Top 4 best games in 1975, review: Deepspace, Gun Fight, Wumpus II, Steeplechase

Top 4. Deepspace  Apple II, Commodore PET/CBM, Mainframe

This is a text-based space combat simulator.

At the beginning, you are given several options that will influence your game in the future. First, you choose one of three starting locations, then one of three types of spacecraft, and finally, you select the ultimate equipment. Each type of spacecraft differs in speed, weaponry, and defense level.

All actions are performed using specific keys. You have the following options: fire one of up to 4 types of weapons, activate the neutron field, self-destruct, change speed, disable, continue at the current speed.

Weapons not only inflict different damage but also take up different space on the spacecraft. Some weapons can harm you at close range.

Top 5-10 Best Games in 1975, review: Shark JAWS, Jet Fighter, Hi-Way, Crossfire, Anti-Aircraft, Crash 'N Score

Shark JAWS  Arcade

You play as a deep-sea diver hunting for fish while being pursued by a shark. Your objective is to devour fish with your character while avoiding the shark. Originally, Atari attempted to license this well-known movie franchise, but eventually opted for a clever workaround. 

The arcade prominently displayed the word "Jaws" in large letters, with the word "shark" written inconspicuously in smaller letters.

Points are earned for each fish consumed. The unique aspect of the game is that you have no lives; you lose when caught by the shark, consuming the remaining time.

Top 11-15 best games in 1975, review: Panther, Moria, Pedit5, dnd, Pursuit

Panther  Terminal

This multiplayer game allows players to join one of two teams, represented by square or triangular objects symbolizing vehicles. The graphics are vector-based, enabling real-time gameplay. Explosions are generated through animated computer characters.

In each game, five mountains appear randomly in various locations and sizes. Players are given some time at the beginning to familiarize themselves with the terrain. In addition to a first-person view, players can access a shared map showing allies and enemies detected by their team.

The game emphasizes teamwork, as each unit possesses unique skills. Some excel at tracking, others at combat, and some are better suited for infiltrating the enemy base and initiating bombardment, among other roles. Players can communicate through in-game chat and send special taunts to opponents.

Top 16-20 best games in 1975, review: Goal/4, F-114, Electrotennis, Drop Zone 4, Avenger

Goal/4  Arcade

This is soccer implemented through the Pong concept. The arcade machine itself is horizontal, resembling a table.

In single-player mode, you try to score a goal by hitting the ball into moving gates.

In the multiplayer version, you have a goalkeeper and two attackers. If there are more than two players, these roles are distributed separately. Also, a more defensive player has 3 paddles for control, while a more offensive one, closer to the opponent, has two paddles.

Top 21-25 Best Games in 1975, review: Odyssey 100, Maneater, Knock-Out, Kill the Bit, Interceptor

Odyssey 100  Console

In the previous video, I talked about a later version of this console, but since this version was the base model, I will place it higher on the list.

Compared to many other Pong console clones, this console had several improvements, such as the ability to move paddles not only vertically but also horizontally. You could also move the central and side lines. It allowed you to adjust the ball's speed and trajectory during the game. All these features were controlled by three different knobs.

Top 26-30 best games in 1975, review: Videomaster Home T.V. Game, Super Flipper, Street Burners, Ping Pong, Odyssey 200

Videomaster Home T.V. Game  console

One of the first clones of the home Pong console. Here are three typical versions of this game: tennis, football, squash.

Tennis is not surprising, as it is essentially the same as Pong. In football, there is already a restriction in the form of goals, and you don't have to defend the entire wall from the ball. Squash blocks the right side, so you need to make the opponent miss the ball when it rebounds from the left side.

Top 31-34 best games in 1975, review: Ballistic Missile War Game, Bowl2, Indy 800, Destruction Derby

Ballistic Missile War Game  Wang 2200

Here you will play the role of an anti-ballistic missile defense operator. Your task is to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles. You need to destroy 10 missiles before your control tower is destroyed.

Only one missile can be in the air at a time, so launching the next one destroys the previous. You can adjust the trajectory of the missile in flight.

Top 35-38 Best Games in 1975, review: Fball, ttt, Empire -michelin-, Wang 2200T Hockey Game

Fball  Wang 2200

This is a text-based football game where two teams play a match with minimal human involvement and a high reliance on randomness.

ttt  Mainframe

Another version of the tic-tac-toe game, but the developers decided to encrypt the name, thinking we wouldn't understand. A notable feature is that over time, the computer learns to play better. In the early games, it makes moves purely randomly.

Top 39-43 best games in 1975, review: Seawar, Rabbit Chase, Geowar, Dungeon, Orthanc

Seawar  Mainframe

You have a fleet of 9 ships, and you must destroy the enemy fleet. The game is very similar to the board game Battleship, but with some differences.

Instead of coordinates, you specify the firing angle. You have 7 seconds to decide your move.

Top 44-50 best games in 1975, review: Witchy, Ultimate Star Trek, Simsex, Raumkrieg, m199h, Shark, VideoSport Mk 2

All list top 50 games. In this article, I will talk about games that were interesting at that time but for which no graphical information could be found - neither screenshots nor videos.

Witchy  Mainframe

A sinister witch has captured your four friends for ransom, and you must find and free them. To release them, you need to guess their names, hidden behind a fence with missing planks, revealing only a single letter. If you fail to guess correctly, the name will be consumed. Sometimes you might encounter the witch's name, and if you guess it, she eats it herself.

Top 4 best games in 1974. Reviews: Maze War, Pin Pong, Rebound, Teaser

All list top 32 games.

Maze War Mainframe, Terminal, Xerox Alto

This is one of the first-person shooters and the first game with a deathmatch mode, meaning it's multiplayer. It was created at the NASA research center.

You navigate through a maze, turn in any direction by 90 degrees, or can go backward. Other players, your opponents, appear as eyeball-shaped entities that can shoot at you. I understand they shoot lasers from their eyes, like Superman.

Points are awarded for each kill, and deducted if you get killed. There is an option to peek around corners unnoticed.

Top 5-8 best games in 1974. Reviews: Super Star Trek, Frogs, Tank, Clean Sweep

All list top 32 games.

Super Star Trek Altair 8800, Mainframe

This is an updated version of Star Trek. The goal of the game remains the same - to destroy Klingon ships within a limited time. Several improvements have been added to the game, including a three-letter text analyzer to determine your actions. Now each quadrant has its own names, and the names of Star Trek are licensed by Paramount Pictures itself. On some computer models, there is text that can be animated.

Top 9-12 best games in 1974. Reviews: Asteroid Space, How the West was One + Three x Four, Star Trader, Gran Trak 10

 

All list top 32 games.

Asteroid Space Wang 2200

The goal of the game is to navigate the spaceship through an asteroid field. In addition to moving forward, the player can turn, accelerate, and decelerate. The latter action repeats continuously, requiring careful attention. At the end, the time spent reaching the finish is displayed, providing motivation to improve the result.

Top 13-16 best games in 1974, Reviews: Sailplane, Racer, Qwak!, Ping-O-Tronic

All list top 32 games.

Sailplane

This is a text simulator for landing a sailplane. You control only the spoilers of the aircraft and appear at a specific altitude and distance from the landing spot. The player specifies the glide ratio from 8 to 23 and the duration. After that, you are given a new position and distance, and you can adjust your actions based on this information.

Racer (Speed Race Deluxe, Speed Race)

This is an arcade racing game. A very rare guest in those years when various variations of Pong dominated.

In this game, there was a scrolling straight track downwards, and your primary goal was to avoid collisions with opponents rather than navigate turns. You were given 90 seconds, and you had to score as many points as possible, awarded for overtaking opponents.

The control method was also unconventional – a steering wheel and a lever for changing gears. For video games, this was a rarity for that time. Two difficulty levels were available, increasing the speed and the number of cars on the track.

Top 17-23 best games in 1974. Reviews: Wipe Out, Wild Gunman, Superpong, Hesitation, Flim-Flam, Challenge, Basketball

All list top 32 games.

All games from this release were arcade exclusives, but there is visual information about them on the internet: photos or videos.

Wipe Out

This version of Pong had quite a few features. To start, it was for 4 players. Each player started with 5 lives, and when reaching zero, they were eliminated from the game while others continued to compete.

In the center, there was a cross that distorted the trajectory to make the game more unpredictable. However, there were defense zones in the corners from which the balls bounced.

If a player was eliminated from the game, the ball also started bouncing off their line.

Top 24-26 best games in 1974, Reviews: Space War, Wander (included game), Spasim

All list top 32 games.

Space War (TRS-80)

This is an action game where you move from right to left, which is a rather atypical direction. You earn a point for each enemy destroyed. The game lasts for 60 seconds or until you are destroyed.

Top 27-32 best games in 1974. Reviews: Time Trap, Moon Base, Conquest, The Advanced Simulation in Undergraduate Pilot Training installation, TV Goalee, One on One

Today I will tell you about games for which there is no available graphic information, so bear with me in this episode.

All list top 32 games.

Time Trap

It's a tactical game about time travel. After processing by a computer, the results are sent to players by mail, and then responses are entered after receiving the mail.

The game can involve 2 to 9 players. Each player has a 16 by 16 square grid. On each turn, players can move their assassins one square in any direction, including diagonally, and take one shot in any direction.

The tactical component involves accumulating energy, which remains with inactive assassins. You can alter past actions by spending energy. Also, with each turn, the cost of actions in energy increases.