RapidFire
RapidFire is a game line published by SSI beginning in 1982.
Development
[edit]RapidFire was a game line launched by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) in 1982 to appeal to players who preferred faster-paced, more accessible games compared to SSI's traditional strategic wargames. The series emphasized speed and ease of play, incorporating real-time and action-oriented elements, according to company president Joel Billings. It quickly became a success, expanding SSI's reputation beyond strategy games and attracting talented developers, including Dani Bunten Berry, Keith Brors, and Chuck Kroegel, who later became the company's vice president of research and development.[1]
RapidFire was a short-lived game line. Unlike SSI's internally developed titles, RapidFire games were published through third-party developers. The branding lasted only a few titles before being discontinued by 1984. Despite its brief existence, RapidFire marked an important shift in SSI's approach to game publishing.[2]
Series
[edit]The first four games in the series in 1982 were:
Games added later to the series in 1983 included:
Reception
[edit]Chris Smith reviewed the first four games in SSI's RapidFire Line in The Space Gamer No. 59.[3] Smith commented that " RapidFire is a game line that deserves any award it can be nominated for. It is the best line of computer games I've ever seen, and the programs rate high on an individual basis also."[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Ritchie, Craig (October 2007). "Strategic Simulations Inc. Developer Lookback: The history of Strategic Simulations Inc reads like a tale in divine providence, with chance meetings and right-place-at-the-right-time stories cropping up more than pure luck should surely allow for. Craig Ritchie guides us through the first in a two-part series look at this RPG and wargaming powerhouse". Retro Gamer. No. 42. p. 38. ProQuest 2705969159. Retrieved 2025-05-19 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Barnes, Adam (April 2015). "Strategic Simulations Inc. As the rise of personal computers began in earnest, Joel Billings saw an opportunity to modernise his hobby, wargaming. The result was SSI, one of the biggest names in early strategy games and a company that, as Adam Barnes learns, was an important precursor to the videogames industry". Retro Gamer. No. 140. p. 53. ProQuest 2709631564.
- ^ a b c d e f Smith, Chris (January 1983). "SSI's RapidFire Line: Featured Review". The Space Gamer (59). Steve Jackson Games: 14–15.
- ^ a b c d "New Products". Creative Computing. Vol. 8, no. 12. December 1982. p. 358. Retrieved 2025-05-19 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Moriarty, Brian (October 1998). "A Tribute to Danie Bunten Berry". Game Developer. No. 35. p. 72. Retrieved 2025-05-19 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ https://archive.org/details/1983-12-anticmagazine/page/n123/mode/2up
- ^ "Maintaining Cosmic Balance". Electronic Games. Vol. 2, no. 12. March 1984. p. 69. Retrieved 2025-05-19 – via Internet Archive.