Black Widow (video game)

Black Widow

Manual cover for Black Widow
Developer(s) Atari
Publisher(s) Atari
Designer(s) Bruce Merritt
Platform(s) Arcade Game
Release date(s) 1982 (Arcade)
Genre(s) Multidirectional shooter
Mode(s) Single player
Cabinet Horizontal
CPU 6502
Sound POKEY Audio Sound Chip
Display Vector (color)

Black Widow is a vector arcade game developed by Atari released in 1982. The player takes the role of a Black widow spider defending a web from invading bugs. The player must move the spider around the web while simultaneously shooting/avoiding various bugs and collecting the bonuses that appear after the enemies are eliminated. The spider is controlled through two joysticks: the left one is used to move the spider, and the right one to control the shot direction.

Gameplay

The game is a fixed shooter and is very similar to Robotron: 2084 by Williams. Unlike Robotron, Black Widow does not have as many enemies on-screen. However, the gameplay has been characterized as just as intense as its Williams counterpart. This is because in order to destroy certain enemies, the player must lure other enemies into destroying them. It is further differentiated by the Bug Slayer, a bug that helps the player eliminate enemies, with only loss of potential points being the only consequence. The Bug Slayer can help the player in tough situations, but can also prevent the player from achieving the number of extra lives necessary to endure later, more difficult, rounds. Also, other enemies appear on the playing field as eggs, laid by other enemies. The player can move these eggs off the playing field to both eliminate the enemy and receive points, before it reaches maturity.

Screenshot of gameplay.

Enemies and Scoring

Additional versions

Black Widow has been re-released in compilations of classic Atari games for personal computers, gaming consoles and even cellular telephones. The game was included in Atari Anniversary Edition Redux for the Sony PlayStation, released in 2001. In 2003, Microsoft Windows PCs could play Black Widow as part of Atari - 80 Classic Games in One!. Released in 2004, Atari Anthology ported the game to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox gaming consoles, and in 2005, the Nokia N-Gage cellular phone received a copy of Black Widow in Atari Masterpieces Volume 1. Most recently, Atari re-released Black Widow to Microsoft's Game Room service for the Xbox 360 console and Windows PCs in June 2010.

Black Widow was also offered as a conversion kit for Gravitar, which met poor commercial success. The kit included a new marquee, control panel, sideart, and an additional wiring harness. The kit used the original Gravitar PCB, with a few small modifications and a new set of ROM chips. Many factory-built Black Widows were produced using unsold Gravitar cabinets, and although they contain original (not Gravitar conversion) boardsets, they had Black Widow sideart applied over the Gravitar sideart.

James Vollandt holds the official record for this game with a maximum 930,100 points.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Twin Galaxies. "Black Window Scores". Retrieved July 19, 2010.

External links