| River Raid | |
|---|---|
 Atari 2600 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Activision[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Activision[1] |
| Designer(s) | Carol Shaw |
| Series | River Raid |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, IBM PCjr, Intellivision, MSX, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | December 1982
|
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up[2] |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
River Raid is a video game developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari Video Computer System (later renamed Atari 2600) and released in 1982 by Activision. The player controls a fighter jet over the River of No Return in a raid behind enemy lines. The goal is to navigate the flight by destroying enemy tankers, helicopters, fuel depots and bridges without running out of fuel or crashing.
Shaw had made games for Atari, Inc. before joining Activision and before working on River Raid. Inspired by the game Scramble (1981), she set out to make a game that had a continuously scrolling screen. She had programmed and designed the game herself, occasionally getting advice from other Activision staff.
River Raid was one of the best selling-games of 1983, and the second best-selling Atari 2600 video game of the year after Ms. Pac-Man. It received year-end rewards from The Video Game Update and the Arkie Awards. The game was ported to several other consoles and computers and received a sequel in 1988. It has continued to receive praise as one of the best games for the Atari 2600 from various publications.
- ^ a b Weiss 2014, p. 180.
- ^ Buchanan 2008.