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| 2400 A.D. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Origin Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Origin Systems |
| Designer(s) | Chuck Bueche |
| Platform(s) | Apple II,MS-DOS |
| Release | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
2400 A.D. is arole-playing video game[1] designed byChuck Bueche and published byOrigin Systems in 1988. It was originally released for theApple II with a version forIBM PC compatibles later the same year. Poor sales resulted in the cancellation of both aCommodore 64 port and a sequel,2500 A.D.
Thispost-apocalyptic RPG casts the player as a member of an underground resistance organization trying to free the human inhabitants of planet XK-120 from the clutches of a tyrannical race of robotic oppressors known as the Tzorgs. The ultimate aim is to destroy the robots' central control.
The player is an ordinary citizen who lives in the futuristic city Metropolis. The city has been conquered, and its population enslaved by an alien race known as Tzorgs. They have sent robots to maintain order in Metropolis, turning it into apolice state. There are rumors of an underground resistance movement, but finding the resistance is dangerous, and being caught by the robots will lead to being thrown in prison...
The gameplay style is similar to theUltima series, also fromOrigin Systems. The entire game is viewed from top-down perspective. The various commands (search, open, talk, etc.) are executed by pressing a correspondent key on the keyboard. Battles take place on the same screen as exploration, and require the player to press A (for "attack") and a directional key to aim at the enemy. The game is set entirely in the big city, with streets and buildings to explore, items and weapons to buy, and people to talk to.
In addition to a large fold out city map,2400 A.D. was packaged with a set of threelead figures. All three depict heavily armed robot soldiers and were cast byGrenadier Miniatures.
ACommodore 64 port was in development byJohn Romero, but was shelved due to poor sales of the originalApple II version. Romero left Origin in June 1988. The Commodore 64 port was once again resurrected andOcean Software programmer Allan Shortt worked on the port, but it was shelved at 85% complete.[2]
Computer Gaming World'sScorpia in 1988 criticized2400 A.D.'s graphics and several other flaws with the game's structure and plot. She concluded "the game lacks intensity and is a disappointment. There are practically no puzzles, and hardly any challenge".[3] In 1993 Scorpia called2400 A.D. "a science fiction cartoon pretending to be a real game" that "may be good for a summer afternoon or rainy day when you want something that isn't mentally taxing or especially involving".[4]
Bueche developed a sequel titled2500 A.D., but it was halted in development because of poor sales of2400 A.D.[5][6]