A View to a Kill (video game)
Encyclopedia
A View to a Kill is the name of two separate computer games released in 1985 based on the James Bond
film
A View to a Kill. The first, an action game
titled A View to a Kill, was published by Domark
. It was available for the ZX Spectrum
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore 64
, Oric 1 and Oric Atmos, and MSX
. The second, titled James Bond 007: A View to a Kill was a text-based
video game for DOS
, Macintosh
and Apple II computers. It was developed by Angelsoft, Inc. and published by Mindscape Inc.
created an action game split into three separate sections, inspired by scenes from the film. The game starts with the famous movie intro sequence of the moving gunsight and Bond shooting towards the camera.
In the first section set in Paris, James Bond commandeers a taxi to follow May Day
who has parachuted from the Eiffel Tower
. Roadblocks and police cars are out to stop Bond, who can shoot his pistol at them to get them out of the way. The display is in three sections - an overhead map of Paris, a small 3D view from the car's point of view, and a scanner showing May Day's height. James must arrive at the right location to catch her as she lands.
In the second section, James must help Stacey Sutton
escape from San Francisco City Hall
, which is on fire. Each room is displayed from a side-on perspective. James must collect useful objects to get through the floors of the building, such as keys to open doors and buckets of water to stop the progress of the fire.
In the third and final section, James must collect the code numbers to stop the detonation of Zorin's bomb. Bond runs around the mine, avoiding rockfalls and long drops. Among the objects he can pick up are a grapnel gun (to fire ropes upward which he can climb to safety) and a plank of wood to bridge gaps. May Day is also somewhere in the mine.
A password system lets the user play the second or third levels on their own without completing the first.
version was written by Antony (Tony) Crowther
, and consists of two covers. One is the famous James Bond theme
by Monty Norman
. The second is the Duran Duran
theme
for the film.
, Macintosh
and Apple II
computers with the full title James Bond 007: A View to a Kill. It spawned a follow-up game, James Bond 007: Goldfinger
.
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
A View to a Kill. The first, an action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
titled A View to a Kill, was published by Domark
Domark
Domark Software was a video games software house based in the United Kingdom. The name was derived from the given names of its founders, Dominic Wheatley and Mark Strachan...
. It was available for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Oric 1 and Oric Atmos, and MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
. The second, titled James Bond 007: A View to a Kill was a text-based
Text-based
Usually used in reference to a computer application, a text-based application is one whose primary input and output are based on text rather than graphics or sound. This does not mean that text-based applications do not have graphics or sound, just that the graphics or sound are secondary to the...
video game for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and Apple II computers. It was developed by Angelsoft, Inc. and published by Mindscape Inc.
Mindscape Group
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
A View to a Kill (action game)
DomarkDomark
Domark Software was a video games software house based in the United Kingdom. The name was derived from the given names of its founders, Dominic Wheatley and Mark Strachan...
created an action game split into three separate sections, inspired by scenes from the film. The game starts with the famous movie intro sequence of the moving gunsight and Bond shooting towards the camera.
In the first section set in Paris, James Bond commandeers a taxi to follow May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
who has parachuted from the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
. Roadblocks and police cars are out to stop Bond, who can shoot his pistol at them to get them out of the way. The display is in three sections - an overhead map of Paris, a small 3D view from the car's point of view, and a scanner showing May Day's height. James must arrive at the right location to catch her as she lands.
In the second section, James must help Stacey Sutton
Stacey Sutton
Stacey Sutton is a fictional character in the James Bond film A View to a Kill. She is played by actress Tanya Roberts.-Biography:Sutton was the granddaughter of an oil tycoon in California. After her grandfather's death, Sutton oil was taken over by billionaire Max Zorin, who gave Sutton a cheque...
escape from San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall, re-opened in 1915, in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world...
, which is on fire. Each room is displayed from a side-on perspective. James must collect useful objects to get through the floors of the building, such as keys to open doors and buckets of water to stop the progress of the fire.
In the third and final section, James must collect the code numbers to stop the detonation of Zorin's bomb. Bond runs around the mine, avoiding rockfalls and long drops. Among the objects he can pick up are a grapnel gun (to fire ropes upward which he can climb to safety) and a plank of wood to bridge gaps. May Day is also somewhere in the mine.
A password system lets the user play the second or third levels on their own without completing the first.
Music
The music for the Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
version was written by Antony (Tony) Crowther
Antony Crowther
Antony 'Ratt' Crowther is a former designer, programmer and musician of Commodore 64 games. During the 1980s he worked for Alligata, Gremlin Graphics and later Crowther's own company, Wizard Development....
, and consists of two covers. One is the famous James Bond theme
James Bond Theme
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film....
by Monty Norman
Monty Norman
Monty Norman is a singer and film composer best known for being credited with composing the "James Bond Theme".-Biography:...
. The second is the Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
theme
A View to a Kill (song)
"A View to a Kill" is the thirteenth single by Duran Duran, released in May 1985.It was a stand-alone single, created for the James Bond movie A View to a Kill, and it remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to #2 for 3 weeks on the UK...
for the film.
James Bond 007: A View to a Kill (adventure game)
Mindscape Inc published the text adventure game by Angelsoft Inc for DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computers with the full title James Bond 007: A View to a Kill. It spawned a follow-up game, James Bond 007: Goldfinger
James Bond 007: Goldfinger
James Bond 007: Goldfinger is a 1986 text adventure video game developed by Anglesoft and published by Mindscape for the PC, Apple II and Mac. It was the follow-up to the 1985 game James Bond 007: A View to a Kill. It is based on the James Bond film series....
.