Manufacturer: Centuri (Konami)
Released: 1982
Designer: Yoshiki Okamoto
Added to my collection: July, 2000
Cost to date : $187.85
Current Condition : Working 95% (monitor occasionally fails to display red)

Description:

Time Pilot is a fairly simple game. You control a jet fighter from a side/overhead perspective. Your object is to fight your way through time, destroying enemy planes and rescuing fellow pilots who occasionally parachute by. There are five levels, each of which takes place in a different era and has its own set of enemies. In order of appearance, you fight biplanes in 1910, World War II fighters in 1940, helicopters in 1970, jets in 1983 (or 1982, depending on the game version), and UFOs in 2001. After you clear the fifth level, the five levels repeat endlessly from the beginning.

The controls for the game are extremely simple--an eight-way joystick to control direction and a fire button. Your plane remains in the center of the screen at all times while the background scrolls appropriately (based on which way you're pointing) to simulate motion. The joystick simply spins your plan in place.

Two versions of the game were produced, both in upright cabinets. The more common is the version licensed from Konami by Centuri (pictured here). The other version was released directly by Konami, and featured different cabinet art. The games themselves were absolutely identical, except that the Konami version's fourth level is set in 1982 instead of 1983.

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My Machine:

I bought my Time Pilot machine at the same auction where I picked up my Spy Hunter machine. I got it for a song--only $90!

Cosmetically, the game is in great shape. The one small exception was the marquee which, when backlit, showed a lot of peeling and scratches not evident when the light was off. (I found a better marquee on ebay--albeit a reproduction--so that problem is now solved.) All of the side art is intact with minimal fading, and the control panel shows only normal wear and tear.

While the game itself plays just fine, there are two problems with the machine. First, the joystick was a little sticky. This problem was easily remedied by replacing the joystick--which took all of five minutes. The other pesky problem is with the monitor. Aside from the fact that it hums incessantly, it occasionally loses all red from the screen. This seems to be a random problem, and it corrects itself occasionally. Sometimes the picture is fine for days or weeks at a time. Then, the next time I turn on the machine--no red. This is probably a capacitor problem, and I'm not up to the task of re-capping the monitor. Not only don't I have the expertise to do so, but the whole process of working with the potential high-voltage danger of a monitor frankly scares the hell out of me. (Voltage update--I have now successfully discharged two monitors. Though I still have a powerful respect for the high-voltage danger, I'm no longer quite as terrified of it.)

Even with the problems, the game plays very well. It's one of the most addictive games I played back in the day, and it still holds the same fascination for me now. Not to mention I kick butt at this game (which is always a nice plus!).

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Technical Info:

DIP switch settings:

Time Pilot has two banks of DIP switches. The asterisks (*) indicate the factory default settings.

More Time Pilot Info:

• The Killer List of Video Games has information on Time Pilot and pretty much every other game ever made.
  

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