Dave Nutting Associates

280 Zzzap / Dodgem

280 Zzzap / Dodgem

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1978

The title was named after the US advertising campaign for the Datsun 280Z. Players can drive up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) while navigating a tricky road course at night. Players must watch out for treacherous turns, nasty competitors, and the ever-present time limit. It is one of the earliest games, if not the earliest, with authorized branding.

280-Zzzap

280-Zzzap

Arcade - Released - September 1, 1976

The game is a simple black and white monochrome driving game. You control a car through a night time scene, and the road is represented by simple posts at the edges. The top of the screen will display information about upcoming curves (like the maximum safe speed to take them at), while the bottom of the screen has a speedometer, timer, scoreboard, and may also display a few tips as well. Just drive, and don't crash. Pay attention to your speed on the corners to avoid crashing.

Amazing Maze

Amazing Maze

Arcade - Released - October 1, 1976

Amazing Maze is a two player maze game. The maze is viewed from above and the players start out on each side of the labyrinth. The objective is then simple: Each player has to make it through the maze to the starting position of the opponent before he does the same in the opposite direction. Before starting out the player has a few second to study the maze before it starts. When not having a human opponent around it's also possible to play against an AI. When playing against the AI the game goes on until the player has lost three games. For each new maze the AI speed increases. In a two player game there's a time limit and the player with most wins when it runs out is the winner. The layout of the maze is randomly generated before a game and according to the manufacturer there are more than a million different patterns.

Amazing Maze / Tic-Tac-Toe

Amazing Maze / Tic-Tac-Toe

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1979

Two mind-boggling challenges! Amazing Maze is a race through a maze between you and the computer or another player. The maze is truly amazing because it changes every time you play. Select easy ones or hard ones to match any skill level. Tic-Tac-Toe is the traditional game with a diabolical twist. You get to play against the computer! 1 or 2 players.

Bally Pin

Bally Pin

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1979

Bally Pin is a pinball game featuring two different tables. The game is played with two joysticks, with one controlling the two left flippers and the other controlling the two to the right. The game can be played by up to four players who take turns until all player have used up all of their five balls. The aim is simply to get the highest score. The two tables are similar but with slightly different layouts and both feature six bumpers (lit or unlit), drop targets, upper kicker targets and a spinner. The ball is meant to react as a real ball would when struck by a flipper with the speed and angle of it being affected by where on the flipper it is hit.

Brickyard / Clowns

Brickyard / Clowns

Bally Astrocade - Released - October 1, 1978

This cartridge offers a pair of games based upon the arcade classics Breakout and Clowns. Each game may be played by up to four players taking alternating turns. Up to 99 balls or clowns may be played. Brickyard is the Breakout influenced title. It features the familiar game play of using a paddle at the bottom of the screen to bounce a ball against bricks at the top of the screen. There are four different difficulty levels which adjust the speed of the ball and size of the paddle. Unlike Breakout, the ball in Brickyard builds up momentum with each hit. Clowns adapts the essence of Breakout to a circus setting. A pair of clowns bounce up and down on a teeter-totter trying to pop rows of balloons at the top of the screen. The clowns pick up speed each time they bounce off the teeter-totter.

Checkmate

Checkmate

Arcade - Released - 1977

Checkmate is an arcade game, that was released by Midway Games in 1977. It utilizes an Intel 8080 microprocessor (running at 1.9968 MHz), and was the first game from the company that allowed up to four players to play simultaneously. All four players must use a 4-way joystick and take up control of a snake-like line which leaves a trail behind it (if there are less than four players, the remaining lines will be controlled by the CPU) - and the objective is to force all other lines, regardless of whether they are player- or CPU-controlled, into the walls or your own trails (much like in Gremlin Industries' Blockade, Comotion and Hustle). Every time one line gets forced into a wall or another line, the text "PLAYER X CHECKS OUT/MEETS HIS MAKER/PRONOUNCED DEAD" (X being 1, 2, 3, or 4), will appear at the bottom of the screen; once there is only one line left, it's declared the winner of the current round and will receive a single point. Depending on how the cabinet is set, a game can be between two and five rounds long - and, whichever line has the most points at the finish will get declared the overall winner (which means that if any of the CPU-controlled lines have more points than yours at the end they will be considered the overall winners). Atari's Dominos (which was also released in 1977), also features similar gameplay to this title; however, it will only allow up to two players to play it as opposed to four.

Demons & Dragons

Arcade - Unreleased - 1982

A Prototype shooter created by Dave Nutting Associates for Bally Midway that used a Stick and Trackball for control input. Goals: Avoid the killer dragon. Stop the flying dragons from burning the castle. Throw magic missiles at other evil creatures. Stop the dreaded troll. Grab all 3 keys in 1 wave to free the princess. Beware of dark surprises.

Football

Football

Bally Astrocade - Released - October 1, 1978

Complete a pass up the middle for a first down. Eight offensive play options including the end run, screen pass, long bomb, short or long passes up the middle and some elegant razzle dazzle. Offensive players have direct control of the cornerbacks. The computer controls the rest! Up to 4 players.

Gorf

Gorf

Arcade - Released - 1981

Gorf is a game that consists of five levels: The first level called Astro Battles has the player's ship behind a defensive shield, defending against an alien attack. The level is a top-down view, with the player's ship and shield on one side and the aliens on the other side; this level bears the most resemblance to Space Invaders. The second level called Laser Attack is made up of a formation of ships, with some that swoop down and a laser that fires at the player's ship. Bonus ships also tend to appear in this level. The third level is called Galaxians, and as the name suggests it is very similar to the game Galaxian with ships constantly dive bombing the player's spaceship. This mission only appears in the Arcade version. The fourth level called Space Warp, has the player entering hyperspace.. The viewpoint switches from a top-down view to a behind-the-ship view. One by one, alien vessels will come out and fly in a circular formation shooting at the player's ship with the players goal being to destroy each one. The fifth and final level is called Flag Ship. In this level, the player does not fight a wave of enemies, but a single one which happens to be a large Flag Ship with a weak spot which is its core. Hitting the weak spot will instantly destroy it, but the player must first shoot through a similar shield that the player had in the first level. Finishing the game increases the player's rank and starts the game over at level 1 with a faster game speed for more challenge.

GORF

GORF

Atari 2600 - Released - 1982

Gorf is a game that consists of five levels: The first level called Astro Battles has the player's ship behind a defensive shield, defending against an alien attack. The level is a top-down view, with the player's ship and shield on one side and the aliens on the other side; this level bears the most resemblance to Space Invaders. The second level called Laser Attack is made up of a formation of ships, with some that swoop down and a laser that fires at the player's ship. Bonus ships also tend to appear in this level. The third level is called Galaxians, and as the name suggests it is very similar to the game Galaxian with ships constantly dive bombing the player's spaceship. This mission only appears in the Arcade version. The fourth level called Space Warp, has the player entering hyperspace.. The viewpoint switches from a top-down view to a behind-the-ship view. One by one, alien vessels will come out and fly in a circular formation shooting at the player's ship with the players goal being to destroy each one. The fifth and final level is called Flag Ship. In this level, the player does not fight a wave of enemies, but a single one which happens to be a large Flag Ship with a weak spot which is its core. Hitting the weak spot will instantly destroy it, but the player must first shoot through a similar shield that the player had in the first level. Finishing the game increases the player's rank and starts the game over at level 1 with a faster game speed for more challenge.

Gun Fight

Gun Fight

Arcade - Released - November 1, 1975

Gun Fight is a two player twitch game in which players take on the role of a gunfighter in the American West. Four way joysticks allow the player to his gunfighter in different directions on the screen. A two-way analogue stick allows players to aim the gun up and down. Bullets ricochet off the top and bottom of the screen. For each hit players earn points and more destructible obstacles are added on the screen. After a time limit is reached the player with most points wins.

Red Baron / Panzer Attack

Red Baron / Panzer Attack

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1978

Red Baron is a dogfighting game played from a side perspective on a single screen. Both planes start rolling on the ground and have to lift before crashing into a barn. Once in the air the planes can be moved in all directions and it's also possible to alter the speed. The aim is simply to get as many kills as possible before the time runs out. The time limit is chosen by the players before starting out. Panzer Attack is a tank game viewed from a top-down perspective. All player share the same single screen which has a few blockades for protections. The tanks can move in all directions and the aim of the game is simply to score points by destroying the other tanks. A battle ends when just one tank remains standing and the player with the highest score when all battle have been played wins. The number of battles can be chosen before starting out from 1-99.

Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf

Commodore 64 - Released - 1982

You are the commander...and Sea Wolf puts you in charge of sinking and destroying all enemy ships. You are armed with 4 torpedoes which will reload after you fire. Your primary targets are the small P.T. Boats which travel quickly through the water. You can choose the length of your playing time. Game times vary from 1 to 9 minutes in 1 minute intervals.

Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf

Arcade - Released - March 1, 1976

You are the commander...and Sea Wolf puts you in charge of sinking and destroying all enemy ships. You are armed with 4 torpedoes which will reload after you fire. Your primary targets are the small P.T. Boats which travel quickly through the water. You can choose the length of your playing time. Game times vary from 1 to 9 minutes in 1 minute intervals. Sea Wolf was a video game update of an earlier coin-operated electro-mechanical (em) Midway game, Sea Devil, itself based on Sega's 1966 coin-op electro-mechanical arcade submarine simulator Periscope.

Sea Wolf II

Sea Wolf II

Arcade - Released - June 1, 1978

Sea Wolf II was produced by Midway Manufacturing Co. in 1978. A timed submarine game where players look through large periscopes to aim at ships moving across the top of the screen. Torpedos are launched with a thumb button on the right handle of the scope, but mines floating across the screen can block these torpedoes. The fast-moving PT Boat is the hardest to hit. Players look through periscopes to aim at ships. Up to two targeting cross-hairs and the number of torpedos remaining are seen through the scopes. When the players have launched five torpedos, a red "RELOAD" light comes on momentarily. These are not shown on the screen, but are back-lit transparencies reflected inside the scopes. Likewise, when ships are hit on the screen, an explosion "light" is reflected inside the scopes. Torpedos are fired by pressing a thumb-button on the right-hand periscope handle. This time the game is two player simultanious and in color.

Star Battle

Star Battle

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1979

Star Battle is a space shooter based on the trench run sequence from the original Star Wars movie. The game is for one or two players and involves a battle between an X-Wing and a Tie Fighter, although since it doesn't carry a license they are not called that. The X-Wing is controlled by player one while the Tie Fighter is controlled by player two or the computer. Before starting out a maximum score (1-999) is entered and the player that first reaches it wins the game. A single hit is enough to bring down the enemy ship and it is worth one point. The game is viewed from a third-person perspective with a pseudo 3D representation of the trench. The colour of the trench changes constantly to illustrate the forward motion of the fighters. By moving the joystick up or down the fighters accelerate or decelerate which means they move to the top of the screen and decreases in size or move to the bottom and get larger. If one moves closer to the camera the other gets further away and vice versa.

The Incredible Wizard

The Incredible Wizard

Bally Astrocade - Released - January 1, 1982

Wizard of Wor is an arcade shooter played from a top-down point of view. The Bally Astrocade release of the game was titled The Incredible Wizard. It had the game ref number 2017 as a suffix. The player controls a warrior who is trapped in a dungeon. The goal is to earn as many points as possible by shooting the numerous enemy creatures which wander about the maze like corridors. The creatures wander about at various speeds, may shoot darts at the player, and some even have the ability to disappear temporarily. At the bottom of the screen the player has a radar which can be used to locate creatures that are invisible. When the the player completes a maze, a Worluk sometimes appears. This creature moves rapidly and will only be on the screen momentarily. If the player destroys the creature before it escapes, the next dungeon will become a double score dungeon and all creatures will be worth twice as many points. Occasionally the Wizard of Wor himself may appear! He moves quickly and can teleport around the maze. If they destroy him, the player will earn a large amount of points. The game may be played by one player or two players simultaneously.

Tornado Baseball

Tornado Baseball

Arcade - Released - June 5, 1976

The game is a very simple game of baseball, implemented with stick figures. The game is very simple in terms of rules, and anybody can pick up on how to play fairly quickly. This is a two player only title, with both people playing for a single quarter. The pitching player selects his pitch with one joystick, while moving his outfielders with a second one. The batting player only has a single button (that is a 'swing' button). Both players use the same set of controls, so they must switch spots in front of the machine midway through each inning. You get a four inning game for one quarter, although that number can be adjusted by the game operator.

Wizard of Wor

Wizard of Wor

Arcade - Released - December 1, 1980

The players' characters, called Worriors, must kill all the monsters by shooting them. Player one has yellow Worriors, on the right, and player two has blue Worriors, on the left. In a two-player game, the players are also able to shoot each other's Worriors, earning bonus points and causing the other player to lose a life. Team-oriented players can successfully advance through the game by standing back-to-back (such as in a corner) and firing at anything that comes at them. Each dungeon consists of a single-screen rectangular grid with walls and corridors in various formations. The Worriors and the monsters can travel freely through the corridors. Each dungeon has doors at the left and right edges, which connect with each other, making the dungeon wrap around. Whenever a door is traversed by a player or monster, both of them deactivate for a short period, making them impassable. A player who exits the door can pop back through the door immediately when the Worluk or Wizard is in the dungeon. A small radar display indicates the positions of all active monsters.

Wizard of Wor

Wizard of Wor

Commodore MAX Machine - Released - 1982

The player fights as a knight in different dungeons with magical projectiles against the monsters living there. The first monsters ("hellhounds") are still a bit slow. Suddenly appearing monsters get faster and faster and are partially invisible (but can be seen on radar). In later levels the player has to compete against the warlock "Worluk" and finally against the "Wizard of Wor". Furthermore, you have the possibility to fight with two against each other or against the monsters.

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