Steel Talons

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

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

Release

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

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

  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.