Dogs of War (1989 computer game)
Encyclopedia
Dogs of War is a run and gun game developed
and published
in 1989 by Elite Systems
for the Amiga
and Atari ST
. The name "Dogs of War" is probably taken from the 1981 movie The Dogs of War
.
The acclaimed game music was made by David Whittaker.
, is a mercenary who is asked to carry out assignments all over the world. Dogs of War is very similar to Commando, another Elite Systems game, which in turn was inspired by a 1985 Schwarzenegger
film named Commando
. In that film, Schwarzenegger plays a mercenary who must fight a lot of bad guys to rescue his daughter.
The levels in Dogs of War are built in a similar way, a multi-directional scrolling shooter where the player must overcome enemies who drift along in certain patterns on the screen, ultimately reaching his goal. People from around the world ask the player to conduct missions for them. Examples include saving someone's kidnapped son, retrieving a valuable piece of art or killing a criminal. Note that all missions end in the same way - to accomplish it, the player only has to approach the goal. All missions are available to play from the start, although some levels are harder than others. Accordingly, those missions tempt the player with a larger bounty. Killing enemies during the missions gives the player more money. Money is imperative as the player must buy all his weapons as well as ammunition before each mission. Weapons in the game include pistol
s, Kalashnikov
s, chain gun
s, grenade
s, rocket launchers
and a flame thrower. Rocket launchers are needed to take down heavy obstacles such as turret
s, military jeep
s and tank
s.
A two-player mode is also available.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
in 1989 by Elite Systems
Elite Systems
Elite Systems is a UK video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. They are best known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games...
for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
. The name "Dogs of War" is probably taken from the 1981 movie The Dogs of War
The Dogs of War (film)
The Dogs of War is a 1980 war film based upon the novel The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth, directed by John Irvin. It stars Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger as part of a small, international unit of mercenary soldiers privately hired to depose President Kimba of a fictional "Republic of...
.
The acclaimed game music was made by David Whittaker.
Plot and gameplay
The main character, who bears a striking resemblance to RamboJohn Rambo
John Rambo is an iconic fictional character and the basis of the Rambo saga. He first appeared in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell, but later became more famous in the film series, played by Sylvester Stallone...
, is a mercenary who is asked to carry out assignments all over the world. Dogs of War is very similar to Commando, another Elite Systems game, which in turn was inspired by a 1985 Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger is a German surname that means person from Schwarzenegg, which is both a town in Switzerland and a place in Land Salzburg in Austria...
film named Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
. In that film, Schwarzenegger plays a mercenary who must fight a lot of bad guys to rescue his daughter.
The levels in Dogs of War are built in a similar way, a multi-directional scrolling shooter where the player must overcome enemies who drift along in certain patterns on the screen, ultimately reaching his goal. People from around the world ask the player to conduct missions for them. Examples include saving someone's kidnapped son, retrieving a valuable piece of art or killing a criminal. Note that all missions end in the same way - to accomplish it, the player only has to approach the goal. All missions are available to play from the start, although some levels are harder than others. Accordingly, those missions tempt the player with a larger bounty. Killing enemies during the missions gives the player more money. Money is imperative as the player must buy all his weapons as well as ammunition before each mission. Weapons in the game include pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, Kalashnikov
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s, chain gun
Chain gun
A chain gun is a type of machine gun or autocannon that uses an external source of power, rather than diverting energy from the cartridge, to cycle the weapon, and does so via a continuous loop of chain similar to that used on a motorcycle or bicycle. "Chain gun" is a registered trademark of...
s, grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, rocket launchers
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
and a flame thrower. Rocket launchers are needed to take down heavy obstacles such as turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s, military jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
s and tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s.
A two-player mode is also available.