Hey Arcaders!
Konami went warp factor nine with their next game that has it’s DNA in Defender… Juno First!
Waves of aliens are trying to destroy your fighter craft. Waves increase in difficulty, with every third or fourth wave being a formation wave where the aliens appear and attack in a particular pattern. Aliens mutate into more dangerous forms the longer they survive, so they should be killed as quickly as possible. The radar at the top of the screen shows what kinds of aliens are approaching and where they will appear.
The aliens usually release white bombs these cannot be shot down, only avoided. They also release homing bombs, which are more dangerous but can be destroyed. Shooting the asteroid and capturing the “mystery” inside will stop the aliens from firing altogether for about 10 seconds, and give you bonus points for each alien you kill.
You have 99 seconds to complete each wave. The quicker you complete the wave, the higher your bonus. An extra ship is awarded every 100,000 points.
Using the warp button lets you escape from sticky situations. You have three warps for each wave, but warps do not accumulate from wave to wave.
This I believe was the only title from Konami published in the US by Gotlieb. It was put in a standard Q*bert cabinet. I think everything but MACH 3 (which also had a sit down cabinet- the upright WAS in this cab). an old reliable.
Enough about that- let’s warp to the Juno starcluster and defeat the alien horde!
Not many ports of this game were made for home consoles. I never played it until I got my first 60 in 1 board! But I was hooked as soon as I coined up!
I do want to point out two ports- The amazing Atari 2600 port done by Champ Games-
There is no one left. No attack fleet. No reinforcements. Just you and a handful of reserve ships. Enemy forces are threatening the Juno colony–Earth’s last defense post. You must fend off wave after wave of enemy ships, skimming dangerously above the planet’s force field. How long can you hold them off? You must persevere–whoever controls Earth, must take Juno first!
This is the Final War – the Last Battle. Transcending time and space, the outcome determines the fate of our Earth!
Juno First is an Atari 2600 version of the 1983 Konami arcade game of the same name. The objective of the game is very simple: destroy the aliens, capture enemy astronauts, and survive for as long as possible!
Includes cartridge and full-color manual. Available in NTSC and PAL60 television formats, please specify above when ordering.
AtariVox Enhanced
An AtariVox, AtariVox+, or SaveKey can be used with this game to store the high score table. If you have an AtariVox or AtariVox+ connected, you will pick up enemy communications over your radio. Some of it may be useful, but some of those aliens can be downright rude!
Go check out their excellent arcade ports for the Atari 2600 at Champ Games!
Finally is the IBM PC port that was unreleased by Datasoft.
Have you ever Played Juno First? Have you ever lined up some sweet bonus points by rescuing the astronaut?
Let me know in the comments!
Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!
The Arcade Archives! 