Space Shuttle Project (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Absolute's 1991 action game game for the NES, Space Shuttle Project.

If you'd like to skip the demo sequence and the credits, the game begins at 2:40.

"Forget about alien invasions. There aren't any photon torpedoes. And don't even think about shifting to warp speed.

All that stuff is fantasy. This is real."

So reads the two-page ad for Space Shuttle Project that Absolute ran in gaming magazines through the 1991 holiday season, and it's a fair representation of what the game has to offer. Star Trek, this is not.

(A couple of years later, Absolute did create an NES game based on Star Trek: The Next Generation:    • Star Trek: The Next Generation (NES) ...   )

In Space Shuttle Project, you are a Commander in charge of six NASA shuttle missions, over the course of which you'll build a space station, launch a satellite, and even save a Soviet Cosmonaut stranded in space. It's your responsibility to ensure that every aspect of the mission goes smoothly.

Each mission is broken up into four distinct stages:

Stage 1, "Fuel and Board Shuttle," has you scrambling around the launchpad, throwing switches and escorting crew members to the shuttle hatch.

Stage 2, "Space Shuttle Launch," includes taking off and maneuvering the shuttle into orbit. Through a series of rapid-shot mini-games, you'll fire the thrusters, establish your flight trajectory, and initiate the separation of modules from the body of the orbiter.

Stage 3, "Extravehicular Activities," sends you out into space where you'll tackle the mission's primary objective as you float around, carefully avoiding all of the hazardous bits of rock and metal that'll kill you on contact.

And finally, stage 4, "Reenter Atmosphere and Land," plays like Stage 2 in reverse as you return to Earth for a smooth landing at Andrews AFB.

If you successfully complete all six missions, George Bush will praise your efforts. If you fail, the media will happily publicize your ineptitude. You can see the fail screens at 1:17:58.

Space Shuttle Project feels more like an ancestor to the WarioWare series than it does a space-flight simulation, and its unique structure, gameplay, and subject matter all come together to create a game that doesn't really compare to anything else on the NES.

All of the game modes are handled well - the instructions are clear and the controls are intuitive - and though the missions become a bit repetitive by the end, the variety of tasks offered keep the moment-to-moment gameplay interesting.

The smooth animation and the fun use of digitized voice clips work together to create a strong presentation overall, and it's pretty hilarious that Mikhail Gorbechav looks like Clarence Boddicker's long-lost twin brother.

It's not a particularly long or challenging game, but Space Shuttle Project puts a fun, creative spin on 8-bit space exploration. It's certainly much better than you'd expect from a game with such a generic name.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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