Centipede - MAME software

Atari 5200 cart. published 42 years ago:

Centipede © 1982 Atari, Incorporated.

You start the game with three magic wands. Every time you score 12,000 points, you win a bonus wand and musical fanfare exalts your bravery. You can have a total of six magic wands at one time. When you lose your last magic wand, the game ends.

If the centipede, spider, or flea bites you, your wand is snatched away and you become temporarily paralyzed. The game will stop momentarily and all the mushrooms you partially destroyed during the battle are restored. Your points are added to your running score, and the rejuvenated centipede attacks again from the top. You must replay the previous wave until the centipede is totally destroyed.

CENTIPEDE offers three game variations: EASY PLAY for beginners and children, STANDARD PLAY for intermediate players, and HARD PLAY for advanced players.

TECHNICAL
Model CX5215

SCORING
You can score a total of 99,999,999 points before the score rolls back to zero. Point values are listed below.

Centipede body segment: 10 points.
Centipede head: 100 points.
Spider (distant range): 300 points.
Spider (medium range)..: 600 points.
Spider (close-range--look out!): 900 points.
Flea: 200 points.
Scorpion: 1000 points.
Magic Mushroom (totally eliminated): 1 point.
Magic Mushroom (shot 1 to 3 times): 5 points.
Poison Mushroom (totally eliminated): 1 point.
Poison Mushroom (shot 1 to 3 times): 5 points.
Poison Mushroom (not shot at all): 5 points.
Bonus Wand every 12,000 points.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Shoot away mushrooms in a straight line up the screen to create a "corridor." When the centipede reaches this "gap," it will fall straight down the battlefield and can be easily picked off.
• Since the flea doesn't appear until you have eliminated most of the mushrooms near you, you can set up a shield to prevent this lightening-fast pest from striking. Simply refrain from shooting away mushrooms near your magic wand.
• Shoot centipede heads to create new heads out of the body segment left behind. Since heads are worth 10 times the point value of body segments, you'll score lots of points.
• Each creature makes a distinctive sound. By becoming familiar with these sounds, you will know without looking, what is attacking and where it is on the screen.

STAFF
Programmer: W. Sean Hennessy, Frank Hausman

CONTRIBUTE
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