S.D.I. (video game)

S.D.I.
Developer(s)	Master Designer Software / Sega
Publisher(s)	Cinemaware / Sega
Engine	Custom
Released	1986/1987
Genre	Action adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Ratings	ESRB: Not Applicable (NA)
Platform(s)	Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
Input methods	Keyboard, mouse or joystick (dependent on system)

S.D.I. (Strategic Defense Initiative) is the name of two unrelated video games. The first is a 1986 action adventure computer game developed and published by Cinemaware. The other is a 1987 arcade game by Sega. Though these games are largely unrelated—for the most part their only similarity is in name—they are both set during the Cold War.

Cinemaware S.D.I.

This game was released near the end of the Cold War and uses the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative (S.D.I.) as its premise. True to its name, Cinemaware also looked to Hollywood for some inspiration of the storyline of the game. The storyline is reminiscent of several secret agent movies (such as the 007 films From Russia with Love and Moonraker). The game assumes that both the USSR and the United States have their own version of S.D.I. protecting their respective nations. The game has the player stationed in a space station which monitors a network of defense satellites which orbit over the United States. Some Russian extremists have gained control of several nuclear missiles and periodically lob volleys at the U.S. The player engages the enemy projectiles and enemy ships using a space-based fighter. The player must destroy the incoming missiles lest they wreak destruction upon the U.S. The player must also make repairs to the defense satellites that become damaged during the battles. Later in the game, the player (always assumed to be male) can attempt to rescue his Russian lover, trapped in the USSR space station halfway across the globe.

Ports

As with most Cinemaware titles, S.D.I. was developed first on the Amiga, the most capable home computer of the era. It was then ported to other popular systems. It was eventually released for the Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum. Some versions were published by the Mindscape Group instead of Cinemaware.

Sega S.D.I.

The arcade game is similar in many ways to the much earlier Missile Command, the principal difference being that the player controls a single satellite that they can move to avoid incoming missiles. The game is notorious for having an attract mode animation that depicts a nuclear weapon detonating between the World Trade Center towers in New York City. It was ported to the Sega Master System, released in some countries as Global Defense.

Reception

A review in Computer Gaming World praised the Atari ST game, particularly for its touching ending sequences. The review also noted the game "relies more on arcade elements than the other Cinemaware games".^[1]

References

External links

• S.D.I. at MobyGames
• S.D.I. at the Killer List of Videogames
• S.D.I. at World of Spectrum
• S.D.I. on the Amiga at the Hall of Light (HOL)