Datastorm
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| label2 = Developer(s) | data2 = Visionary Design Technologies
| label3 = Publisher(s) | data3 = Visionary Design Technologies
| label4 = Director(s) | data4 = Template:If first display both
| label5 = Producer(s) | data5 = Template:If first display both
| label6 = Designer(s) | data6 = Template:If first display both
| label7 = Programmer(s) | data7 = Søren Grønbech
| label8 = Artist(s) | data8 = Template:If first display both
| label9 = Writer(s) | data9 = Template:If first display both
| label10 = Composer(s) | data10 = Timm Engels
| label11 = Series | data11 = Template:If first display both
| label12 = Engine | data12 = Template:If first display both
| label13 = Platform(s) | data13 = Amiga
| label14 = Release | data14 = Template:Video game release
| label15 = Genre(s) | data15 = Scrolling shooter
| label16 = Mode(s) | data16 = Single-player, multiplayer
| label17 = Arcade system | data17 = Template:If first display both
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Datastorm is a horizontally scrolling shooter for the Amiga published by Visionary Design in 1989. Written by Søren Grønbech, it was inspired by the Defender arcade video game and the Defender-like Dropzone originally released for Atari 8-bit computers.<ref name="sodan"/>
GameplayEdit
Datastorm allows for a single player to play or two players to play simultaneously or one after the other.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The game takes place on planets in a side scrolling format that wraps around with the player flying above in a spacecraft. The player must protect and rescue the eight survival pods that roll around on the surface of the planet and take them to a warp gate.<ref name=":1" /> An onslaught of enemies attempt to attack the spaceship so constantly destroying them and their missiles is necessary. There is also a special type of enemy called an alien lander that captures the pods and whisks them away to the top of the level.<ref name="cvg" /> In addition to standard enemies, there are also mother ships, which act as bosses within the game. These mother ships come in the form of a fleet of fast luminous ships, a large squid or a large skull.<ref name=":0" />
A radar scanner, which is essentially a mini-map, is presented along the bottom of the screen and gives a complete view of the entire planet to help keep track of what is happening.<ref name="cvg" /> The game also features an autosave, a highscore table, on-screen instructions and a level select.<ref name="cvg" /> In terms of weaponry, the ship has lasers, smart bombs and cloaking technology that makes it briefly invincible.<ref name="cvg" /> The points increase for each level; on levels 5, 9, 13, etc, the player gets a new set of eight pods and the scoring resets.
PlotEdit
The game takes place after the planet Xerxes exploded, causing its eight orbiting colonies to drift into deep space. The inhabitants of these colonies must locate a new home planet, so they each send a survival pod out into space to achieve this mission.
ReleaseEdit
The game was announced in May 1989.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReceptionEdit
Template:Video game reviews Julian Rignall, writing for Computer and Video Games in 1989, called Datastorm "the best shoot 'em up yet seen out of a coin-op cabinet."<ref name="cvg"/> The overall review score was 95%.