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1982 video game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Millipede (stylized millipede in western releases and Milli-Pede in Japan) is a fixed shooter video game released in arcades by Atari, Inc. in 1982. The sequel to 1981's Centipede, it has more gameplay variety and a wider array of insects than the original. The objective is to score as many points as possible by destroying all segments of the millipede as it moves toward the bottom of the screen, as well as eliminating or avoiding other enemies. The game is played with a trackball and a single fire button which can be held down for rapid-fire.
Millipede | |
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![]() Arcade flyer | |
Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
Publisher(s) | |
Designer(s) | Ed Logg |
Programmer(s) | Arcade Ed Logg Mark Cerny Atari 2600 Dave Staugas[1] Atari 8-bit Steve Crandall[1] |
Artist(s) | Atari 2600 Jerome Dourmat |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, NES |
Release | ArcadeAtari 2600Atari 8-bit
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Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, 2 players alternating |
Millipede was initially ported to the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers, then later to the Atari ST and Nintendo Entertainment System.
The player no longer takes the role of the "Bug Blaster" from Centipede, but instead takes the role of an elf called the "Archer". The object of the game is to destroy a millipede that advances downward from the top of the screen. The millipede travels horizontally until it either hits an obstacle or reaches the edge of the screen, after which it drops one row and reverses direction. Once it enters the player's gray maneuvering area, it stays there and extra heads appear at intervals until both they and the millipede are destroyed. Shooting a body segment splits the millipede in two, with the rear portion sprouting its own head. A collision with any enemy costs the player one life.
All flowers and poisoned or partially destroyed mushrooms revert to normal, whole mushrooms and score points during the process when the player loses a life.
At regular intervals, the player enters a bonus level with a swarm of enemies (bees, dragonflies, etc.) instead of the usual millipede. Each enemy awards increasing points, up to a maximum of 1,000 points per enemy. The attack ends when either the entire swarm has passed or the player loses a life. Also, at intervals new mushrooms will grow on the field while others disappear, in a pattern similar to Conway's Game of Life.
Players can choose whether to play at an advanced level, starting with a score that is a multiple of the number of points needed to earn an extra life (by default, 15,000). The gameplay is generally much more advanced than it would be had the player started with a score of 0 and worked their way up to that point level. The maximum advanced level allowed is a function of the preceding player's score, and games started at an advanced level where the player did not earn at least one extra life are not eligible for the high scoreboard.
Millipede was released for the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers in 1984, with an Atari ST port following in 1986. A version for the Family Computer was developed and published by HAL Laboratory, known as Milli-Pede: Kyodai Konchū no Gyakushū, later renamed to Millipede: Super Arcade Hit! for its 1988 US NES release. In the Family Computer and NES versions, earwigs do not poison the mushrooms.
A port of the Atari 8-bit version to the Atari 5200 was completed in 1984 but not published.
It was listed by Cash Box magazine as America's fourth highest-grossing arcade game of 1983, below Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position and Dragon's Lair.[6]
French magazine Tilt rated the arcade game with four out of six stars.[7]
In 1995, Millipede was released together with Centipede on the Game Boy under the title Arcade Classic No. 2: Centipede / Millipede.
In 1997, it was included in Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 for the PlayStation.
In 2005, Millipede was combined with Super Breakout and Lunar Lander for the Game Boy Advance.
The arcade and Atari 2600 versions of the game were rereleased in the 2005 Atari Anthology for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Millipede and Centipede were made available for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.
Donald Hayes, of New Hampshire, USA, scored a world record 10,627,331 points playing Millipede on December 26, 2004.[8] The highest Millipede score played under tournament settings is 495,126 points, also by Hayes.[9]
In the default high-scores table of the arcade, the initials "ED" and "FXL" refer to "Ed Logg" (designing and programming) and "Franz Lanzinger" (who helped a bit in designing and testing).[10]
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