View source for Software:Xybots

'''''Xybots''''' is a 1987 [[Software:Third-person shooter|third-person shooter]]<ref name="AllGame">{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=11604|title=Xybots|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=11604|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=AllGame}}</ref> [[Engineering:Video game|video game]] developed and published by [[Company:Atari Games|Atari Games]] for [[Software:Arcade video game|arcades]]. Players control "Major Rock Hardy" and "Captain Ace Gunn", who must travel through a three-dimensional maze and battle 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, ''[[Software:Gauntlet (1985 video game)|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 [[Engineering:Atari Lynx|Atari Lynx]] handheld. Versions for the [[Engineering:Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo Entertainment System]] and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive were announced, but never released.<ref name="EGM9b2">{{cite magazine|last=Harris|first=Steve|url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_Issue_009_April_1990#page/n74/mode/1up|title=Outpost: Genesis - Genesis Games Getting Even Better!|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=9|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=April 1990|pages=73–77}}</ref> Emulated versions of the arcade game were later released as part of various compilations, starting with ''[[Software:Midway Arcade Treasures 2|Midway Arcade Treasures 2]]'' in 2004.

==Gameplay==
[[File:ARC Xybots.png|thumb|left|The gameplay area shows the perspectives of both characters in the lower half of the screen, with the top half being split between the player statuses and level map.]]
One or two players navigate through corridors as either Rock Hardy or Ace Gunn, battling enemy Xybots with a laser gun, seeking cover from enemy fire behind various objects and attempting to reach the level's exit. In certain levels, players face off against a large [[Software:Boss (video gaming)|boss]] Xybot. Players move using the joystick, which also rotates to turn the player character. The lower half the screen shows the gameplay area for both players while the upper half is split between the map for the current level and the [[HUD (video gaming)|status display]] for each player. The display shows the player's remaining energy, which can be replenished by collecting energy pods within the levels. Energy can also be purchased at shops between levels, using coins dropped by defeated Xybots.<ref name="CU">{{cite news|title=Xybots|publisher=Commodore User|last=Kelly|first=Nick|date=February 1988|pages=108–109|url=https://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/264/407/xybots_review.html}}</ref> The player can also purchase power-ups at these shops, including extra armor, increased speed, strength and firepower along with maze and enemy maps.<ref name="CVG">{{cite news|title=Xybots|date=February 1988|pages=122–123|url=https://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/233/407/xybots_review.html|publisher=Computer+Video Games}}</ref><ref name="TGM">{{cite news|title=Xybots|date=February 1988|url=https://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/20/407/xybots_review.html|pages=69–70|publisher=The Games Machine}}</ref>

==Development==
The concept for the game was born out of an attempt by designer Ed Logg and engineer/technician Doug Snyder to create a first-person video game without specialized hardware. In 2005, Logg recalled that he had trouble with the controls for the game—both building controls that worked with the game design and getting players to realize they could rotate the joystick to turn the in-game characters. Because of these difficulties, Logg was unsure if the game would enter mass production. Originally Logg envisioned the game as a second sequel to ''[[Software:Gauntlet (1985 video game)|Gauntlet]]'' titled ''Gauntlet III: Catacombs.'' However, the marketing department at Atari Games did not want to make another ''Gauntlet'' game and made him change the title. Logg and co-programmer Bob Flanagan eventually settled on a theme based on ''[[Software:Major Havoc|Major Havoc]]'', a previous Atari arcade game.<ref name="GTM">{{cite news|title=Behind the Scenes: Xybot|publisher=Future Publishing|work=GamesTM|pages=152–555|issue=39}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
|title = Reception
|ACE = 77% ({{abbr|ZX|ZX Spectrum}})<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/ace-magazine-23/ACE_Issue_23_1989_Aug#page/n67 |title=Domark prove two's company when you're robot-killing |publisher=ACE Magazine |via=archive.org |issue=23 |page=69 |date=August 1989 |access-date=10 August 2018}}</ref><br> 81% (Atari ST)<br> 55% (Amstrad)
|EGM = 4/10, 6/10, 5/10, 8/10<br/>(Atari Lynx)<ref name="EGMRev">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/a8f3b1f1-fe7c-4e94-ba24-703f5f5eb004|via=Video Game History Foundation |title=Review Crew |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |date=February 1992 |page=30 |access-date=February 10, 2026|last1=Harris|first1=Steve|last2=Semrad|first2=Ed|last3=Alessi|first3=Martin|author4=Sushi-X|volume=5|issue=31|publisher=Sendai Publishing}}</ref>
| award1Pub = ''Your Sinclair''
| award1 = Megagame<ref>Game review, Your Sinclair issue 71, November 1991, Dennis Publishing, page 65</ref>
}}
Upon release, the game was positively reviewed. It drew favorable comparisons to both ''[[Software:Berzerk (video game)|Berzerk]]'' and ''[[Software:Gauntlet (1985 video game)|Gauntlet]]'' for its maze-like stages and shooting gameplay.<ref name="TGM" /><ref name="Crash">{{cite news|title=Xybots|publisher=Crash|date=May 1988|pages=34–35|url=https://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/77/407/xybots_review.html}}</ref> The game's various features, including the cooperative gameplay, were praised, with ''Computer and Video Games'' and ''The Games Machine'' citing them as aspects that made the game addictive.<ref name="CVG" /><ref name="TGM" /> ''Commodore User'' also cited the two-player game as a highlight, saying "its real appeal is as a team game, with you and your mate running about the place, covering each other, dividing up and destroying all the robots in the maze, and lending one another gold coins in the shop."<ref name="CU" />

Ed Logg recalled in 2005 that the game was not a financial success. ''GamesTM'' wrote that "''Xybots'' was overlooked in arcades due to its complex controls and tricky gameplay" and that its lack of earnings in arcades was the reason no sequel was ever developed. In retrospect, they wrote that the game was "ahead of its time" and "offered a unique experience that similar games of the era were unable to match."<ref name="GTM" />

==Ports==
[[Image:Xybots.jpg|thumb|Lynx box art by Marc Ericksen]]

In 1989 ''Xybots'' was ported to [[Engineering:MSX|MSX]], [[Engineering:Commodore 64|Commodore 64]], [[Company:Amstrad|Amstrad]], [[Engineering:ZX Spectrum|ZX Spectrum]], [[Engineering:Atari ST|Atari ST]], and [[Engineering:Amiga|Amiga]]. In 1991, the Atari Games subsidiary [[Company:Tengen|Tengen]] released a version of the game for the handheld [[Engineering:Atari Lynx|Atari Lynx]], developed by the Chicago-based [[Company:NuFX|NuFX]].<ref name="GTM" />

A version for the [[Engineering:Sega Genesis|Sega Genesis]] by  Tengen had been announced at the 1990 Winter [[Engineering:Consumer Electronics Show|Consumer Electronics Show]] alongside ports of the Atari Games titles ''[[Software:Paperboy (video game)|Paperboy]]'' and ''[[Software:Hard Drivin'|Hard Drivin']]'',<ref name="EGM">{{cite magazine|title=Outpost: Genesis|last=Harris|first=Steve|date=April 1990|publisher=Sendai|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|page=73}}</ref> but while the latter two games were released for the system, ''Xybots'' was not. A planned [[Engineering:Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo Entertainment System]] port from Tengen also went unreleased.<ref>{{cite web |title=Xybots [NES – Unreleased] |url=https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/11/xybots-nes-unreleased/ |website=Unseen64 |date=11 April 2008 |access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Having acquired the rights to the Atari Games arcade library through its parent company [[Company:WMS Industries|Williams]],<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|title=Time Warner to Quit Game Business|magazine=Next Generation|issue=21 |publisher=Imagine Media|date=September 1996|page=15}}</ref> Midway released the arcade version of Xybots as part of the 2004 console compilation ''[[Software:Midway Arcade Treasures 2|Midway Arcade Treasures 2]]'',<ref name="GameSpot">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/midwayarcadetreasuresii/review.html |title=Midway Arcade Treasures 2 Review |publisher=GameSpot.com |date=2004-10-11 |access-date=2013-01-09}}</ref> as well as ''[[Software:Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition|Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition]]'' for [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]].<ref name="GZ">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/midway_arcade_treasures_deluxe_edition_pc_review/|title=Midway Arcade Treasures: Deluxe Edition - PC - Review|date=May 4, 2012|access-date=March 15, 2018|publisher=GameZone}}</ref> The arcade version also saw release on the [[Engineering:PlayStation Portable|PSP]] as part of ''Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play''.<ref name="GameSpotPSP">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/midway-arcade-treasures-extended-play-review/1900-6141337/ |title=Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play Review |publisher=GameSpot.com |date=2005-12-01 |access-date=2018-03-15}}</ref>

With the dissolution of Midway in 2009, [[Company:Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] picked up the rights to Midway's arcade titles,<ref name=WarnerOKd>{{cite news|last=Dunca|first=Geoff|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/time-warner-buying-most-of-midway-games-for-33-mln/|title=Time Warner Buying Most of Midway Games for $33 Mln|access-date=2009-07-06|work=Digital Trends|archive-date=2010-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230034624/http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/time-warner-buying-most-of-midway-games-for-33-mln/|url-status=dead}}</ref> releasing ''Xybots'' for the [[Engineering:PlayStation 3|PlayStation 3]] and [[Engineering:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]] as part of ''[[Software:Midway Arcade Origins|Midway Arcade Origins]]''<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/14/midway-arcade-origins-review|title=Midway Arcade Origins review|publisher=IGN|date=November 14, 2012|access-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> and for various other platforms through the ''[[Software:Lego Dimensions|Lego Dimensions]]'' Midway Arcade Level Pack.<ref name="Polygon">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/3/24/11296570/lego-dimensions-midway-arcade-interview|title=Lego Dimensions Delivers a Playable Video Game Museum with Midway Arcade|date=March 24, 2016|access-date=March 15, 2018|publisher=Vox Media|work=Polygon|last=Crecente|first=Brian}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{KLOV game|id=10510}}
*[http://www.arcade-history.com/?page=detail&id=3222 ''Xybots''] at Arcade History
* {{AtariAge software|id=1892}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230756/http://www.ataritimes.com/article.php?showarticle=473 Review] at Atari Times
*{{Internet Archive game|platform=arcade|arcade_xybots}}

{{Atari Games}}

[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Third-person shooters]]

{{Sourceattribution|Xybots}}