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Illustration of Blue Max

Blue Max

Overview

The storyline is based on a fictional pilot, Max Chatsworth, being (in-game) one of Britain's Flying Aces. Chatsworth's fame began in battle, when he was out on a reconnaissance mission, and his squadron was decimated by enemy planes. The pilot survived, and in the process shot down seven enemy fighters. He shot down thirteen more the next month. For these actions, Germany offered their Blue Max medal to anyone who could shoot Chatsworth down—and Chatsworth got a new nickname—Blue Max.

As Blue Max, you go out on sorties—flying missions—attacking assigned targets. Targets include bridges, buildings, enemy planes, tanks, bridges, anti-aircraft batteries, vehicles and ships. You progress to new missions as you take out your targets. Various settings can be adjusted before beginning play including control type (normal or pilot), skill level and whether gravity will affect the plane.

You must drop bombs to take out the ground targets, and this action also represents a key danger for you. Unlike the modern bombers that drop bombs on targets far below, early aircraft engaged in semi-suicidal bombing runs. The pilots started at high altitude, then tipped the planes nose downward towards their ground-based target, and pulled up before they hit the ground. In the middle of the dive and pull up process, they released the bomb. There were problems of coordination, found in the game as well—if you time it wrong, or start too low, you will crash. You only have one life in this game.

If your plane is destroyed or you complete a mission a ranking is given which ranges from Kamikaze Trainee to Squadron Leader.

This game has aroused some controversy too, which supposedly caused it to be banned in Germany. In the course of your missions, you end up bombing houses.

(The actual Blue Max/Blauer Max, is a nickname for the Prussian medal 'Pour le Mérite', first given to the pilots Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke. It required downing 8-20 enemy planes, with requirements increasing as the war progressed.)

Developers
Bob Polin
Platform
Atari 800
Genre
Shooter
Alternate Names
No information available

Media

Box - Back

Blue Max - Box - Back (North America) - 601x841
North America -  601 x 841
Blue Max - Box - Back (United Kingdom) - 602x876
United Kingdom -  602 x 876
Blue Max - Box - Back (United Kingdom) - 598x880
United Kingdom -  598 x 880

Box - Front

Blue Max - Box - Front (North America) - 601x840
North America -  601 x 840
Blue Max - Box - Front (United Kingdom) - 600x856
United Kingdom -  600 x 856

Box - Spine

Blue Max - Box - Spine (United Kingdom) - 151x1200
United Kingdom -  151 x 1200

Cart - Front

Blue Max - Cart - Front (United Kingdom) - 1400x855
United Kingdom -  1400 x 855
Blue Max - Cart - Front (North America) - 1173x748
North America -  1173 x 748

Clear Logo

Blue Max - Clear Logo (null) - 1500x870
1500 x 870

Disc

Blue Max - Disc (United Kingdom) - 837x800
United Kingdom -  837 x 800
Blue Max - Disc (North America) - 806x800
North America -  806 x 800

Screenshot - Game Select

Blue Max - Screenshot - Game Select (null) - 336x240
336 x 240

Screenshot - Game Title

Blue Max - Screenshot - Game Title (null) - 336x240
336 x 240
Blue Max - Screenshot - Game Title (null) - 336x240
336 x 240

Screenshot - Gameplay

Blue Max - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 336x240
336 x 240
Blue Max - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 336x240
336 x 240