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Steel Talons

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Steel Talons
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Atari Games
Designer(s)Ed Logg
Ed Rotberg
Programmer(s)Ed Rotberg
Artist(s)Sam Comstock
Chuck Eyler
Nicholas Stern
Composer(s)Brad Fuller
John Paul
Platform(s)Arcade, Atari Falcon, Lynx, Genesis, SNES
ReleaseArcade
  • NA: August 23, 1991
  • WW: November 1991
Lynx
1992
Genre(s)Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player, 2-player multiplayer
Arcade systemAtari Hard Drivin'[1]

Steel Talons is a combat flight simulator arcade video game released by Atari Games in 1991. The player pilots an "AT1196 Steel Talons combat helicopter. The 3D view is rendered with flat-shaded polygons using the TMS34010 combination CPU and programmable graphics processor. It was ported to the Genesis, Lynx, Atari Falcon, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Gameplay

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Arcade screenshot

Steel Talons is an air combat arcade game. The player flies a helicopter equipped with a machine gun, rockets, and a limited number of air-to-surface guided missiles. It originated as a two-player cockpit arcade cabinet with both cooperative and competitive modes. In single-player mode or cooperative two-player mode, there are 19 missions. In competitive mode, players attempt to destroy each other's helicopter.

The arcade version has a joystick, analog collective lever on the left side that controls the altitude of the helicopter, and rudder pedals. The back of the seat has a speaker thumps when the player's helicopter is hit. It has a button called "real heli mode" which makes flying more difficult, but also allows more freedom of movement and can be an advantage during multiplayer games.

Development

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Release

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The game's date of publication is listed by the United States Copyright Office as August 23, 1991.[2] In September 1991, Steel Talons was shown at the 1991 Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) expo in Las Vegas.[3][4] That November, the game was released internationally, by Sega in Japan[5] and by Atari in Europe.[6]

It was ported to the Genesis, Lynx, Atari Falcon, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Jaguar port was announced, but never released.[7][8][9][10]

Reception

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In the United States, it topped the RePlay arcade charts for dedicated arcade cabinets in October 1991,[11] and then the deluxe cabinet charts from November 1991[12][13] to February 1992,[14][15] before topping it again in April 1992.[16] In Japan, Game Machine listed Steel Talons in its March 15, 1992 issue as the third most-successful upright arcade unit of the month.[17]

Upon its AMOA 1991 debut, The One magazine compared the arcade game favorably with Taito's 3D helicopter simulation Air Inferno (1990), stating that "Atari has gone even further, making it a lot easier to play, without compromising the complexity of the controls". They said that, despite "the complexity of the controls, the game is a classic".[3] Sinclair User listed it among several games making the "best use of 3-D technology" at the show,[4] and later gave it an 87% score upon its European release.[6] Julian Rignall of Computer and Video Games gave it a 96% rating.[18]

The Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) nominated the game for the "Most Innovative New Technology" award in 1992.[19]

GameFan reviewed the Sega Genesis version, scoring it 172 out of 200.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Atari Hard Drivin' Hardware (Atari)". system16.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  2. ^ "Steel Talons (Registration Number PA0000560515)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cook, John (28 October 1991). "Arcades: Atari Games". The One. No. 38 (November 1991). EMAP Images. pp. 94–95.
  4. ^ a b Cook, John (15 October 1991). "Coin Ops - Best Use Of 3-D Technology". Sinclair User. No. 117 (November 1991). United Kingdom: EMAP. pp. 62–63.
  5. ^ "スティールタロンズ" [Steel Talons]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b Cook, John (18 November 1991). "Coin Ops". Sinclair User. No. 118 (December 1991). United Kingdom: EMAP. pp. 62–63.
  7. ^ "News - La Jaguar ronronne - On attend sur Jaguar". Génération 4 (in French). No. 64. Computec Media France. March 1994. p. 42. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  8. ^ "Jaguar's Domain". GameFan. Vol. 2, no. 6. Shinno Media. May 1994. pp. 90–92.
  9. ^ "Warpzone - Demnächst für Eure Konsolen". Video Games (in German). No. 30. Future-Verlag. May 1994. p. 79. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  10. ^ "Warpzone - Jaguar - Angekündigte Jaguar-Spiele". Video Games (in German). No. 32. Future-Verlag. July 1994. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  11. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 1. October 1991. p. 4.
  12. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 2. November 1991. p. 4.
  13. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 3. December 1991. p. 4.
  14. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 4. January 1992. p. 4.
  15. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 5. February 1992. p. 4.
  16. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 17, no. 7. April 1992. p. 4.
  17. ^ "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. 422. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 March 1992. p. 29.
  18. ^ Rignall, Julian (15 December 1991). "Arcade Action". Computer and Video Games. No. 122 (January 1992). EMAP. pp. 96–8.
  19. ^ "Game Awards". RePlay. Vol. 18, no. 1. October 1992. p. 61.
  20. ^ Halverson, Dave (Skid); Brody (December 1992). "Viewpoint". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 2. pp. 8–9.
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