S.T.U.N. Runner

Atari console exclusive

You are a S.T.U.N. Runner doing time trials. Shoot or avoid other vehicles that hinder you while driving the optimal path for best speed. The Shockwave will destroy all adversaries on the screen and the Boost pads give you invulnerability while increasing your speed.

Released: 1989
Platforms: Amiga Amstrad CPC Arcade Atari Lynx Atari ST Commodore 64 Commodore C64/128/MAX MS-DOS ZX Spectrum
Genres: Racing Shooter
Developers: Atari
Publishers: Atari Domark
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Science fiction
Country: United States
Composers: Matt Furniss

About

N. Runner (Spread Tunnel Underground Network Runner) is a 3D racing/shooter game released in arcades by Atari Games in 1989. The player pilots a futuristic vehicle which can exceed 900 mph, through various tunnels and courses with changing environments, hazards and enemies. N.

Runner uses polygonal graphics for the vehicles and track, and is based on an evolution of Atari's Hard Drivin' hardware. The custom cabinet was designed to resemble the craft that the player pilots in-game.

Keywords

vehicular combat
death
time limit
anti-gravity racing
vehicle combat
explosion
bonus stage
countdown timer
combat racing
arcade cabinet
bots
arcade driving physics

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The final goal is to reach the "Ultimate Challenge", an endless race filled with surprises, where the player must simply get as far as possible in the allotted time. Markers on the Ultimate Challenge course show the names of the five players who have traveled the furthest, and are tracked independently on the game's traditional high score table.

Twin triggers fire laser cannons mounted atop the craft, and the Start buttons double as the triggers for the Shockwave "smart bomb" weapon.

Development

The game initially began as a remake of Atari's Tunnel Hunt.

The Lynx version was programmed by D. Scott Williamson, an employee of Atari who went on to form the development group Solid Software.

Reception

Commodore User reviewed the arcade game, giving it a 90% rating.

Reviews for the port to the Atari Lynx included Electronic Gaming Monthly, with two reviewers complimenting the game, with one summarizing that "if flying down a tube and wasting opponents turns you than look no further." Two of the other reviewers commented that they lost interest fast and that the game lacked any substantial rise in difficulty as the game progressed.

Legacy

S.T.U.N. Runner is included in Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. It was also released for Microsoft Windows as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition in 2006.