1982 · Action · Arcade

SubRoc-3D

SubRoc 3-D is a shooter, where you look through a periscope and shoot at both sea and air-targets. The arcade version features 3-D effects.

Released: 1982
Platforms: Arcade Coleco Adam ColecoVision
Genres: Action Arcade First-person shooter Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Languages: English

About

SubRoc-3D (サブ・口ック3D SabuRokku-3D) is a first-person arcade shooter game released in 1982 by Sega. It is the first commercial video game in stereoscopic 3-D, using a periscope-shaped display with a different image for each eye. It was jointly developed by Sega and Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic), who developed its active shutter 3D system. The game has stereo sound, and also changes the backdrop to reflect day, night, dawn, and dusk.

The game was a commercial success for Sega in arcades. It was adapted for ColecoVision as SubRoc, with simulated 3D effects, by Arnold Hendrick and Philip Taterczynski of the Coleco game design staff, with programming by David Wesely of 4D Interactive Systems.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

The game's active-shutter 3-D technology was developed by Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic) for a 3D television they had developed in the late 1970s and unveiled in 1981. The game began development around 1980, when Sega and Matsushita began discussing a "Stereo Viewer System" to adapt Matsushita's 3D television for video game use. Sega's director of technology for the project was Shikanosuke Ochi, who previously led the development of 1966 arcade electro-mechanical game Periscope. At the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in 1981, 3D images from the game were demonstrated on video tape.

Sega held a press conference on February 20, 1982 and demonstrated the first trial unit at the NOA Expo on March 1, 1982, the date when the game was first published. Several game changes were made before it entered mass-production in Japan on July 2, 1982, in North America in August 1982, and in Europe by January 1983.

Reception

The game was a commercial arcade success for Sega in 1982.

Computer and Video Games magazine gave the arcade version a generally favorable review, for providing a "3D feel" and further advancing the "3D look" of Zaxxon (1982). Ray Dimetrosky of Computer Games magazine gave the ColecoVision port a B rating, stating that the graphics are "particularly impressive" but otherwise calling it "an above average shoot 'em up".