Sea Wolf (set 1)

Arcade Video game published 48 years ago:

Sea Wolf (c) 1976 Midway.

The game screen is a side view of a underwater scene (with the surface towards the top). You control a crosshair at the surface level. The object is to shoot as many ships as possible, before the time runs out. Your torpedoes are launched from the bottom of the screen, and must move upwards to hit the enemy ships (while avoiding the mines that float at different levels of the water). Your submarine can shoot 5 shots before it has to reload (an automatic action that takes about a second). Your game will be extended if you reach a certain score before time runs out (the score is operator adjustable).

- TECHNICAL -

Game No. 596

Main CPU : Intel 8080 (@ 1.9968 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Discrete circuitry

Players : 1
Control : paddle
Buttons : 1

Sea Wolf has one of the all time great cabinets. It is in an upright format and is totally covered in painted sideart (submarine scenes done in white and three shades of blue). The marquee bulges out in front and has a large periscope which comes down from it. The player looks through the periscope and moves it to control the game. It has a fire button mounted on on one of the handles. The periscope has several transparencies inside which provide a cross hair, a display of remaining torpedoes, and a reload light. The monitor is mounted deep inside the machine and is displayed on a mirror. It is also covered with a blue overlay to give the game a bit of color. The monitor bezel area is covered in mock submarine gauges, but you can't even see them when playing, because you have to look through the periscope.

- TRIVIA -

Sea Wolf was released in March 1976 in North America.

10,000 units were made. This is one of the all time greats. The whole game is played through a big periscope. This particular game is based on a much earlier electromechanical game from Sega (called "Periscope"), which was the first game ever to require 25 cents per play (a price the industry has been trying to raise for years now, an effort which has only been partially successful, despite over a decade of games requiring 50 cents or more. People just still expect for games to cost a quarter).

The current world record holder for Sea Wolf is Alan Radue with a score of 11,300 points. The record was set on October 2, 2011 at the Tranquility Base Arcade and verified by Twin Galaxies International on October 9, 2011.

The game was imported in Germany by Wullf-Automaten GmbH, an official Midway Importer of these times.

- SERIES -

1. Sea Wolf [No. 596] (1976)
2. Sea Wolf II [No. 625] (1978)

- STAFF -

Designed and programmed by: Tom McHugh, Dave Nutting

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
Bally Astrocade

* COMPUTERS:
Commodore VIC-20 (1982)