Timber

Arcade Video game published 41 years ago:

Timber (c) 1984 Bally Midway.

Timber is an abstract action game in which one or two players assume the role of a lumberjack and have a limited amount of time to chop down a given number of trees that pop up from the ground. The game is controlled with two joysticks, with one stick controlling the player's movement and the other corresponding to left or right chops with the player's axe. Difficulty increases with each level, with the number of trees needed to be chopped down gradually increasing (maxing out at 19) and the allotted time decreasing.

During a round players must avoid beehives that are thrown at them by grizzly bears. The beehives, however, can be destroyed with the player's axe for a 500-point reward. Some trees contain birds that will run around the level after they have been chopped down, awarding 1,000 points if touched by the player.

Every couple of levels players are given the opportunity to amass bonus points. The bonus round begins with the lumberjack standing on a floating log. As the log begins to rotate, players must use their reflexes to stay on top of the log. The first two times this is played, the log is relatively large; on future attempts, the size of the log shrinks considerably. The bonus round ends if the player falls off the log or balances atop it for the duration of the round, in which case 1,000 bonus points are earned.

The two-player simultaneous mode can be played either competitively or cooperatively. In this mode, chopping or pushing down a tree such that it falls on the opponent awards you with 1,000 points.

- TECHNICAL -

[No. 0B60]

Bally Midway MCR 3 hardware

Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 5 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 2 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 2 Mhz)

Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 2

- TRIVIA -

Timber was released in October 1984.

Licensed to Sega for Japan market.

The main character in the game (as well as the bartender in "Tapper" and the main character in "Domino Man") is based on a Marvin Glass employee named Mike Ferris, who had a similar mustache and bald head, and apparently wore a red T-shirt for much of the time.

The original idea was to do a two-player, simultaneous, competitive game, but this was shelved. A beaver was originally programmed into the game to add some extra competition in cutting down trees but was also removed.

- STAFF -

Designed and programmed by: Steve Meyer
Graphics & Sounds by: Scott Morrison

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
Sony PlayStation 2 [AU] (2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model MWO-3201W]"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model DOL-GAYE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model SLUS-20997]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (oct.29, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2"
[EU] Sony PS2 (oct.29, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model SLES-52844]"

* COMPUTERS:
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (feb.17, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (mar.17, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition" by Zoo Digital Publishing

- CONTRIBUTE -

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