Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

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Description

Buck Rogers had once fought in the cold war, a pilot sent into outer space to destroy a Russian weapons platform. He was successful, but his success destroyed the planet, as nuclear war was launched, and you went into a centuries long cryogenic sleep, abandoned by the people who could not retrieve you. In the centuries that he slept, Earth colonized the solar system. There are large groups of people on Mars, Venus and Saturn. The colonies once existed to bring resources back to an Earth that had problems sustaining itself.

But the intervening centuries brought a power shift. Now Earth is at the Mercy of the interstellar alliance RAM—formerly the Russian-American Mercantile, but now the superpower, based on asteroids surrounding the planet Mercury. Mercury exploits the Earth for resources, at the expense of Earth's population. Earth has fallen into barbarism, except for one small light—the New Earth Organization (NEO). These "rebels" consider themselves freedom fighters, and they are fighting for Earth's freedom from the interstellar powers. Awakened from centuries long sleep in the 25th Century, Buck Rogers becomes an ancient military hero and symbol of earlier times. As he is brought up to date, he decides to join the the NEO, to fight for his home planet.

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a role-playing game similar in gameplay, interface, and visual styles to the Dungeons & Dragons games by SSI, despite the completely different setting and sci-fi scenario. The player's first task is to create a party of six characters from a choice of five classes (Rocketjock, Warrior, Medic, Rogue, and Engineer) and six races (Human, Desert Runner, Tinker, Venusian, Martian, and Mercurian). Then, these six new NEO recruits are trained, and are thrust into the battle for Earth.

There are several navigation modes in the game. The player can navigate the space ship on a top-down map of the Solar System, choosing planets to land on. Hostile ships may attack the player-controlled ship in this mode. Landing on a planet usually positions the heroes on a local overworld map. Finally, navigation in individual locations (towns and hostile areas) is done in first-person perspective, with pseudo-3D environments. Combat is turn-based and is viewed from an isometric perspective; characters are represented as icons and can be freely moved on the battle field.

Screenshots

Promo Images

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Part of the Following Groups

• Buck Rogers games
• Gold Box series
• SSI Buck Rogers series

User Reviews

Good attempt at recreating the paper n' pen version!

DOS

OlSkool_Gamer (99)

Critic Reviews

Raze	DOS	Jan, 1991	92 out of 100	92
Zzap!	Amiga	Jan, 1991	92 out of 100	92
Your Commodore	Commodore 64	Dec, 1990	92 out of 100	92
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)	Commodore 64	Jan, 1991	875 out of 1000	88
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)	DOS	Dec, 1990	885 out of 1000	88
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Amiga	Jan, 1991	9.8 out of 12	82
CU Amiga	Amiga	Dec, 1990	82 out of 100	82
Dragon	DOS	Jul, 1991		80
PC-Spiele '92	DOS	1991	8 out of 10	80
All Game Guide	Commodore 64	1998		70

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Trivia

Cover art

The game's cover artwork, by Jerry Bingham, is shared with the cover to the Buck Rogers XXVc role-playing game boxed set and the cover of Dragon Magazine issue 157 in May 1990, officially launching TSR's contentious Buck Rogers product line.

German version

As for many SSI RPGs in the early nineties, a completely German version of this game was manufactured. This version sold quite well in Germany (despite being more expensive than the English one).

Extras

Some production series of this game (most likely the first English one) included a Buck Rogers novel. Its story is the same as used in the game.

Information also contributed by Pseudo_Intellectual.