Ludography
3D MineStorm cover

1982 · Remaster · General Consumer Electronics · Shoot 'em up · Shooter

3D MineStorm

Remaster

Mine Storm is the built-in game that came with every Vectrex unit. It was also released in a 3-D version that required the use of the Vectrex 3D Imager and as a bug-free replacement cartridge called Mine Storm 2

Released
1982
Platforms
VectrexCommodore 64
Genres
Shoot 'em upShooter
Developers
General Consumer Electronics
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
Science fiction
Country
United States

About

Mine Storm (also written as MineStorm) is a 1982 multidirectional shooter video game designed and programmed by John Hall and published by General Consumer Electronics as the built-in game for the Vectrex. Gameplay is similar to Atari, Inc.'s 1979 Asteroids arcade game. Players control a spaceship and must destroy mines on a playfield while avoiding collisions. Although not released on a physical cartridge, a Mine Storm screen overlay and manual were included with each system to support the built-in game.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Mine Storm's gameplay is similar to that of Atari's Asteroids. The game begins with an ominous musical jingle, as a large enemy mine-layer ship moves from the top to the bottom of the screen, dropping mines onto the field (which appear as randomly scattered dots), and then disappears. The player's ship starts in the middle of the field with 5 lives. As game play commences, four mines pop up, growing out of the stationary dots on the field and begin drifting about.

As each floating mine is destroyed, two smaller mine pops up to replace it, and then two even smaller, requiring seven hits to completely eliminate a mine-type. Mines are destroyed with one shot, and the player must destroy all mines in order to progress to the next minefield. If the player's ship collides with a mine (or is hit by a flying projectile) it not only costs the player a life, but the level is restarted with all mines restored. A bonus life is rewarded each time 4 fields are cleared.

Reception

MineStorm was reviewed in 1982 by Video in its "Arcade Alley" column, where it was described as "a fast-moving contest, more than slightly similar to Asteroids". David H. Ahl of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games praised the controls' "excellent" responsiveness, and the "simply magnificent" graphics and sound. He recommended the game to Asteroids fans who were disappointed by other home versions. Games Magazine called it "impressive" and that it has "all the play value and action of coin-op Asteroids, and better graphics".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Vectrex31 December 1982Worldwide · North America 31 December 1982

Editions and related releases

Part of
Mine Storm
Remaster of
Mine Storm

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.