Front Line | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Taito |
Publisher(s) | Taito |
Designer(s) | Tetsuya Sasaki |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, FM-7, MSX, NES/Famicom, PC-6001, PC-8801, PC-9801, Sharp X1 |
Release | Arcade ColecoVision PC-8801 Sharp X1 Atari 2600 MSX FM-7 Famicom |
Genre(s) | Run and gun |
Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
Arcade system | Taito SJ System[2] |
Front Line[a] is a military-themed run and gun video game released by Taito for arcades in November 1982.[4] It was one of the first overhead run and gun games, a precursor to many similarly-themed games of the mid-to-late 1980s. Front Line is controlled with a joystick, a single button, and a rotary dial that can be pushed in like a button. The single button is used to throw grenades and to enter and exit tanks, while the rotary dial aims and fires the player's gun.
The game was created by Tetsuya Sasaki. It was a commercial success in Japan, where it was the seventh highest-grossing arcade game of 1982. However, it received a mixed critical and commercial reception in Western markets, with praise for its originality but criticism for its difficulty. The game's overhead run and gun formula preceded Capcom's Commando (1985) by several years. The SNK shooters TNK III (1985) and Ikari Warriors (1986) follow conventions established by Front Line, including the vertically scrolling levels, entering/exiting tanks, and not dying when an occupied tank is destroyed.
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