River Raid - MAME software

Atari 2600 cart. published 43 years ago:

River Raid © 1982 Activision.

Your mission is to score as many points possible by destroying enemy tankers, helicopters, fuel depots, jets and bridges before your jet crashes or runs out of fuel.

TECHNICAL
Model AX-020

TRIVIA
Back in the 80s, if you reached a score of 15,000 points or more, you could be eligible to become an official 'River Raider' by simply send a picture of your TV screen showing your score to Activision. In return, they send an official River Raider emblem.

Score the maximum 1,000,000 (one million), and all points on the screen will be replaced with exclamation points. If you ever do manage to score the ultimate, you could send a photo to Activision too. They said: "Such an achievement will certainly rank you as one of the world's greatest video game competitors!".

SCORING
Each time you destroy an enemy object, you score points. The point values for each object are listed below:
Tanker: 30
Helicopter: 60
Fuel Depot: 80
Jet: 100
Bridge: 500

TIPS AND TRICKS
Tips from Carol Shaw, designer of River Raid.
(Carol Shaw is one of Activision's newest game designers, but isn't a newcomer to video game design. She's also a scholar in the field of Computer Science.)

"The River of No Return holds many special challenges and dangers for would-be River Raiders. You'll not only have to know your assault jet, but you'll need to have a good idea of your basic fight plan before you start."

"By knowing the river, pinpointing areas with the highest concentration of enemy, and the most fuel depots, you'll have a much better chance of surviving. Since the river is in sections, try jotting down notes for each important section as flight aids."

"Fuel is also a critical factor. When you're far up the river, fuel is scarce. So, concentrate on flying to the next fuel depot, and don't try to destroy every object."

"When you become really skilled, you'll find you can actually blow up a fuel depot right in the middle of refueling. That way, you can gain the points and some fuel at the same time."

"Finally, remember that your main targets are the bridges. They're worth the most points. And, please, drop me a note and let me know how you're doing. I'd really like to hear from you!"

STAFF
Programmer: Carol Shaw

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[US] Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1998) "A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600 [Model SLUS-00777]"
[US] Sony PlayStation 2 (nov.19, 2002) "Activision Anthology [Model SLUS-20588]"
[EU] [AU] Sony PlayStation 2 (2003) "Activision Anthology [Model SLES-51313]"

• HANDHELDS:

[US] Nintendo Game Boy Advance (dec.9, 2003) "Activision Anthology [Model AGB-BAVE-USA]"
[US] Sony PSP (nov.8, 2006) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULUS-10186]"
[EU] Sony PSP (feb.9, 2007) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULES-00640]"
[AU] Sony PSP (feb.14, 2007) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULES-00640]"

• COMPUTERS:

[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jan.1, 1994) "Activision's Atari 2600 Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (apr.4, 1995) "Atari 2600 Action Pack"
[US] PC [Microsoft Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.2003) "Activision Anthology: Remix Edition"
[US] Apple Macintosh [CD-ROM] (2003) "Activision Anthology: Remix Edition"

• OTHERS:

[US] Windows Mobile (may.25, 2009) "Activision Anthology (PPC)"
[US] Android (aug.30, 2012) "Activision Anthology"
[US] Apple iPhone/iPad (aug.30, 2012) "Activision Anthology [Model 542727742]"
[US] "Atari Flashback 8" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
[US] "Atari Flashback 8 Gold Edition" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
[US] "Atari Flashback 8 Gold Activision Edition" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
[US] "Atari Flashback Portable Game Player" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames

CONTRIBUTE
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