Page 17 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #21 Free Edition

CROSSBOW (ATARI 7800)
Some of you may remember Crossbow, the 1983 arcade semi-classic from Exidy. The game used a faux crossbow controller for blasting such enemies as ghosts, frogs, witches, dragons, alligators, archers, slime monsters, and pterodactyls. The Atari light gun steps in as a good substitute for the 7800 version as you aim (so to speak) to keep a group of friends safe as they walk (from left to right) through eight colorful, richly detailed levels that you can play in any order: Desert, Caverns, Volcano, Jungle, Village, River, Drawbridge, and Castle Hall. You basically act as a sniper to ward off the aforementioned enemies, and you can shoot other items for bonus points. Crossbow was ported to the Atari 2600 as well, but it doesn’t look as good as the 7800 version.
GANGSTER TOWN (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM)
One of the best, most dynamic light gun shooters of the 8-bit era, Gangster Town puts you in the role of an
FBI agent, ridding the city of gangsters. You begin with some routine target shooting to determine the difficulty of the game based on your skill level, and then there’s an exciting car chase where you fire away as armed gangsters shoot at you from car windows and bomb- dropping airplanes fly overhead. Subsequent stages take place downtown, in a saloon, in a nightclub, and at the docks. The action in these areas scrolls vertically as you shoot bottles, bombs, mice, and other targets, including gangsters who pop out from manhole covers and appear in the windows and doorways of buildings. One nice touch is that when you shoot a gangster, he will turn into an angel and fly away. Even better, you can shoot that angel! Levels scroll for a set amount of time; when the scrolling stops, that level’s boss will appear. A second player can join in the fun for some co-op action in this enjoyable, graphically impressive game.
Sega Light Phaser
MARCH 2021 • WWW.OLDSCHOOLGAMER.COM 17