Airborne Ranger
Encyclopedia
Airborne Ranger is a video game developed and released by MicroProse
in 1987. The game is a relatively (for its era) realistic action game
in which a sole U.S. Army Ranger
is sent to infiltrate the enemy territory to complete various objectives.
, taking out a SAM
site, and rescuing a captured POW, which would possibly free a roster member that was labeled P.O.W. The game creates the maps and objective locations randomly, so the player is required to plan each mission carefully, because no mission is the same.
At the start of each mission, the player is presented with a short overview of the mission, and can select a Ranger from a roster of available soldiers. The player is then in control of an aircraft, described as a V-22 Osprey and is allowed to drop three ammo
crates over the enemy territory. Once the three containers are dropped, the Ranger is parachute
d into the area. Upon touch-down, the player has to overcome several obstacles, including enemy soldiers and officers, mine fields
, foxholes and bunkers. Due to limited ammunition, the player needs to plan his path through the territory. The dropped ammo crates provide the soldier with fresh hand grenade
s and ammo. A player is even able actually change the color of his uniform to match the enemy and thereby not be attacked by them. After completing the mission, the Ranger has to navigate to a pick-up point within a time limit. If the Ranger is captured (but not killed), the player can start an optional rescue mission using another soldier from the roster. Each successful mission increases the rank of the individual Ranger, up to colonel
.
to World War II
, the Korean War
, until today, with the Vietnam War
, the invasion of Grenada
in 1983, their training and equipment, operations mountains, desert and jungle, consisting of a paraglider, a Colt CAR-15
rifle, on the hand fragmentation M26 grenade, a grenade launcher M72 LAW
, the M18 Claymore anti-personnel mine and the ranger knife F7. Aside from informational purposes, the manual was used as a form of copyright protection - each time you loaded the game it would give the player a multiple choice question on the identification of military ribbons, which were listed at the top of each page throughout the booklet. If the player guessed correctly, the game loaded. If guessed incorrectly, the game wouldn't load.
felt Airborne Ranger was reminiscent of the earlier arcade game Commando
, but much deeper and more versatile. The graphics and sound were praised, noting gunfire sounds different when shot from inside fortifications than it does outside fortifications. The game received 4½ out of 5 stars in Dragon
.
In 2008, Atari
informally announced a game called Airborne Rangers for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC to be released in April 2009, but the game was never mentioned again and is presumed to having been cancelled.
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
in 1987. The game is a relatively (for its era) realistic 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...
in which a sole U.S. Army Ranger
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
is sent to infiltrate the enemy territory to complete various objectives.
Gameplay
The game consists of several missions, in which the player controls a sole Ranger whose objectives include killing an enemy officer, destroying an enemy bunkerBunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
, taking out a SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
site, and rescuing a captured POW, which would possibly free a roster member that was labeled P.O.W. The game creates the maps and objective locations randomly, so the player is required to plan each mission carefully, because no mission is the same.
At the start of each mission, the player is presented with a short overview of the mission, and can select a Ranger from a roster of available soldiers. The player is then in control of an aircraft, described as a V-22 Osprey and is allowed to drop three ammo
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
crates over the enemy territory. Once the three containers are dropped, the Ranger is parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d into the area. Upon touch-down, the player has to overcome several obstacles, including enemy soldiers and officers, mine fields
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
, foxholes and bunkers. Due to limited ammunition, the player needs to plan his path through the territory. The dropped ammo crates provide the soldier with fresh hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s and ammo. A player is even able actually change the color of his uniform to match the enemy and thereby not be attacked by them. After completing the mission, the Ranger has to navigate to a pick-up point within a time limit. If the Ranger is captured (but not killed), the player can start an optional rescue mission using another soldier from the roster. Each successful mission increases the rank of the individual Ranger, up to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
Manual
The manual mimics a Field Manual of the U.S. Army, and brings the number of code FM75-041, non-existent outside the fiction of the game. The manual includes 40 pages in black and white, plus the color cover of thin cardboard. It is divided into two parts with 11 chapters in all. In the second part talks about the true story of U.S. Rangers from 1759 to the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, until today, with the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the invasion of Grenada
Invasion of Grenada
The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 100,000 located north of Venezuela. Triggered by a military coup which had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion...
in 1983, their training and equipment, operations mountains, desert and jungle, consisting of a paraglider, a Colt CAR-15
CAR-15
The Colt Automatic Rifle-15 Military Weapons System or CAR-15 was a family of AR-15 and M16 rifle–based firearms marketed by Colt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Due to their compact size, the short-barreled Colt Commando and XM177 versions of this family continued to be issued to the U.S...
rifle, on the hand fragmentation M26 grenade, a grenade launcher M72 LAW
M72 LAW
The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, and Frank A. Spinale et al...
, the M18 Claymore anti-personnel mine and the ranger knife F7. Aside from informational purposes, the manual was used as a form of copyright protection - each time you loaded the game it would give the player a multiple choice question on the identification of military ribbons, which were listed at the top of each page throughout the booklet. If the player guessed correctly, the game loaded. If guessed incorrectly, the game wouldn't load.
Reception
A review in Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
felt Airborne Ranger was reminiscent of the earlier arcade game Commando
Commando (arcade game)
is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1985. Its influence can be seen in several later games in the genre ....
, but much deeper and more versatile. The graphics and sound were praised, noting gunfire sounds different when shot from inside fortifications than it does outside fortifications. The game received 4½ out of 5 stars in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
.
Legacy
The game was followed by Special Forces in 1991.In 2008, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
informally announced a game called Airborne Rangers for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC to be released in April 2009, but the game was never mentioned again and is presumed to having been cancelled.
External links
- Images of Airborne Ranger package, manual and screenshots from C64Sets.com