Overkill (video game)

Overkill (video game)
Overkill
Developer(s) Tech-Noir Productions
Publisher(s) Epic Megagames
Precision Software Publishing
Designer(s) Ste Cork
Artist(s) Martin Holland
Composer(s) Anthony Williams
Platform(s) PC (MS-DOS)
Release date(s) 1992
Genre(s) Scrolling Shooter
Mode(s) Single player
System requirements

8086 processor

Overkill is a vertical scrolling shooter that was developed by Tech-Noir Productions and published by Epic Games and Precision Software Publishing in 1992. The game was designed by Ste Cork, and was Epic's first vertical shooter.

The game was lacking some of the technology that other top shareware games of the time had, such as Jill of the Jungle, ID Software's Commander Keen, and Apogee's Duke Nukem. It boasted EGA graphics, PC speaker sound effects, support for a joystick, and a General MIDI musical track. While the game did sell a considerable amount of copies, it was quickly overshadowed by later vertical shooters such as Raptor: Call of the Shadows, Major Stryker, and Tyrian.

There are two versions of the game, the shareware version, and the commercial version. Because of certain business practices, in less than a year from the original release date the author took legal action against Precision Software Publishing (PSP), who immediately lost the right to publish the game or collect payments for it from any other distributors throughout Europe. PSP's name was removed from all screens within the game for the 1993 re-release, and replaced by references to Epic UK. Nothing else was changed between the 1992 and 1993 versions. The shareware version allows the user to play planets one and two, while the commercial version grants access to all six planets. Ste Cork declared the registered version freeware on July 23, 2008.[1]

Contents

Story

Overkill has a very brief and bland storyline. You are a pilot who has been handed a very difficult assignment, you must destroy the menacing alien forces that have captured six planets in a neighboring allied solar system. The aliens have enslaved all of the inhabitants of the planets, and must be killed.

Gameplay

The objective in Overkill is to destroy all enemies on a planet, thus restoring order. Your ship, has some basic necessities such as fuel, shields, and a weapon, but, it must be upgraded if you are to complete the mission. To upgrade your ship, you must pick up various goodies. You should be extra careful to not hit enemy ships, projectiles, or the walls, as this will destroy your shields. Once all of your shields run out, your ship explodes, and you lose a life. Once you lose all your lives, the game ends.

Goodies

Goodies are vital to the success of your mission. There are four different types of goodies; fuel cells, extra shields, smart bombs, and power-ups. Goodies can be acquired by destroying certain enemies and collecting the goody that it releases. Below is a brief description of each of the goodies.

Fuel Cells - Fuel cells replenish your fuel tanks.
Smart Bombs - Smart bombs destroy all enemies in range, activating when you pick it up.
Extra Shields - Extra shields restore some of your shields. This helps to ensure that your ship is not destroyed.
Power Ups - Power-ups can be used to upgrade your weapons, missiles, gadgets, and ship type. More information on power-ups can be found in the following section.

Power Ups

Every time you collect a power-up, the red bar on the right of the weapons indicator moves down one slot, allowing you to select the upgrade that is available to you. There are four different categories that you can upgrade with power-ups; your weapons, your missiles, your gadgets, and your ship type. If you do not wish to upgrade the category that is high-lighted in red, simply collect another power-up and the red bar will move down one slot. Depending on your ship type, more or less upgrades may be available. For example, the battleship cruiser can be equipped with drones, while the fighter cannot.

References

  1. ^ [1] Ste Cork released Overkill under the Creative Commons NoDerivs license.

External links

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