Hey Arcaders!
It’s time to delve deeper into the games the lair forgot… Terrorists are threatening the free world and have amassed a diabolical force. So strap into the cockpit of your LX-3 Super Cobra helicopter and take to the skies in Cobra Command!
Cobra Command is a laserdisc game created by Data East in 1984. The Japanese version is called Thunder Storm. In the game, you command a fully armed helicopter and must take on enemy helicopters, planes, tanks, and ships in order to destroy their stronghold on an area. Your missions take you through the forest, in the canyons, through the desert ruins, out to the Pacific Ocean, and right through good ole New York City.
Your enemies consist of an elite terrorist group, who also fly around in helicopters, have tanks, and other ground fortifications. Gameplay involves the game playing behind a cockpit overlay with on-screen controls to move a crosshair around the screen to fire at enemies. There are also points in the game where you will need to follow the video and audio prompts of your commander and steer your helicopter, this is accomplished by moving the flightstick and fire with the trigger, or use your missiles on the targets.
I first saw this game at my arcade- the Dream Machine at South Hills Mall. Like most of Data East’s laserdisc titles, it was a conversion kit- they had put it into what I thought was a Dragon’s Lair cabinet- but in fact was the Cosmic Chasm we had! You could put anything in that cabinet- it would look good! The music and sound were amazing in this game, and unlike Astron Belt- you feel like you’re hitting the targets! This game is a blast to play!
Like a lot of manufacturers at the time- Data East dove head first into the laser craze. They created Cobra Command, Bega’s Battle, and Road Avenger (we’ll get to them soon).
What’s interesting about Cobra Command- It got a reboot. in 1988, Data East released a side scrolling shooter named Cobra Command! It wasn’t bad, but not like the original.
It was also released on the NES the same year- with altered gameplay. It plays a lot like Choplifter.
The Laser game got a couple of releases- on Sega CD and in 2009- a version for the iPhone.
And of course, you can play it on your PC via the Daphne emulator!
What did you think of Cobra Command? did you ever play it in the arcade? Or any of the ports?
Let me know in the comments!
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