Tail Gunner

Gameplay

Tail Gunner placed the player behind a set of crosshairs at the rear of a spaceship, looking backward as enemy fighters flew in from the distance and tried to pass by. The player moved the crosshairs to target and shoot the approaching ships. As enemies got closer, they grew larger on screen — a convincing pseudo-3D effect created entirely with vector graphics. Enemies that slipped past reduced the player's shield.

Historical Significance

Tail Gunner was one of the first arcade games to create a convincing sense of three-dimensional depth using scaling vector objects. While not true 3D (it used sprite-like scaling rather than wireframe 3D), the effect of enemies growing as they approached was striking. It was also one of the earliest "turret defense" style games. Cinematronics released it as one of their first post-Space Wars titles.

Fun Facts & Legacy

The game's visual effect of enemies scaling from small dots to large ships as they approached was achieved through clever vector scaling — something vector displays handled naturally since drawing larger shapes simply meant wider beam deflection. This scaling effect would later be used to greater effect in games like Star Wars (1983).