I spent countless of quarters on this game. We had just moved from Tulsa to Houston and this game was at the corner store. Just listening to the sounds makes me smile.
I never tire of watching this game; an all time classic. I was quite young when this game was around; I remember playing one of those table top versions and loved it.
I loved this game years ago in amusement parks and you could always hear the sounds of this arcade machine in the background. Oh happy days then! I'm well pleased I now have this game on a compilation game pack. Don't forget that you can use the Shield as a weapon too in case the enemy birds get too close. Activate it at the right time and you can destroy them, and helps absorb enemy missiles. On the mothership destroy the middle shield at the far side to make a hole, while shooting at the birds and then start blasting away at the yellow shield underneath. Good luck Space Pilots!!
The barber shop across the street from my house had this game, Ms. Pac Man and Centipede! I would skip lunch at school and use the money to play those games!
Thanks for the memories. I never was good at this one but I remember watching a King-dude playing it. We called him Mr. Phoenix. Now if I could find Robotron on RUclips... I played a multi-player game for 5 hours once.
Definately in my top 5 most favorite arcade games of all time!!! I really appriciate the upload... and so wish I could play that game all over again! :)
wow!! thanks for the vid. the music brings back memories at the local arcade. All the quarters I spent on this and Galaga. Times were so much better then hanging with your friends..........
The music at the beginning of the game is just awesome. It really sets the tone. The sadness of the alien attack, or man's last ditch attempt to ward off the alien invaders, or yet again, the sad demise of the alien race. I can think of no other game with as good an opening sound track.
I spent a lot of money here during my college days! Also I played a lot with "Gunsmoke" and Car Racing (forgot the exact name) where Superman, a train will come out as you drive through to the Finish Line unpurturbed. Those are my 3 ultimate favorite arcade games of all-time.
Seeing this just about brings a tear to my eye. While I love the fact that this game is part of Taito Legends, they didn't get the sound right, so hearing the right audio again is simply beautiful.
anche io..in estate..sempre alla ricerca della monetina gialla da 200 lire...:-)....con mille lire 5 partite alla grande..facevo la cresta sulla spesa e saltavo la spiaggia per la sala giochi. Bellissimi ricordi ..e riuscivo a completarlo almeno due volte..che bello era andare in sala giochi in estate ? :-) !
the good old days , the best , queing in my local sports centre to play space invaders 1982 . as a kid i remember the smell of warm electric cables in arcades on the english coast holiday resorts, weymouth ,blackpool, etc etc. the best days, i still play to this day (xbox one) but i used to play commodre c16 and commodore c64 (jet set willy days ghosts n goblins, hyper sports,winter games. etc etc
Blast back in time - been from scarborough i remember the sound effects of this game on every trip to the arcade, total waste of cash it was sooooo hard...great game but prefered Defender i had ten mins play for me 10p whereas 30secs of fun on Pheonix...thanks for entertaining us!!! Rich
When on the last screen, (the base screen) if you let 7 land and and kill them all when they fly off the score jumps like crazy. Was the king of this in the early 80s!
Yessss !! the good old days.We played this non stp in a pub , if you messed around with the electric switch on the wall up and down up and down with the switch , it would give you 100 free credits , so wed sit in the pub a 15 year olds all night on drinking coke. Absolutely great memories playing this game, any where this can be downloaded ? hu I remember all these sounds so well !
You're right, they were designed to make lots of money, the successful games had that 'just one more go' factor. If you could make 1 coin last for hours that game wouldn't be in the arcade for long, it'd be replaced by a money maker. Thanks for watching :)
The intro music is named "Romance Anonimo" (Anonymous Romance), the most famous player of this song is Narciso Yepes, and was recorded with lyrics in 1970's by Julio Iglesias (Enrique Iglesias's Father) with the name of "Quiero"
@fehquig thanks for posting that game. and your right that sound coming from the attacking birds is post traumatic. i was the best at this game at my local arcade.
This was an awesome game. I was always really shit at it back then. Used to spend most of my holiday money on these things. Still play these old retro classics now on the internet. There are some good ones on arcade boss. I am top scorer on Destination Earth, Space Invaders and a few others. GRINDCOREFREAK
This game is included in Taito Legends (Vol. 1) for PS2 and PSP, available in North America. You'll have to go to a retro game store to find it (or online).
WTF?!?!? A SHIELD BUTTON? NEVER KNEW THAT!!!.... My cousin and I used to spend what now seemed like a thousand dollars and a thousand hours on this game I LOVED IT!! but a SHIELD BUTTON!!.. if i knew about this elusive button it probably would of been a million dollars and a million hours on this game!!...
A hint I learned back in 1982 from a master player. When facing the egg rounds, IMMEDIATELY begin shooting and moving all the way to the left and stay there. Most times you will hit at least one egg before it hatches on your way. Keep firing and keep left and it should be much easier to shoot many eggs before they hatch. When the birds hatch, their shots will not harm your ship if you remain fully left AND all the shots are in a straight line. (They'll go right through your ship) BUT any shot that isn't in line will kill you so move or use your shield. When any remaining birds descend use the shield to avoid being hit. They will reappear at the top of the screen but any that hit your shield will blow up. The shield regenerates after a short cool-down, so don't be scared to use it whenever birds get too close. Sometimes bullets will penetrate your shield. Better to move if possible in this case.
I discovered that trick on my own just recently, on a motel's (freeplay!) 60-in-one cabinet. At the wave's start, move to the far left, plinking two or three eggs to reduce the end number of phoenixes to deal with. A little back-and-forth in this pocket also helps damage their wings while dodging their bombs, raising their potential score. Since you can't stay there long, start rhythmically crossing the screen, and you should be able to dodge their bombs and dives (along with judicious use of the shield) while racking up hefty point totals for winging them. As for the mothership, I'd suggest immediately parking under the left or right edge of the rotating armor band and blasting away until it develops a few nice, big holes, while keeping an eye out for diving warbirds and bombs. Before it gets too close, slide to the mothership's midpoint and quickly, narrowly carve through the hull to the Big Ugly inside, dodging its own flurries of bombs. Boom and done!
Hi Nik, wow.. Spy Hunter.... I never played it in the arcade but I used to have it on my ZX Spectrum .. it was a top down view, car chasey shoot em up game if I remember correctly ???? cheers bud
thanks Dorrie, I did try recording these games with a capture program but it did seem boring, it's a lot easier just pointing the cam at the screen & you can then hear how BAD I am at zapping ;)
I always liked how bleak the somewhat limited sound hardware makes the game seem. Even back then, good sound went a long way towards player immersion...
My high score for this game is circa 270,000. However, 200,000 of that came via a "cheat" on the second wave of small birds after the first boss ship. The trick is to wait for the birds to fly down as a group and then shoot them as they fly away from you. With good timing and a bit of luck you can get 200,000 points as you hit two birds crossing each other - then focus on building legitimate score on top of this with max scores for the boss bird, etc.
These old games stick in the mind Penny, I've been practising Pacman for you... but I'm terrible.. the ghosts keep getting me very quickly ... booo.. :( .. xx
I spent countless of quarters on this game. We had just moved from Tulsa to Houston and this game was at the corner store. Just listening to the sounds makes me smile.
I'm always amazed how they squeezed these great games out of a tiny amount of RAM. This is a classic, I also loved the Star Wars cockpit game.
I never tire of watching this game; an all time classic. I was quite young when this game was around; I remember playing one of those table top versions and loved it.
Thank you so much for putting this on! It was one of my very favorite games!
I played this game when i was 7 years old😢!!! Excelent souvenir of this super and one of the "first" video game👏👍
I loved this game years ago in amusement parks and you could always hear the sounds of this arcade machine in the background. Oh happy days then! I'm well pleased I now have this game on a compilation game pack.
Don't forget that you can use the Shield as a weapon too in case the enemy birds get too close. Activate it at the right time and you can destroy them, and helps absorb enemy missiles. On the mothership destroy the middle shield at the far side to make a hole, while shooting at the birds and then start blasting away at the yellow shield underneath. Good luck Space Pilots!!
Ah.....I remember this wee beauty when I was a youngster. Always got mezmerised by the colourful graphics
The barber shop across the street from my house had this game, Ms. Pac Man and Centipede! I would skip lunch at school and use the money to play those games!
awesome, that was my game back in the 80's, spent alot of time in the arcade with that one game. I love that you hear Fur Elise!
These games bring back much of my youth as a young teenager, times were so much better back then.....
Thanks for the memories. I never was good at this one but I remember watching a King-dude playing it. We called him Mr. Phoenix. Now if I could find Robotron on RUclips... I played a multi-player game for 5 hours once.
One of my favorite video games back in the 80's. Thanks for posting!
I remember this! Loved this game.
Used to play it in an Arcade, back in 1982-83. So frustrating. Haven't seen it since then. Thanks for posting !
Awesome great game I remember playing this back on the 80's
best arcade game ever i spend a big fortune on it love it
Definately in my top 5 most favorite arcade games of all time!!! I really appriciate the upload... and so wish I could play that game all over again! :)
Loved this game growing up and in a way, it was the fore-runner to Galaga
I remember that game too!! Either i have a good memory or a mispend youth.
Penny x
One of my fav games growing up!!
I can't believe I was so addicted to this Game. I was 8 years old screaming at the damn birds flying around :D
I was addicted too ; I was 17 last time I played this game , but its' like it was 5 minutes ago listening to sounds : it's all getting back!
I am looking forward to seeing you play Pacman. It was my absolute fave ...love the noises when the pacman gets caught .
Yes I do remember. My favorite video game.
wow!! thanks for the vid. the music brings back memories at the local arcade. All the quarters I spent on this and Galaga. Times were so much better then hanging with your friends..........
I was looking for that game all day not knowing title :) Finaly accidently found it,its 00:50am,thank you..
loved this, one of my all time favourites.
Can you still buy them to play at home today 2020
brought back some good memories
Thank you for the great blast from the past...:>
I lost a many of quarter with this bad ass game. Still Old School
that music is about the only one i remember from my youth uset to spend a lot of cash playing this
One of my all time favorites!
This video video brings back nice mermeries from back in the day,where i you'st drink in Battle.
AWESOME game back then it kicked sooooo much ass in the arcades
holy macaroni. Not heard that music for a good while!!!!!
The music at the beginning of the game is just awesome. It really sets the tone. The sadness of the alien attack, or man's last ditch attempt to ward off the alien invaders, or yet again, the sad demise of the alien race. I can think of no other game with as good an opening sound track.
Awesome game, great visuals and sound effects. Shit gets intense when that mothership shows up.
Thanks for posting this....fun and unusual game! I used to play it at the Liquor store near my house.
I spent a lot of money here during my college days! Also I played a lot with "Gunsmoke" and Car Racing (forgot the exact name) where Superman, a train will come out as you drive through to the Finish Line unpurturbed. Those are my 3 ultimate favorite arcade games of all-time.
1980... arcade cabinets EVERY where!! wow yeah :¬D
the original has a great sound 'wacawacawaca'.. i can't even get through the first screen yet!! DOH!!
omg used to love playing this and had a high score-
Skeggy 1981 Ingoldmells :P
The shield button - that’s what I used to press the instant I got hit. Yes, slow reflexes were a continual issue.
I always liked the way how the big birds explode like an egg, if you hit them.
The music/sound fx of Phoenix were instantly recognizable as soon as you entered the arcade. I think probably the loudest game was Galaga though.
lol!! not really.. but thanks.. I like giving these old games a blast, takes me back to the time I spent in the 80s arcades :)
LOL Does that ever bring back memories! I believe that last time I played it was 27 years ago, and somehow the soundtrack is still with me :P
Countless hours of my life gone because of this game and defender good times lol
Seeing this just about brings a tear to my eye. While I love the fact that this game is part of Taito Legends, they didn't get the sound right, so hearing the right audio again is simply beautiful.
This was one of the best.
I used to love this game, it was so unpredictable. But it was very hard to come across a cabinet when I was a kid.
anche io..in estate..sempre alla ricerca della monetina gialla da 200 lire...:-)....con mille lire 5 partite alla grande..facevo la cresta sulla spesa e saltavo la spiaggia per la sala giochi. Bellissimi ricordi ..e riuscivo a completarlo almeno due volte..che bello era andare in sala giochi in estate ? :-) !
Use to play this game at 7-11 back in the day....
the good old days , the best , queing in my local sports centre to play space invaders 1982 . as a kid i remember the smell of warm electric cables in arcades on the english coast holiday resorts, weymouth ,blackpool, etc etc. the best days, i still play to this day (xbox one) but i used to play commodre c16 and commodore c64 (jet set willy days ghosts n goblins, hyper sports,winter games. etc etc
Blast back in time - been from scarborough i remember the sound effects of this game on every trip to the arcade, total waste of cash it was sooooo hard...great game but prefered Defender i had ten mins play for me 10p whereas 30secs of fun on Pheonix...thanks for entertaining us!!! Rich
A pocket full of quarters and a dark room full of game counsels would be a nice afternoon back in the day.
Wow! 1980? This game was out, long before I was born.
It looks cool though. I hope it's not too hard.
Excellent memoir Jim Donegan
haha, love the excitement. my favourite arcade game.
this and galaga my 2 favourite games....
Good job, man. Thanks for the upload.
a blast from the past!
lol...I remember playing this game...was like those big birds were dropping turds on you.
u Bosni i Hercegovini je ovo bila igra koja se najvise igrala 80 tih godina u luna parkovima i zabavnim salonima
When on the last screen, (the base screen) if you let 7 land and and kill them all when they fly off the score jumps like crazy. Was the king of this in the early 80s!
I vaguely recall that the arcade cabinets in my area had this game in full color on all levels
Yessss !! the good old days.We played this non stp in a pub , if you messed around with the electric switch on the wall up and down up and down with the switch , it would give you 100 free credits , so wed sit in the pub a 15 year olds all night on drinking coke. Absolutely great memories playing this game, any where this can be downloaded ? hu I remember all these sounds so well !
The word was if you poked in some strimmer wire to rack up free credits!
Those were the days... :)
I used to play this for at least half an hours every weekday betweeb classes.during college.
You're right, they were designed to make lots of money, the successful games had that 'just one more go' factor. If you could make 1 coin last for hours that game wouldn't be in the arcade for long, it'd be replaced by a money maker. Thanks for watching :)
This game looks good. It reminds me alittle of Galaga
The intro music is named "Romance Anonimo" (Anonymous Romance), the most famous player of this song is Narciso Yepes, and was recorded with lyrics in 1970's by Julio Iglesias (Enrique Iglesias's Father) with the name of "Quiero"
This game used to mesmerize me at the Godfather's Pizza place.. finally glad to see someone destroy that boss protected by the conveyor belt!
@fehquig thanks for posting that game. and your right that sound coming from the attacking birds is post traumatic. i was the best at this game at my local arcade.
This was an awesome game. I was always really shit at it back then. Used to spend most of my holiday money on these things. Still play these old retro classics now on the internet. There are some good ones on arcade boss. I am top scorer on Destination Earth, Space Invaders and a few others. GRINDCOREFREAK
I agree, the soundtrack, "Jeux Interdits" or "Giochi Proibiti" , is amazing: the acoustic guitar version here on youtube is awesome.
This game is included in Taito Legends (Vol. 1) for PS2 and PSP, available in North America. You'll have to go to a retro game store to find it (or online).
..lol!! .. & this was my 4th attempt at this game.. I'm not very good at it really, ho hum, thanks for stopping by ... :)
Damn giant space bat/bird shit will fuck up your day for sure!
WTF?!?!? A SHIELD BUTTON? NEVER KNEW THAT!!!.... My cousin and I used to spend what now seemed like a thousand dollars and a thousand hours on this game I LOVED IT!! but a SHIELD BUTTON!!.. if i knew about this elusive button it probably would of been a million dollars and a million hours on this game!!...
I can't believe I don't remember this game
this is art
A hint I learned back in 1982 from a master player. When facing the egg rounds, IMMEDIATELY begin shooting and moving all the way to the left and stay there. Most times you will hit at least one egg before it hatches on your way. Keep firing and keep left and it should be much easier to shoot many eggs before they hatch. When the birds hatch, their shots will not harm your ship if you remain fully left AND all the shots are in a straight line. (They'll go right through your ship) BUT any shot that isn't in line will kill you so move or use your shield. When any remaining birds descend use the shield to avoid being hit. They will reappear at the top of the screen but any that hit your shield will blow up. The shield regenerates after a short cool-down, so don't be scared to use it whenever birds get too close. Sometimes bullets will penetrate your shield. Better to move if possible in this case.
I discovered that trick on my own just recently, on a motel's (freeplay!) 60-in-one cabinet.
At the wave's start, move to the far left, plinking two or three eggs to reduce the end number of phoenixes to deal with. A little back-and-forth in this pocket also helps damage their wings while dodging their bombs, raising their potential score. Since you can't stay there long, start rhythmically crossing the screen, and you should be able to dodge their bombs and dives (along with judicious use of the shield) while racking up hefty point totals for winging them.
As for the mothership, I'd suggest immediately parking under the left or right edge of the rotating armor band and blasting away until it develops a few nice, big holes, while keeping an eye out for diving warbirds and bombs. Before it gets too close, slide to the mothership's midpoint and quickly, narrowly carve through the hull to the Big Ugly inside, dodging its own flurries of bombs. Boom and done!
The money I wasted on this. The local pizza parlor had the game, we used to spend hours on it. That and frogger, I LOVED frogger
+kwas101 Frogger - I coulda bought a knighthood with the money I spent on that ;)
+kwas101 wasted ? not a chance ,it was money well spent !
Hi Nik, wow.. Spy Hunter.... I never played it in the arcade but I used to have it on my ZX Spectrum .. it was a top down view, car chasey shoot em up game if I remember correctly ???? cheers bud
Awesome !! Thanks for posting
حلووووو
حبببي
thanks Dorrie, I did try recording these games with a capture program but it did seem boring, it's a lot easier just pointing the cam at the screen & you can then hear how BAD I am at zapping ;)
I beat the world record twice playing this game. Don't know now if the nerves in my hands could take it now, though.
ooh scary game!
I always ended up screaming playing this!
LOL!
:-)
3:21 ....you nearly bought the farm =^)
de los mejores juegos de mi época sin duda alguna phoenix era difícil y metale otra moneda
Since I didn’t see it anywhere else is anyone here because of Phoenix II?
Phoenix...the thinking man's Space Invaders.
Nice. I use to love this game & I was good at it. The store owner paid me to stop playing the game one day. I could make a quarter last.
Another Great Game I Usta Play Besides Star Castle! Never Enough Action Here In This One Baby!!!!
I always liked how bleak the somewhat limited sound hardware makes the game seem. Even back then, good sound went a long way towards player immersion...
Where can i download this game?
Can you still but these anywhere to play at home
My high score for this game is circa 270,000. However, 200,000 of that came via a "cheat" on the second wave of small birds after the first boss ship. The trick is to wait for the birds to fly down as a group and then shoot them as they fly away from you. With good timing and a bit of luck you can get 200,000 points as you hit two birds crossing each other - then focus on building legitimate score on top of this with max scores for the boss bird, etc.
These old games stick in the mind Penny, I've been practising Pacman for you... but I'm terrible.. the ghosts keep getting me very quickly ... booo.. :( .. xx
Can u get this in the apple store ?