While going through the list of MAME roms, I found this one: The percussor. I immediately noted that it had 0 plays. This had to be rectified. And so it was, that I discovered an old gaming gem.

For a game from 1981, it offers alot. It's fun, eye catching, and addicting, in that old atari way. I won't hesitate to say, this one's a classic, and worth adding to your library of old old school games. It's an old shooter game, in which you pilot an aircraft, and embark on a mission to destroy all of the enemy's bases. It's simple: destroy the enemy base, fly to the right side of the screen, and keep holding right until you transition to another screen. Of course, you're greatly outnumbered, surrounded by helicopters and what appears to be U.F.O.s, as well as having to deal with homing missles launched from ground forces, all at the same time. It may sound pretty tricky, but it isn't as difficult as you might think, depending of course, on your approach to the missions. Do you wipe out the bases and move on, or do you take out as many enemy aircraft, boats, and equipment (radars, towers, etc.) as you can, for maximum points? The choice is yours in The Percussor. This classic arcade game delivers it's fair share of atari-type shoot 'em up fun.
Now, on to the ratings!

Graphics: 9/10
Excellent.
While these graphics aren't the most impressive you'll find, I do find them to be very good for their time. Most objects are easy to make out, with the exception of the enemy bases you see while flying over the ocean. They look oddly like a banana split, or some other dessert. Yes, my initial thought was that it looked like Ice Cream, but I was hungry. Sadly, after looking closer, I was again incorrect with my conclusion that it was definitely an island base. Third time's a charm, right? Turns out that they are some sort of ship, or at least, that's what they look like to me. I am about 80% sure this time though. You may ask how these could possibly be excellent graphics, when there's a banana split ice cream island boat in the water, but keep in mind, we're talking about a game from 1981. The very fact that they use more than three colors is a nice touch for a game from back then, as is the clear depiction of the enemy craft, the missles, and pretty much everything else. Speaking of colors, I found the colors to be bright, and pleasing to the eye. And that's saying something, since I was expecting a game from the 88-92 era. The colors don't clash at all, and are very well selected for each item, exclusing of course, our Unidentified Floating Object in the ocean. The playing field is all a blue sky, but the ground is the nice part. All of the towers, missles, bases, and especially the radars, are nice for a game from a time when most games were under 8 kb. So considering the limitations on color, pixels, and overall data, these graphics are a good cut above par.

Sound: 8/10
Exceptional.
I was torn on this. I wanted to give it a 9, because it actually plays background music throughout the game, and it's good music at that. As long as I listened, I couldn't positively identify a looping point for the tune, which really impressed me, since I was expecting at best a thirty second loop. I was torn however, because it contains almost no sound effects, if any, aside from your fuel gauge warning when you fly too long on a mission.

Story: N/A
Sadly, not a shred of story to be found. But what else would you expect from a 1981 arcade game? Most arcade games from the 1990s don't offer much of a story, if any, much less one from '81.

Depth: 4/10
Poor.
Again, this isn't really much of a shocker considering it's platform and age, but it's still only fair to rate it this low. The only things I find in it's favor by way of depth, are the multiplayer option (alternating turns, I assume) ; the multiple screens to scroll through; and the option to shoot the enemy ships and buildings up, Rambo style for highscore, or lie low and just wipe out the bases. I personally chose the latter, but I could see it being a lot of fun either way, if you enjoy atari age shoot 'em ups.

Addictiveness: 7/10
Very Good.
While I wouldn't spend hours at a time playing this one, I do see myself going back to it soon. It has that subtle charm and pull that many of the titles in the earlier days of gaming had. If you're a fan of atari shoot 'em ups, this one will hook you instantly. I myself am hooked, and I don't even care much for this type of game, at least not from the time frame this was released in.

Difficulty: 5/10
Average.
The percussor isn't hard, but you're not going to get too far on accident. You start out with five enemy bases to wipe out, but as you progress through the levels, the number of bases increase, and the bases begin shooting at you. The increase in difficulty is slow enough however, that everyone can learn it. The percussor is very well put together in this department. The controls are also far more cooperative than many of it's contemporaries, in that the slightest touch of a direction will instantly turn your aircraft to face the opposite direction. This makes evading enemies far easier than many other games of it's kind. One last touch of difficulty, is the fuel gauge. You read that right, you have a fuel gauge. And you'll want to keep your eye on it, if you plan to play it Rambo style, and shoot down all the bad guys that you can. The enemies never stop coming though, so don't expect to eliminate them.

Overall: 7/10
The Percussor delivers in a way I didn't know a game from it's time could. It keeps you coming back with it's simple style, and easy to master controls. It's a great piece of work, and I find it a real shame that it ended up being as obscure of a title as it was. This game lives up to most standards of it's time, and even tops a few of them, with it's graphics and sound. It earned every bit of this rating, if not more.

Summary:
All in all, The Percussor is a great game that deserves far more attention than many of the more popular games of it's time enjoyed, but it sadly somehow slipped into the shadows of obscurity. I would call this one of the great games of it's time, without hesitation. If you enjoy games like this, then I highly recommend The Percussor. Without doubt, The Percussor is one of the best retro games you've never heard of.

great review , i don't like this game but its good in some ways keep up the good work .

Great review with a handful of information!

Thank you. And as far as I know, it still only has two plays. Both of which were me. lol Anyway, I appreciate the compliment.

Eirinn : I've played it before but it wasn't on this site.
It wasn't exactly my style of game but I'm willing to give it another go if I have the time.
You know some of the biggest gems are hidden in the MAME roms, sadly Hi-scores don't support MAME D: ...
Have I added you yet? o-o