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Sheriff (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
is an arcade game
developed by Nintendo R&D1
in 1979, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto
and Genyo Takeda
. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Sheriff. It is one of the earliest Western-style video games developed (alongside Gun Fight
). The player controls a county sheriff
who must defend the town from bandits. It was a run and gun multi-directional shooter that featured dual-stick controls, with one joystick
for movement and the other for aiming, and a large number of enemies shooting many bullets, paving the way for later dual-stick shooters such as Robotron: 2084
(1982) and Geometry Wars
(2003).
Sheriff has unique controls for shooting and moving around the screen. The shooting joystick
consists of a switch that can be pointed into eight different directions. The player must indicate a direction, then press the switch in order to shoot. The movement joystick
is also set so that a considerable time delay exists before the new direction takes effect on screen. These controls allow the sheriff to walk in one direction while shooting in another.
The entire screen is part of the game field, except for the score indication on the top of the screen. 16 bandits surround the outer rim, marked by a dotted barricade. Bullets from either the sheriff or the bandits can destroy these barriers, and they can function as defensive walls or aiming obstacles for the player. Unbreakable bricks also exist on the midpoint of each side of the screen, and display the current level number.
The basic action taken by the enemy bandits is to walk around the outer rim while firing bullets at the sheriff, but they will sometimes enter into the central area, along with a change in game music. The sheriff must avoid touching the bandits, dodge bullets, and shoot all 16 bandits to complete each level.
in 1980 and released as Bandido, but it is unclear whether this was an officially licensed release.
The game was originally released in two formats; an upright cabinet and a cocktail (tabletop) version. These versions also made their way into Europe and Asia via imports. In the UK, Sheriff was licensed for production and distribution by Bell-Fruit Manufacturing in an upright cabinet. Bell-Fruit's core product range at the time was fruit/slot machines. Sheriff (and later Puckman
) marked the company's first, and short lived, diversification into the market of video games as licensee, so the cabinet design for this territory differed considerably from that of the Japanese version. Although it featured the same marquee and bezel design, it shared many properties more commonly associated with slot machines (e.g. no side art or cabinet decals). However, the game's title in this region remained unchanged as Sheriff.
The game title appears in the staff credits sequence on the Game Boy Camera
software, and as a collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee.
The game was left forgotten for over two decades after the two arcade releases, but was reanimated in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
, released for the Game Boy Advance
in 2003. In WarioWare, Sheriff was included as both a microgame and as a minigame (Wario's Sheriff). Standard controls apply to the microgame version, but in the minigame version, the L/R buttons can make the sheriff face in the opposite direction without moving. The time delay for moving the sheriff was removed, and the sheriff's walking speed is greatly increased from the original. When the player's points double after completing a certain amount of levels, the sheriff also gains extra lives, lowering the game's difficulty considerably.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed by Nintendo R&D1
Nintendo Research & Development 1
was Nintendo's oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi...
in 1979, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
and Genyo Takeda
Genyo Takeda
is the general manager of Nintendo's integrated research division, and has been working there since it was founded in 1981. He mostly works on improving hardware for home consoles and handhelds, but sometimes develops video games...
. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on Sheriff. It is one of the earliest Western-style video games developed (alongside Gun Fight
Gun Fight
Gun Fight, known as Western Gun in Japan and Europe, is a 1975 arcade shooter game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released by Taito in Japan and Europe and by Midway Games in the United States. It was a historically significant game, and a success in the arcades. It was later ported to the...
). The player controls a county sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
who must defend the town from bandits. It was a run and gun multi-directional shooter that featured dual-stick controls, with one joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
for movement and the other for aiming, and a large number of enemies shooting many bullets, paving the way for later dual-stick shooters such as Robotron: 2084
Robotron: 2084
Robotron: 2084 is an arcade video game developed by Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics in 1982. It is a shooting game that features two-dimensional graphics. The game is set in the year 2084, in a fictional world where robots have turned against humans...
(1982) and Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars is a minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible through the in-game garage. An updated version of the game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, is available for download on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It can also be played in...
(2003).
Gameplay
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
consists of a switch that can be pointed into eight different directions. The player must indicate a direction, then press the switch in order to shoot. The movement joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
is also set so that a considerable time delay exists before the new direction takes effect on screen. These controls allow the sheriff to walk in one direction while shooting in another.
The entire screen is part of the game field, except for the score indication on the top of the screen. 16 bandits surround the outer rim, marked by a dotted barricade. Bullets from either the sheriff or the bandits can destroy these barriers, and they can function as defensive walls or aiming obstacles for the player. Unbreakable bricks also exist on the midpoint of each side of the screen, and display the current level number.
The basic action taken by the enemy bandits is to walk around the outer rim while firing bullets at the sheriff, but they will sometimes enter into the central area, along with a change in game music. The sheriff must avoid touching the bandits, dodge bullets, and shoot all 16 bandits to complete each level.
Legacy
A remake of the original titled Sheriff 2 was released in 1979, but few changes were made other than the addition of color graphics and minor changes in bonus scoring. The game was also duplicated by ExidyExidy
Exidy was one of the largest creators of arcade video games during the early period of video games, from 1974 until at least 1986 . The company was founded by H.R."Pete" Kauffman...
in 1980 and released as Bandido, but it is unclear whether this was an officially licensed release.
The game was originally released in two formats; an upright cabinet and a cocktail (tabletop) version. These versions also made their way into Europe and Asia via imports. In the UK, Sheriff was licensed for production and distribution by Bell-Fruit Manufacturing in an upright cabinet. Bell-Fruit's core product range at the time was fruit/slot machines. Sheriff (and later Puckman
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
) marked the company's first, and short lived, diversification into the market of video games as licensee, so the cabinet design for this territory differed considerably from that of the Japanese version. Although it featured the same marquee and bezel design, it shared many properties more commonly associated with slot machines (e.g. no side art or cabinet decals). However, the game's title in this region remained unchanged as Sheriff.
The game title appears in the staff credits sequence on the Game Boy Camera
Game Boy Camera
The Game Boy Camera, released as in Japan, is an official Nintendo accessory for the handheld Game Boy gaming console and was released in 1998. It is also compatible with the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light, Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Advance SP...
software, and as a collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee.
Sequels
Many players were unable to cope with the 8-way joystick of the original game, leading to its relative unpopularity. The sequel, Sheriff 2 was released in 1979, with the characters changed to cute animals, and a greatly simplified control system. The 8-way joystick used for shooting was replaced with a normal button, so the sheriff can only shoot in the direction he is facing. Another game pattern was also added, where the bandits enter into the central area, but run straight through the top half instead of chasing the sheriff. The player can gain bonus points if he manages to shoot all of the bandits while they are running through the central area. However, Sheriff 2 was not distributed widely enough to gain any sort of following.The game was left forgotten for over two decades after the two arcade releases, but was reanimated in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! , known in PAL regions as WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania and in Japan as , is a video game for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2003 and in North America on May 26, 2003...
, released for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2003. In WarioWare, Sheriff was included as both a microgame and as a minigame (Wario's Sheriff). Standard controls apply to the microgame version, but in the minigame version, the L/R buttons can make the sheriff face in the opposite direction without moving. The time delay for moving the sheriff was removed, and the sheriff's walking speed is greatly increased from the original. When the player's points double after completing a certain amount of levels, the sheriff also gains extra lives, lowering the game's difficulty considerably.