Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom,[a] known as Zoom 909[b] in Japan, is a pseudo-3D rail shooter released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1982. The player controls a spaceship in a third-person perspective,[4][5] adapting the three-dimensional perspective of Sega’s earlier racing game Turbo (1981) for the space shoot ’em up genre.[6] It used the Buck Rogers license, referencing the space battles,[7] though Buck himself is never seen.
The arcade game debuted at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show, held during November 18–20, 1982, where it was considered one of the show’s best games and a milestone for demonstrating the potential of 3D shoot ’em up gameplay.[6]
Ports were released for the SG-1000, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, Coleco Adam, ColecoVision, Intellivision, MSX, Commodore 64, VIC-20, TI-99/4A, Apple II, and ZX Spectrum. The IBM PC version uses CGA graphics.[8][9][10] The ColecoVision version was released in April 1984.[11]
Reception – Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
In the United States, it was among the thirteen highest-grossing arcade games of 1983.[12] In Japan, Game Machine listed Zoom 909 on their June 1, 1985 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month.[13]
The arcade game received positive reviews from critics. American magazine Video Games gave it a highly positive review following its AMOA 1982 debut, ranking it the second best game of the show. They called it a “gorgeous, 3-D game that deserves the” moniker “Space Turbo” with “high-quality graphics” and “fast and furious” action. They concluded, “Say goodbye to Galaga—shoot-’em-ups will be 3-D from now on.”[6]
French magazine Tilt, in its May 1983 issue, rated the arcade game six out of six stars.[3] British magazine Computer and Video Games also gave it a positive review, noting the behind-the-ship perspective, comparing the opening tunnel section to the Death Star battle in the film Star Wars (1977), and stating that anyone “who has enjoyed the” Buck Rogers “TV series will be interested to see just how it converts to the video screen!”[7]
Home conversions – Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
Michael Blanchet for Electronic Fun with Computers & Games reviewed the Coleco Adam version, stating: “After playing Buck Rogers a scant fifty times, I noticed an ever-increasing number of on-screen glitches. I can only presume they were caused by tape wear.”[14]
Other reviews – Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
- Your Spectrum — September 1985[16]
- TeleMatch — January 1984 (Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, VIC-20)[17]
- Popular Computing Weekly — July 18, 1985[18]
- Zzap! — May 1985 (Commodore 64)[19]
- All Game Guide — 1998[20]
Planet of Zoom went on to influence the 1985 Sega game, Space Harrier, which in turn influenced Nintendo‘s 1993 game, Star Fox.[21]
- ^ Japanese: バック・ロジャース：プラネット・オブ・ズーム, Hepburn: Bakku Rojāsu: Puranetto obu Zūmu
- ^ Japanese: ズーム909, Hepburn: Zūmu kyū-hyaku-kyū
References – Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
- ^ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 131. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ “Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (Registration Number PA0000170607)”. United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Service Compris Arcade: Les Seuers Froides”. Tilt (in French). No. 5. May 16, 1983. pp. 72–3 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom at the Killer List of Videogames
- ^ “IGN Presents the History of SEGA”. IGN. 21 April 2009. p. 2. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c “Top Ten Hits”. Video Games. Vol. 1, no. 7. Pumpkin Press. March 1983. p. 66.
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