Vertical scrolling shoot-em-up. Shoot ground targets and collect stars which can be exchanged for various power-ups. Fly over hi-tech landscape. Features end of level bosses, good sound and graphics.
Alcon was produced by Taito in 1986.
Taito released 486 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1967. Taito was based in Japan.
Other machines made by Taito during the time period Alcon was produced include: Lady Master of Kung Fu, Typhoon Gal, Super Dead Heat, Onna Sanshirou, Metal Soldier Isaac 2, Arkanoid, Battle Lane Vol. 5, Big Event Golf, Bobble Bobble, and Bubble Bobble
Name | Alcon |
---|---|
Developer | Taito (Japan) |
Year | 1986 |
Type | Videogame |
KLOV/MOG # | 6843 |
Class | Wide Release |
Genre | Scrolling Shooter |
Monitor |
|
Conversion Class | JAMMA |
Dipswitch Settings | |
# Simultaneous Players | 1 |
# Maximum Players | 2 |
Game Play | Alternating |
Control Panel Layout | Single Player |
Controls |
|
Sound | Amplified Mono (one channel) |
Cabinet Styles |
|
This game is an addictive and very playable shoot-em-up that features good graphics and music. The object is to shoot air and ground targets while collecting gold stars.
These stars allow you to purchase various power-ups such as Laser, Homing Missiles, Bomb, and Shield. If you have the Laser, you will be able to shoot the highly rewarding plants that grow out of the terrain. If you have the Homing Missiles, various flip targets will be uncovered and destroyed. If you have Shot, you will be able to destroy a hidden, bonus Space Invader. If you have Shot and full wingpods, you may spawn a robotic wingman that flies and shoots freely around the screen. Furthermore, certain targets are more susceptible to some weapons than others.
The game has a mostly non-stop flow, and while there are intermediate bosses, the scrolling continues so that one does not have the usual sense of completing stages until the very last boss. At that point, the game map wraps around. The end-of-level bosses get nastier as the game progresses. While all enemies and their reward stars appear in the same map location, your foes fire more frequently at each successive wrap.
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There is an excellent hidden cheat. If you do not fire at game start and allow yourself to die, you will restart with the maximum size ship with Homing Missiles nice touch. Also, the longer you manage to stay alive this first time, the larger your cheat bonus will be. You can avoid dying fairly easily by staying on top of the enemy. They will not fire at you within a specific area around them.
TIP: There is one major strategic element which is not obvious to most. Whenever the player selects Wing for additional pods of the current weapon type, or changes weapon type entirely, there is a grace period of about two seconds during which all enemy shots will pass right through the ship.
The game was released in the UK, probably Europe too, under the name of Slap Fight.
What does ALCON stand for? Here is some interesting background information, taken from the box of Taito's C64 port of this game:
The year is 2059. Humans have been living in exile on the planet Theon since aliens attacked their last home, Orac, in 2055.P...The Allied League of Cosmic Nations ALCON has chosen you to pilot the top secret experimental SW475 Starfighter. You are the last hope there is to stop the enemy takeover. To reclaim the planet, you must destroy the aliens once and for all. There will not be a second chance.
There are 15,165 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 9,628 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 166,322 machines (6,975 unique titles).
Common - There are 33 known instances of this machine owned by Alcon collectors who are active members. Of these, 4 of them are original dedicated machines. 5 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet. 24 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.
For Sale - There is one active VAPS member with an extra Alcon circuit board for sale.
Wanted - There is one active VAPS member currently looking for Alcon.
This game ranks a 7 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.
This game ranks a 2 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.
Rarity and Popularity independently are not necessarily indications of value. [More Information]
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