Burgertime

Infobox VG
title = BurgerTime
caption= Data East arcade version of "Burgertime".


developer = Data East
publisher = Data East
Bally Midway (U.S.)
designer =
release = vgy|1982
genre = Puzzle
modes = Up to 2 players, alternating turns
cabinet = Upright, cocktail
arcade system =
display = Raster, 19" monitor
input = 4-way joystick, 1 button
platforms = Arcade

"BurgerTime" is a 1982 Japanese arcade game created by Data East Corporation for its DECO Cassette System. The game was called "Hamburger" in Japan, but renamed "BurgerTime" before introduced to the United States. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must push pieces of a hamburger from a maze of platforms by walking over them, while avoiding characters chasing him.

The game was popular in arcades. In the United States, Data East USA licensed "BurgerTime" for distribution by Bally Midway. The Data East and Midway versions can be distinguished by the manufacturer's name on the title screen and by the marquee artwork.

According to Twin Galaxies, the world record high score on "BurgerTime" is 9,000,000 points, achieved by Bryan L. Wagner of Turbotville, Pennsylvania, on June 2 vgy|2006, at the Funspot Family Fun Center in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire. [ [http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&p=21662 Twin Galaxies - Bryan L. Wagner] ]

Gameplay in Classic arcade version

When the player walks the length of a piece, it falls one level. If a piece falls on another, that piece in turn falls one level. A burger is complete when all the buns, meat patties and lettuce in a vertical line are dropped to the bottom of the screen. When all burgers are completed, the level is finished.

While making burgers, the player must deal with enemy condiments Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle and Mr. Egg. Enemies can be dodged, killed, or temporarily stunned. Killing occurs when a burger piece is dropped on top of the enemy condiment, or when support for the burger piece is completely removed, and the enemy falls with the piece. Scoring depends heavily on killing enemies, and the more enemies killed with one "fall of pieces", the higher the score. Therefore, to get the best score the player must endanger themselves by allowing more than one enemy to get on the same piece the player is on, just before the player drops the piece.

The player has pepper shots they shake on nearby enemies to stun and render them harmless for a few seconds. Extra shots can be obtained by collecting bonus foods, such as coffee, an ice cream cone or French Fries, which appear in the center of the maze when certain numbers of pieces have dropped.

Each level becomes more difficult, with higher layouts making it easier to be trapped and harder to reach burger pieces.

Gameplay in BurgerTime Delight version

"BurgerTime Delight" was released by Namco in 2007. The enhanced version is similar, but includes "new graphics, characters and power-ups". [http://www.namcogames.com/_guides/User_Guide_-_BurgerTime_Delight_by_Namco.pdf] There are six "arcade levels" and eight enhanced mode levels with perils of falling ice and rising fire from the grill. The perils kill the player as well as enemies. Besides the pepper of the classic game, there is now a salt shaker, that when collected stuns all enemies on the screen. Finally, letters appear briefly at various places; when collected to create certain words, the player gets two extra lives and automatically completes the level.

"BurgerTime Delight" has an option to change the game to be slower or faster than the arcade version.

Other legacy

equels

A planned sequel, "PizzaTime", was in development when the video game market crashed, and not released. However, there were two arcade sequels, "Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory" and "Super BurgerTime", neither of which were widely released. "Super BurgerTime" allows two players to play at once and is fairly true to the original "Burgertime" but with many added features and greatly improved graphics.

A console-only sequel, "Diner", was created after the 1984 purchase of Intellivision from Mattel by INTV Corp. This game was programmed by Ray Kaestner, the programmer of the original "Burgertime".

Ports and remakes

Due to this game's success, it was ported to several home computers and consoles: Apple II, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Intellivision, Mattel Aquarius, MSX, NES and TI-99/4A. More recently, it can be found on mobile phones and Pelican's VG Pocket Caplet. A version was also released for the original Nintendo Game Boy as "BurgerTime Deluxe". It was also included in the "Midway Arcade Greatest Hits Volume 2" for PlayStation.

The 1984 ZX Spectrum game "Mr. Wimpy" takes the second half of its gameplay directly from "BurgerTime".Fact|date=July 2008

"BurgerTime in Bedrock" is a remake of the game for the Game Boy Color that uses characters from "The Flintstones".Fact|date=July 2008

As of 2007, "BurgerTime" is available through the subscription online game service, GameTap.

Burgertime in pop culture

Mr. Egg makes an appearance in the "Futurama" episode "Anthology of Interest II."Fact|date=July 2008

"Burgertime" parodies include a skit in "", a commercial for Adult Swim's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", and the video game "Murder Time" by Running With Scissors.Fact|date=July 2008

"Burgertime" was briefly featured in the second season of "". Upon warping into the game, Captain N, Mega Man, and Simon Belmont were turned into the food enemies.Fact|date=July 2008

Current ownership

G-Mode currently owns the intellectual property to "BurgerTime", "BurgerTime Deluxe", "Super BurgerTime", and "Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory". [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070828030201/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zd1up/is_200402/ai_ziff118189 G-Mode Buys Up Data East Catalog (Archived)] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.dataeastgames.com/title_burgertime.html Official G-Mode webpage of the Burger Time series]
*KLOV game|id=7238
*moby game|id=/burgertime
*StrategyWiki