Missile Command and BZ - Why No Sequel Love?

XXI21

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Just wondering what happened... Two very popular games, initially... But no multiple sequels, like many other popular games of the day.

Hell, even Zaxxon had Super Zaxxon and some other game...

MC and BZ... nothin':confused: And Super Missile, MC2 and the military BZ don't count.

CIMG2278.jpg
 
Missile Command was hard and Battlezone was boring. Either that, or the games were so perfect in and of themselves that no one could come up with a way to improve upon or add anything to them.
 
I'd love to hear from the horse's mouth about this one. Maybe there are some details somewhere from the original Atari designers and developers.

There have definitely been a few remakes and homages, though! The unique control schemes for both games are tricky to replicate for these guys that write love letters to classics, so that probably doesn't help.
 
I think the Bradley trainer project with the Gov may have left a bad taste in there mouth for poor BZ.
Although the simulated that came out of it for the army was saweeeet ;)
 
the games were so perfect in and of themselves that no one could come up with a way to improve upon or add anything to them.



I'd love to hear from the horse's mouth about this one. Maybe there are some details somewhere from the original Atari designers and developers.
Yeah, it's like all of the sudden just a dead space on MC and BZ sequel development... while Atari went on to make sequels for Asteroids, 'Pede... ya know

Technically there was a Missile Command 2
As mentioned... Can't really count an unmarketed prototype. I'm talking commercially successful legacy, like Asteroids/Deluxe Centipede/Millipede and the like. Commercially released to the public successful sequels...

I think the Bradley trainer project with the Gov may have left a bad taste in there mouth for poor BZ.
Yep, they have a knack for fucking up a good thing...
 
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Missile Command 2

I was just reading somewhere this weekend that a Missile Command 2 was in development BITD where 2 players could play at the same time. I guess it never made it because it was too easy for two players to play for long periods of time. Bad for the quarter drop!

I've been wanting to hook my two Battlezone's together for a two player Battlezone. But that's another story...
 
I wasn't aware of Missile Command 2, but always thought Liberator was the successor/sequel to Missile Command. It takes the same kind of play, but reverses it, putting you on the attack.
 
I wasn't aware of Missile Command 2, but always thought Liberator was the successor/sequel to Missile Command. It takes the same kind of play, but reverses it, putting you on the attack.
I think it comes off as an MC sequel due to the many 'opposite' gameplay comparisons. And the trak-ball... I remember this alot from BITD... (And, technically, Liberator is not listed in the KLOV legacy for MC... Just sayin').

I can't read the minds of the developers, but I don't think an MC sequel was their intent on Liberator.

Even if I count it, Liberator, at 762 units released, is hardly a successful child of MC... It just ain't fair!
 
Great song, and did you catch David Cassidy's hair?? He's got that ever so perfect part in the middle and it feathers just right!

Something to strive for!! :D

I think MC was waaaaaay to hard for the masses and if they put out a sequel those who struggled with MC probably wouldn't bother to try it.
 
atari did do missile command 3d for the jaguar, missile command and battlezone 2000 for the lynx...

prize zone did so scud attack.

probably no sequel to BZ as it was a poor seller (The kits to red baron and the open face conversions were to help move cabinets).
 
Great song, and did you catch David Cassidy's hair?? He's got that ever so perfect part in the middle and it feathers just right!
I know... he's absolutely magnificent...

I would LOVE to have a Liberator some day. That is all. :)
Yeah, one of those unique 'cult following' games...

I'll admit, it's about the closest thing to an MC sequel out there...

bit_slicer lives!

 
MC sequel - found it.......

.....I remember reading about this last year, had to do a little KLOVwiki, but here it is:

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=192755

I'm really hoping Scott will actually be bringing this to CAX 2012 :)

Here is a brief summary, to answer a bunch of questions I have received.

The game is a sequel to the original Missile Command. The original game was still on the production line when this version was being created. Atari wanted to strike quickly with a sequel to their 'smash hit'. The game was play tested and did fairly well. The main problem, was that it was designed to be played in a large cocktail style table (think Atari Football). Operators at the time, were against this format because of the space required. The game was also tested in an upright basketball cabinet, but needed a convoluted mirror assembly to allow to players to play side-by-side. Since they could not come up with a suitable cabinet configuration, the project was cancelled.

There are tons of documents at www.atarigames.com that document the development process and focus testing of this game.


-GackAttack
 
Speaking of prototypes, there also was this which would have been an update to Missile Command:

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6904

There was an official sequel to Missile Command released to arcades although in limited quantities - its what they based the Jaguar version off of for the Virtuality VR Pods in the 90s



Really T-Mek is a psuedo-sequel to BattleZone. Maybe Vindicators could also have been in the same "universe". Atari did release BattleZone 2000 for the Lynx which had a neat but secret 3D mode, and the BattleZone 2000 project on the Jaguar turned into Hover Strike.
 
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