Badlands (1990 video game)

This article is about the 1989 Atari video game. For the Konami laserdisc video game, see Badlands (1984 video game). For the 2013 video game, see Badland (video game).

Badlands
Developer(s)	Atari Games Teque (computer ports)
Publisher(s)	Atari Games Domark (computer ports)
Designer(s)	Kelly Turner
Programmer(s)	Kelly Turner Norm Avellar
Artist(s)	Kris Moser Sam Comstock Bridget Erdmann
Composer(s)	John Paul Brad Fuller Matt Furniss (computer ports)
Platform(s)	Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Release	NA: December 22, 1989 EU: January 1990
Genre(s)	Racing, vehicular combat

Badlands is a 1989 arcade game published by Atari Games. It was ported by Domark under the Tengen label to the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.

Badlands is set in the aftermath of a nuclear war and races around abandoned wastelands with many hazards. Three gun-equipped cars race around a track to win prizes. The game is a re-themed version of Atari's previous racing games Super Sprint and Championship Sprint with the addition of vehicular combat.

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot

Badlands pits three cars against each other in a three lap race around a small, single-screen circuit. Bonuses are present in the form of wrenches which can be traded for goods such as extra speed, extra acceleration or better tires

Unlike the Sprint games, Badlands expands upon the formula, taking place in a post-apocalyptic environment and equipping each of the players with cannons. In reality, the cannons do little except to slow cars down by repeatedly shooting at them, but the shop between levels offers the possibility of arming the car with missiles which will destroy the target car, placing it at a severe disadvantage as a replacement is brought onto the track, taking a few seconds.

The tracks also featured a number of new obstacles, including mines and retractable barricades.

Reception

Response to the Spectrum version was mixed. Your Sinclair and CRASH awarded average marks, both claiming in reviews of the original and rerelease that the title's contemporary Super Off-Road was superior. Sinclair User expressed more enthusiasm for the game, but made the same comparison to Super Off-Road.

Legacy

The game was re-released in 2005 as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. It was also re-released in 2006 as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition for Microsoft Windows.

External links

• Badlands at the Killer List of Videogames
• Badlands at the Arcade History database
• Badlands at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
• Badlands at MobyGames