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Beach-Head cover

1983 · Access Software · Shooter · Arcade

Beach-Head

The first game in the Beach Head series, the game depicts the player's violent war effort to end a dictator's reign

Released
31 December 1983
Platforms
Acorn ElectronAmstrad CPCApple IIAtari 8-bitBBC Microcomputer SystemCommodore 16Commodore C64/128/MAXCommodore Plus/4MSXThomson MO5ZX Spectrum
Genres
ShooterArcade
Developers
Access Software
Publishers
U.S. GoldEaglesoftFrance Image LogicielAccess Software
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
First personSide view
Themes
ActionWarfare

About

Beach-Head is a video game developed and published in 1983 by Access Software for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 in the US. Versions for the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron (as well as the Atari and C64 versions) were published in Europe by U.S. Gold in 1984, followed by versions for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16, and Plus/4 in 1985.

Keywords

  • world war ii - ww2
  • war
  • airplane
  • bpjm indexed
  • naval warfare

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game's setting is the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. Gameplay consists of several varying stages in which the player must control various vehicles including warships and tanks in order to defeat an enemy fleet, break through enemy beach defences and destroy an enormous gun-emplacement to win the game. The gun emplacement requires multiple hits to be destroyed, but traverses faster than tanks can aim and fire, so it cannot be destroyed in a single attempt. In order to complete the game multiple tanks must make it through to the final level.

Reception

Beach-Head was Access' best-selling Commodore game as of late 1987. It was the first U.S. Gold release to sell 250,000 copies.

Ahoy! stated "This game is a blast". It praised the graphics and concluded: "It is a remarkable programming achievement". Compute! listed the game in May 1988 as one of "Our Favorite Games", stating that it was superior to its "many imitators".

Legacy

A sequel, Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back, was released in 1985. A version of the game for Amiga was planned, but was cancelled when an agreement to publish with U.S. Gold could not be reached. In 2000, a loose remake of the game, Beach Head 2000, was released for the Windows and MacOS platforms.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Atari 8-bit31 December 1983North America
Commodore C64/128/MAX31 December 1983North America
ZX Spectrum31 December 1984Europe
Acorn Electron31 December 1985Europe
Amstrad CPC31 December 1985Europe
Apple II31 December 1985North America
BBC Microcomputer System31 December 1985Europe
Thomson MO531 December 1985Europe
Commodore Plus/431 December 1986North America
Commodore 1631 December 1986North America
MSX31 December 1987Europe

Editions and related releases

Included in
They Sold a Million

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

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