Gunboat is a simulation video game developed and released by Accolade in 1990 for MS-DOS. Ports were released for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga and TurboGrafx-16. It is a combat simulator of a Patrol Boat, River (PBR).
| Gunboat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Accolade (DOS) The Code Monkeys (CPC, Spectrum, T-16) Black Hole Software (Amiga) |
| Publisher(s) | Accolade |
| Producer(s) | Sam Nelson |
| Designer(s) | Tom Loughry |
| Artist(s) | Roseann Mitchell Tom Loughry |
| Composer(s) | Gary Eskow Russell Shiffer |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, TurboGrafx-16 |
| Release | 1990 1991 (Amiga) 1992 (T-16) |
| Genre(s) | Vehicle simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editGunboat begins in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. When the player earns a second lieutenant's bar, the game moves on to fighting drug kingpins in Colombia. After achieving the grade of lieutenant commander, the player patrols the Panama Canal Zone.[1]
The player uses the keyboard, the function keys, and the joystick to move through stations aboard the patrol boat, including the pilot, stern gunner, and midship gunner. The pilot controls the searchlights and the speed of the boat, identify targets for the gunners, and command the crew to open fire or cease fire.[1]
Each weapon station has a specific gun type: M2 Heavy MG, M134 Gatling Gun, Mk19 Automatic Grenade Launcher, etc. Each of the weapon is better for certain type of targets, which in turn sometimes requires maneuvering the boat in respective angle of that weapon to the target.
Reception
editBrad Bombardiere reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "for those who have tired of their flight or tank simulators, make a splash with Gunboat, a high speed combat "rollercoaster" ride offering both authenticity and good old shoot-'em-up fun".[2]
Gunboat was rated 9/10 in VideoGames & Computer Entertainment.[3] The PC version of the game received 4 out of 5 stars in Dragon,[1] while the Amiga version of the game received 3 out of 5 stars.[4] A 1992 Computer Gaming World survey of wargames with modern settings gave the game three stars out of five,[5] and a 1994 survey gave it two-plus stars.[6]
Reviews
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (July 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (159): 47–53.
- ^ Bombardiere, Brad (June 1990). "THE BROWN WATER WAR: Accolade's "Gunboat: River Combat Simulator"". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 72. pp. 30, 32.
- ^ Video Games and Computer Entertainment, July 1990
- ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (October 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (174): 57–64.
- ^ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1992). "The Modern Games: 1950 – 2000". Computer Gaming World. p. 120. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950–2000". Computer Gaming World. pp. 194–212.
- ^ "The Games Machine Issue 30".
- ^ "TheOne Magazine Issue 20". May 1990.
- ^ http://amr.abime.net/review_6140 [bare URL]
- ^ http://amr.abime.net/review_2186 [bare URL]
- ^ http://amr.abime.net/review_214 [bare URL]
- ^ "Tilt 079". June 1990.
- ^ "Your Sinclair Magazine Issue 61". January 1991.
- ^ http://amr.abime.net/review_8595 [bare URL]