Xybots

Xybots
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Atari Games
Publisher(s)Atari Games
Designer(s)Ed Logg
Programmer(s)Ed Logg
Bob Flanagan
Artist(s)Sam Comstock
Mark West
Composer(s)Hal Canon
Brad Fuller
Earl Vickers
Platform(s)Arcade, MSX, Amstrad, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Lynx
ReleaseArcade
  • WW: 1987
Home computers
  • WW: 1989
Atari Lynx
  • WW: 1991
Genre(s)Third-person shooter[1]
Mode(s)Single-player, cooperative

Xybots is a 1987 third-person shooter[1] arcade game by Atari Games. In Xybots, up to two players control "Major Rock Hardy" and "Captain Ace Gunn", who must travel through a 3D maze and fight against a series of robots known as the Xybots whose mission is to destroy all mankind. The game features a split screen display showing the gameplay on the bottom half of the screen and information on player status and the current level on the top half. Designed by Ed Logg, it was originally conceived as a sequel to his previous title, Gauntlet. The game was well received, with reviewers lauding the game's various features, particularly the cooperative multiplayer aspect. Despite this, it was met with limited financial success, which has been attributed to its unique control scheme that involves rotating the joystick to turn the player character.

Xybots was ported to various personal computers and the Atari Lynx handheld. Versions for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive were announced, but never released.[2] Emulated versions of the arcade game were later released as part of various compilations, starting with Midway Arcade Treasures 2 in 2004.

  1. ^ a b "Xybots". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
  2. ^ Harris, Steve (April 1990). "Outpost: Genesis - Genesis Games Getting Even Better!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 9. Sendai Publishing. pp. 73–77.