History VideoGame / MissileCommand

* AdaptedOut: The bombers and killsats do not appear in the Atari 2600 version due to memory limitations.

->''"What's the bluntest point made by this game? That you can't win. No matter how many stages you survive, or how much time you spend playing, you can't beat Missile Command. Nuclear war has no winners. Your job is futile, but you do it anyway because you can buy people a few more minutes of hope."''

* UrbanLegendOfZelda: Rumors in arcades in the early 80s convinced several teens that [=NORAD=] [[IKnowMortalKombat kept track of high scorers]], just in case.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: It's pretty standard practice for players to name the six cities after cities and town they're familiar with. Hell, the lead programmer himself did it too (see below).
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The cities in MissileCommand were originally based on California cities[[note]]Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.[[/note]] and the idea of reloading the missile bases by train was considered. An additional set of levels involving firing back at the never-seen enemy was also dropped.
* WorkingTitle: The game was originally called ''Armageddon'' but was changed at the last minute.

* {{Atari 2600}}

* GameOver

* UrbanLegendOfZelda: Rumors in arcades in the early 80s convinced several teens that [=NORAD=] kept track of high scorers, just in case.

Missile Command (1980) was the most violent video game ever released, at least until ''{{DEFCON}}'' came along. MissileCommand portrayed a stark view of nuclear war at the height of ColdWar paranoia. The player was given command of three anti-ballistic missile bases, with which six otherwise defenseless cities had to be defended against wave after wave of [=ICBMs=], nuclear bombers, and orbital battle stations. The game featured simple yet realistic animations of mushroom clouds wiping out entire cities whenever the player failed to intercept an incoming warhead, and a nightmarish explosion effect when the player [[EndlessGame (inevitably)]] finally lost the game.

[[caption-width-right:256:This can [[EndlessGame only]] [[ItsAWonderfulFailure end]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom one way]]...[[note]][[MoodWhiplash unless you make the high score list.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:256:This can [[EndlessGame only]] [[ItsAWonderfulFailure end]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom one way]]...[[hottip:*:[[MoodWhiplash unless you make the high score list.]]]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The cities in MissileCommand were originally based on California cities[[hottip:*:Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.]] and the idea of reloading the missile bases by train was considered. An additional set of levels involving firing back at the never-seen enemy was also dropped.

* DestructibleProjectiles: CaptainObvious, duh. {{Justified|Trope}}.

* WorkingTitle: The game was originally called ''{{Armageddon}}'' but was changed at the last minute.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The cities in MissileCommand were originally based on California cities[[hottip:*:Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.]] and the idea of reloading the missile bases by train was considered. An additional set of levels involving firing back at the never-seen enemy was also dropped.

Just a year later (1982), a sequel for two players competing to destroy each other was prototyped and tested, but ultimately never released. [[http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2011/07/missile_command_2_to_debut_at_.php It has recently resurfaced]] and will shown to the public in 2012, the first time in 30 years.

[[caption-width-right:256:This can [[EndlessGame only]] [[ItsAWonderfulFailure end]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom one way]]...[[hottip:*:[[MoodWhiplash unless you make the high score list.]]]]]]

[[caption-width-right:256:This can [[EndlessGame only]] [[ItsAWonderfulFailure end]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom one way]]...[[hottip:*:unless you make the high score list.]]]]

* DestructibleProjectiles: CaptainObvious, duh. {{Justified}}.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The cities in MissileCommand were originally based on California cities [[hottip:*:Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.]] and the idea of reloading the missile bases by train was considered. An additional set of levels involving firing back at the never-seen enemy was also dropped.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The cities in MissileCommand were originally based on California cities and the idea of reloading the missile bases by train was considered. An additional set of levels involving firing back at the never-seen enemy was also dropped.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mcommand.png
[[caption-width:256:This can [[EndlessGame only]] [[ItsAWonderfulFailure end]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom one way]]...[[hottip:*:unless you make the high score list.]]]]

--> ''[[http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/narrative-mechanics]], [[ExtraCredits Extra Credits]]''

The most violent video game ever released (at least until ''{{DEFCON}}'' came along), MissileCommand portrayed a stark view of nuclear war at the height of Cold War paranoia. The player was given command of three anti-ballistic missile bases, with which six otherwise defenseless cities had to be defended against wave after wave of [=ICBMs=], nuclear bombers, and orbital battle stations. The game featured simple yet realistic animations of mushroom clouds wiping out entire cities whenever the player failed to intercept an incoming warhead, and a nightmarish explosion effect when the player [[EndlessGame (inevitably)]] finally lost the game.

* ColdWar (Who knew an arcade game could have a political message?)

* PaletteSwap

* RecursiveAmmo (MIRV missiles)'