How to play Mega Force online
- Move the Moto-Fighter: arrow keys
- Fire missiles: Space bar
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose a game level: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Prizes in random or fixed order: F4 (the left difficulty switch)
- How enemy aircraft behave: F9 (the right difficulty switch)
Gameplay
The friendly nation of Sardoun is under attack, and your job is to fight your way to the enemy headquarters and destroy it. Each destroyed headquarters ends a round, and the next round is harder. On the ground the Moto-Fighter fires at a downward angle, which lets you hit targets on the ground; in the air it fires straight ahead at enemy aircraft.
Fuel is the real enemy. You lose one gallon every second, and when the tank is empty you lose a Moto-Fighter. The fighter flashes when fuel is getting low. You refuel by shooting the tanks of enemy fuel depots: each tank gives you fuel as well as points. Wipe out a whole depot and a prize appears, which you can shoot too. The game ends when you have no Moto-Fighters left.
| Target | Points |
|---|---|
| Fuel depot tank (plus 10 gallons of fuel) | 80 |
| Enemy aircraft | 100 |
| Ground rocket | 300 |
Levels and difficulty switches
The cartridge has four levels, and the last one is an easy practice game with plenty of fuel and extra Moto-Fighters, which is the best place to learn. The left difficulty switch decides whether the prizes under the fuel depots come in a random order (A) or a fixed order (B). The right switch changes what enemy aircraft do after you let them pass: in position A they fly on and attack Sardoun, in position B they mostly stay behind to guard the fuel depots.
Tips
- Stay on the ground near depots. The downward shot is what hits the fuel tanks, and every tank buys you ten more seconds.
- Shoot prizes quickly. They vanish if they scroll off the screen.
- Hit ground rockets early. They are worth the most points in the table above, and one fewer rocket is one fewer threat.
- Learn with switch B on the left. Fixed-order prizes make it easier to learn what each depot will give you.
The story behind Mega Force
20th Century Fox set up its own game division to turn its films into Atari 2600 cartridges, and hired Doug Neubauer, who had left Atari, as an independent programmer. Mega Force reached North American shops in December 1982, with a PAL version for Europe following later. The film it was based on did poorly: it cost about $20 million to make and earned only $5.7 million at the box office. The cartridge, on the other hand, is still a common find for collectors today.
