction movies: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Battle Beyond the Stars, and Message from Space.

Technical

See also: Sega Laserdisc

Astron Belt initially used a Pioneer laserdisc player.[8] In total, it used one of four laserdisc players, either a Pioneer LD-V1000 or LD-V1001, or a Hitachi VIP-9500SG or VIP-9550. Two different versions of the laser disc itself were also pressed, a single-sided version by Pioneer and a double-sided version by Sega. However, both discs have the same information and may be used in any of the four players.

Running on the Sega Laserdisc hardware, the game combines pre-rendered laserdisc footage with a real-time 2D computer graphics plane. The real-time graphics plane was overlaid by imitating a matting technique. As the CRT monitor scans horizontally across the screen, it is fed information from the laserdisc up until the point where it is fed information from the computer graphics system, after which information coming from the laserdisc stops, creating a black mask into which a sprite is inserted. It uses a collision detection system where both the laserdisc and sprite planes can interact with each other. Each frame of the laserdisc footage is coded with a hit detection spot stored in ROM memory. The Zilog Z80 CPU reads the number of the laserdisc frame, and checks the laserdisc hit spots with the shots fired by the player, and if the coordinates correspond, it instructs the laserdisc player to display an explosion sequence. For sections where the player must navigate between walls, the walls in the laserdisc footage are also coded and use collision detection.[9]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Astron Belt on their first regular arcade charts published in the June 1, 1983 issue, listing it as the most successful upright/cockpit cabinet of the month.[10] It remained at the top of the Game Machine upright/cockpit charts for four months through October 1, 1983,[11] before being dethroned by Namco's Pole Position on October 15, 1983;[12] Astron Belt remained in the top ten through December 1983.[13] In the United States, Astron Belt topped the Play Meter laserdisc arcade charts for street locations by August 1, 1984, while being in the top three for arcade locations.[14] It remained among the top five laserdisc arcade games for street locations and top ten for arcade locations through November 1984.[15]

British magazine Computer and Video Games gave the game a positive review upon release, praising the realistic visuals and audio, the continue feature, the futuristic cockpit cabinet, and the vibrating seat, but with some criticism towards the high price of £0.40 (equivalent to £1.7 in 2023) per play and for sometimes vibrating "more than is comfortable." They concluded that "any arcade player who wants a future in gaming should try his hand at Astron Belt as soon as possible" but "it remains to be seen if Astron Belt is the shape of games to come."[1] In American magazine Computer Games, the game received mixed reviews from two reviewers, who compared it unfavorably with other laserdisc games. One of the reviewers was game designer Eugene Jarvis, who criticized the collision detection and the lack of realistic gameplay or direction, but he praised the "sense of power" and "macho feel" it gives, particularly with the explosions.[16]

Legacy

Astron Belt was responsible for starting the interactive movie laserdisc craze when it was shown at the 1982 AMOA show. One of the laserdisc games it inspired was Dragon's Lair.[17]

Sega and Bally Midway released a sequel called Starblazer (also known as Galaxy Ranger) in 1984. It had the same controls and very similar gameplay to Astron Belt, and one machine could be converted to the other by simply changing the laserdisc, game ROMs, and sound board.[citation needed] In Japan, Game Machine listed Starblazer on their January 15, 1984 issue as being the third most-successful upright arcade unit of the year.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Computer and Video Games, issue 22 (August 1983), page 30 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, published 16 July 1983
  2. ^ "Astron Belt". United States Copyright Office. March 16, 1983. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. ^ 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. pp. 124–5. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  4. ^ a b "Looks at Lasers: The Shape of Games to Come". Computer and Video Games. No. 26 (December 1983). 16 November 1983. pp. 86–7. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  5. ^ a b c d "ASTRON BELT". Atari HQ. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
  6. ^ a b Template:Allgame
  7. ^ Mark Isaacson (2002). "The History of Sega: From Service Games to Master Systems". Retrieved 2011-03-25.
  8. ^ a b c "Overseas Readers Column: Sega's Astron Belt Will Be Shipped Soon" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 211. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 May 1983. p. 30.
  9. ^ "Photographic image of book page" (GIF). Dragons-lair-project.com. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 213. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 June 1983. p. 29.
  11. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 221. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 October 1983. p. 29.
  12. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 222. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 October 1983. p. 35.
  13. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 226. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1983. p. 33.
  14. ^ "National Play Meter". Play Meter. August 15, 1984.
  15. ^ "National Play Meter". Play Meter. Vol. 10, no. 21. 15 November 1984. pp. 28–9.
  16. ^ Bloom, Steve (April 1984). "The Lasers Have Landed! Here Comes the Videodisc Invasion". Computer Games. Vol. 3, no. 1. United States: Carnegie Publications. pp. 16–20.
  17. ^ Wolf, Mark J. P. (2008). The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond - Mark J. P. Wolf - Google Books. ISBN 9780313338687. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  18. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 228. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 January 1984. p. 31.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astron_Belt&oldid=1021593877"