Aztarac

{{short description|1983 video game}} {{more citations needed|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox video game |title=Aztarac |image=Aztarac-arcadegame.jpg |caption=Arcade flyer |developer = Centuri |publisher = Centuri |designer= Tim Stryker<ref name=giantlist/> |platforms= Arcade |released = {{vgrelease|NA|October 1983<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=13 October 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |page=113 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n113/mode/2up}}</ref>}} |genre = Multidirectional shooter |modes = Single-player }}

'''''Aztarac''''' is a scrolling multidirectional shooter with color vector graphics. It was developed by Tim Stryker and released in arcades by Centuri in 1983. The player commands an intergalactic race of mutant humans whose mode of transport is a tank. Its turret is independently controlled, allowing the player to move in one direction while shooting in another. The mission is to guard space outposts from hordes of incoming enemy ships. ''Aztarac''{{'s}} color vector graphics were impressive at the time of release, and a circular plastic lens over the screen accentuates the visuals. Few machines were produced, though the exact number is unclear. Centuri only developed two vector games; ''Aztarac'' was the second.<ref name=ah/>

==Gameplay== thumb|left|The player's red and blue tank is in the center.

Four outposts are located in the center of a scrolling playfield, and the player must protect them from waves of enemy attackers. A flight-style joystick moves the player's tank; a trigger on the joystick shoots; a separate knob rotates the tank's turret independently of movement; and a button activates a scanner which shows where offscreen enemies are.{{clear}}

==Reception== According to Tony Temple of ''The Arcade Blogger'', ''Aztarac'' was an obscure release:

{{quote|But despite the stunning visuals (for the time at least), the game was not a commercial success at all. There are various estimates of the number of Aztaracs actually built – many put the figure at 500, but based on Centuri’s 1983 annual report, it seems that perhaps less than 200 is a more likely figure.<ref name=temple/>}}

==Legacy== One of the few ''Aztarac'' machines still in existence was discovered and restored in 2016. It turned out to be the one originally owned by the game's creator, Tim Stryker.<ref name=temple/>

Dennis Bartlett of Iowa, USA, scored a world record 142,390 points on Aztarac on February 11, 1984.<ref>{{ cite web|url=http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&pi=2&gi=617&vi=649 |title=Twin Galaxies' Aztarac High Score Rankings |accessdate=27 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102131856/http://twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22 |archivedate=2 January 2010 }}</ref>

==References== <references>

<ref name="giantlist">{{cite web |last1=Hague |first1=James |title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers |url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/}}</ref> <ref name=temple>{{cite web|url=https://arcadeblogger.com/2017/01/20/centuri-aztarac-finding-the-holy-arcade-grail/|last=Temple|first=Tony|title=Centuri Aztarac: Finding THE Holy Arcade Grail…|publisher=ArcadeBlogger.com|date=2017-01-20}}</ref> <ref name="ah">{{cite web |title=Atzarac |url=https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=aztarac&page=detail&id=157 |website=Arcade History}}</ref>

</references>

==External links== *{{KLOV game|id=6981}} *[http://www.centuri.net/aztarac.htm ''Aztarac''] at the Centuri.net arcade database *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090228224628/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22 Twin Galaxies high score rankings]

Category:1983 video games Category:Arcade video games Category:Arcade-only video games Category:Centuri games Category:Multidirectional shooters Category:Single-player video games Category:Vector arcade video games Category:Video games developed in the United States