Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Toys & Games
    Toys & Games 3 Mins Read

    Time Pilot

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    The star of 1982’s Time Pilot was a time-hopping military jet. Designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, who would go on to create Gyruss, Final Fight and the legendary Street Fighter II, Time Pilot sent a lone fighter against squadrons of aircraft from five different historical eras – past, present and future.

    The game began in 1910 with a dogfight against pre-World War I biplanes. Once 56 of the enemy aircraft were downed, your jet faced that level’s boss, a huge zeppelin.

    Next came 1940, and the European skies were crowded with Spitfire-style fighters and the occasional bomber, including the big boss. Another time warp followed, jumping ahead to 1970 and a battle with Vietnam-era helicopters and a boss twin-prop chopper.

    In 1982 (or 1983 in Centuri’s US release), your sleek fighter finally picked on something its own speed. Several somethings, in fact, as waves of jets swooped in to destroy you. A B-52 capped off this stage, standing between you and one more jump to the future . . . the year 2001.

    In this final stage, speedy UFO’s swarmed around an asteroid field, with a large flying saucer as a climactic foe. After clearing all eras of threats, the game returned the player to the past for another run.

    The time travel theme may have encouraged players to give Time Pilot a try, but the clever controls helped keep them coming back for more. Your jet was literally at the centre of the action, never moving from the middle of the screen.

    The jet always flew in the direction its nose was pointed, allowing players to loop around unsuspecting enemy aircraft for an attack from behind. The bad guys were numerous, but if you felt the need for even more points, helpless parachutists awaited rescue in every stage.

    Your jet was literally at the centre of the action, never moving from the middle of the screen. The jet always flew in the direction its nose was pointed, allowing players to loop around unsuspecting enemy aircraft for an attack from behind.

    The bad guys were numerous, but if you felt the need for even more points, helpless parachutists awaited rescue in every stage.

    Time Pilot took its own time by storm, and Konami released a follow-up the next year.

    Time Pilot ‘84 was strictly a future affair, with a more advanced fighter taking on several stages of different UFO’s. The game added new lock-on missiles to your arsenal, but without the era-hopping hook of the first game, Time Pilot ‘84 was unable to rise above the video game market crash of 1984.

    Related Posts

    • Zaxxon
      Zaxxon
      1982 gamers had never seen anything like Sega/Gremlin’s Zaxxon. Players had flown spaceships into strafing raids and interstellar dogfights before,…
    • Computer Space
      Computer Space
      The history of coin-operated video arcade games began not with a whimper, but with several explosive bangs, rendered in simple…
    • Vanguard
      Vanguard
      Through tight corridors, against numerous foes, with only a four-way blaster for defence, a solo fighter took on the challenge…
    • Gun Fight
      Gun Fight
      Released in 1975, Gun Fight was the first arcade game to incorporate a microprocessor, and the expanded processing capabilities allowed…
    • Wizard of Wor
      Wizard of Wor
      “Fight me! I am the Wizard of Wor!” Part Pac-Man, part Alien, part Dungeons and Dragons, Bally Midway’s Wizard of…
    • Sea Wolf
      Sea Wolf
      The hunt was on in 1976’s Sea Wolf, a submarine simulator with realistic sounds (explosions, sonar pings, buzzing motors and…
    • Tron
      Tron
      It came as no surprise that Tron hit the arcades at the same time as its 1982 film counterpart. This…
    • Intellivision
      Intellivision
      It was an Atari world back in the late 70s and early 80s, but Mattel’s Intellivison staged a pretty good coup.…

    Arcade games
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleCanyon Bomber
    Next Article Xenophobe

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Sierra
      1 9 7 4 (USA) 13 x 60 minute episodes These plucky US Forest […]
    • Boy Who Won the Pools, The
      1 9 8 3 (UK) 10 x 25 minute episodes 17-year-old Rodney […]
    • Sleeping Dogs (1977)
      This Kiwi film features a reclusive pacifist named Smith (Sam […]
    • Space Shuttle
      Plans for the Space Shuttle were created in 1972 as a way to […]
    • Bullet
      Launched on 7 February 1976 by DC Thomson, Bullet was their […]
    • Spare The Rod (1961)
      John Saunders (Max Bygraves) is fresh out of teacher training […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.