Front Line (FL, 5 PCB version) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 42 years ago:

Front Line © 1982 Taito.

Front Line is Taito America Corporation's action war game. Traveling through enemy territory the player must accomplish the ultimate mission or meet a violent end: capture the enemy fort and win total victory.

The journey begins slowly with the player armed with a gun (special Gun Control) and hand grenades. Quickly he becomes a target for enemy soldiers who also have guns and grenades. Moving faster, he races past trees that hide the enemy who now unleash an ambush barrage of bullets and bombs. Even the ground he races over has been booby-trapped with land mines.

If the player successfully makes it through this deadly obstacle course, he meets an even greater challenge... the enemy is attacking with tanks! His gun now useless, the player can stand and fight with grenades or leap into his own tank (special Tank button) and counter attack.

The battle rages on all fronts as the player fights for his life, racing for cover behind brick walls while outrunning grenades thrown by soldiers in fox holes. It's all-out war when the player jumps from his tank into a larger one with greater firepower.

Now comes the final test of victory as the enemy's fort looms in sight. The player must leap from the tank and run through a hail of bullets to throw one final grenade. The white flag heralds total victory!

TECHNICAL
Runs on the "Taito SJ System" hardware.
Prom Stickers: AA1-01..12 / FL

Players: 2
Control: Joystick 8-Way (controls movement), 8-Way rotary knob + push. (controls shooting)
Buttons: 1 (grenade/tank)

TRIVIA
Front Line was released in November 1982.

John Dunlea holds the official record for this game with 727500 points.

A Front Line unit appears in the 1983 movie 'Joysticks'.

SCORING
Enemy soldiers: 100 points.
Enemy tanks (small and large): 100 points if killed with tank fire, 200 points if killed with a grenade.
Final tank: 200 points.
End of level bonus: 1000 points.
For levels 2 through 9: all scores are multiplied by the level number.
For levels 10 and higher: all scores are multiplied by 10.

TIPS AND TRICKS
INSCTRUCTIONS:

• Control Sarge and defeat the enemies. Advance to the enemy fort and destroy it with a hand grenade.
• Touching an enemy soldier, bullet, grenade, land mine or falling rock will cause you to lose a life.
• Get in and out of blue vehicles by walking up to them and pressing the Grenade button.
• Rocks can only be destroyed by grenades.
• Falling into a hole will stun you for a short while.
• Enemy tanks can't be destroyed by shooting them with your machine-gun.
• Moving on grass will slow you down. In the desert, changing direction or stopping will cause you to slide.
• If your tank takes critical damage, climb out of it immediately or you will lose a life.

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[US] ColecoVision (1982) "Front Line [Model 2650]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Front Line [Model 2665]"
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (aug.1, 1985) "Front Line [Model 03 TFC-FL4500]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (aug.25, 2005) "Taito Memories Gekan [Model SLPM-66092 (TCPS-10124)]"
[AU] Sony PlayStation 2 (mar.30, 2006) "Taito Legends 2 [Model SLES-53852]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (mar.31, 2006) "Taito Legends 2"
[EU] Sony PS2 (mar.31, 2006) "Taito Legends 2 [Model SLES-53852]"
[US] Sony PS2 (may.16, 2007) "Taito Legends 2 [Model SLUS-21349]"

• COMPUTERS:

[JP] NEC PC-6001 Mk2
[JP] NEC PC-8801 (1983)
[JP] NEC PC-9801
[JP] Sharp X1 (1983)
[US] [EU] Commodore C64 (1984)
[JP] MSX (1984)
[JP] FM-7 (1985)
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (mar.31, 2006) "Taito Legends 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jul.10, 2007) "Taito Legends 2"

CONTRIBUTE
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