Borderline (video game)
1981 video game
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Borderline (ボーダーライン, Bōdārain) is a 1981 vertically scrolling shooter maze game developed and published by Sega for Japanese arcades; it was distributed in North America by Sega/Gremlin and in Europe by Karateco.[2][3] The player controls a jeep and has to destroy enemy refineries. There are four stages with different gameplay. The first stage plays like a vertically scrolling shooter; in the second stage, the player maneuvers the Jeep through underbrush, and enemies can only follow on its path, a concept later found in Namco's Dig Dug (1982).
- WW: Sega
| Borderline | |
|---|---|
 New Zealand SG-1000 box art | |
| Developer | Sega[a] |
| Publishers | Arcade 2600, SG-1000
|
| Platforms | Arcade, Atari 2600, SG-1000 |
| Release | |
| Genres | Scrolling shooter, maze |
| Mode | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Dual |
Borderline was reissued later in 1981 with slightly altered graphics as Star Raker. In 1983, it was converted for the Atari 2600 under the name Thunderground by Sega's home division,[7] making it one of the last games Sega released as a third-party developer for Atari.[8] It was also ported to Sega's own SG-1000 console in 1984.[5] The SG-1000 and 2600 ports received positive reviews from critics.
Reception
E.C. Meade and Jim Clark of Videogaming Illustrated magazine reviewed the Atari 2600 version Thunderground in 1983.[8] Despite the original Borderline predating Dig Dug and Mr. Do! (1982),[1] the reviewers were under the impression that Thunderground was a "semi-clone" of Dig Dug and Mr. Do! Despite this, they gave it positive reviews. Meade gave it an A rating; she said "there are superficial similarities to Dig Dug and Mr. Do" but Thunderground "is a semi-clone with muscle!" She called it "a real challenge" to play, stating "What a game!" Clark gave it a B rating, calling it "a thrilling game" and very "good stuff" but said "the sense of deja-vu detracted from its appeal" while also commenting on its "violence" though he didn't "think anyone will be too bothered."[8]
French magazine Tilt reviewed the SC-3000 version of Borderline in 1984. They gave the game an overall rating of 5 out of 6 stars, while giving 5 stars for the graphics and 4 stars for the sound.[6]
In a retrospective review of the SG-1000 version in 2014, Sega Does gave it a generally favorable review with a B− rating.[9]
