Harpoon

[RetroViator]

I recently followed a long rabbit trail to document the history of Harpoon.

Harpoon was a fairly complex naval strategy game. It was released at the right time for me. I had just finished reading the early Tom Clancy novels, and I was a high school student with time to spend on long military excursions. Harpoon was like no other game at the time.

I was playing it on the PC, but Harpoon had successful Macintosh and Amiga releases. The franchise endured for more than 20 years through a convoluted set of circumstances. The game is retired, but it has a modern-day successor built by Harpoon fans.

If you’re interested in learning more, my blog post is at RetroViator.com.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Never played it but will give it a shot. Love the big game boxes, so will keep an eye out for this one so I can add it to my small collection on the shelf. The first game I ever played on a computer was Legacy of the ancients for C64. Best Box art EVER! Then after that, I spent forever playing stupid Zork and getting eaten by Trolls and Grues out on the farm lol (love this game to this day). The 3D game that just absolutely blew my mind (perfect timing for me as well as I was and am a huge Macross/Robotech/Transformer fan) was ShogoMAD. Picked that game up as a package with a Wingman Gaming ball mouse and ho-lee-crud Anime styled characters, giant transforming mecha, blazing fast gameplay. I was forever hooked. Monolith crushed it with that title. I was always bummed that they pursued NOLF instead f a Shogo2 when they released their lithtech2 game engine. Oh well, fond memories of crazy game play, massive MP tournys, DM, CTF, custom maps, you name it - so much fun.

 

[Bolkonskij]

Never played Harpoon either but I know it had some followers among the Macintosh crowd. It just look intimidating from watching the screenshots, much like the original war games. (you really need to be a high school student with lots of time and patience to get in)

Still, part of me is sad I never tried.

What's the fascination with Harpoon, RetroViator?

 

[RetroViator]

Part of the interest comes from being a Cold War kid. I doubt such a game would be as popular today. It had a “what if” quality to it. I described it as chess with ships, subs, and jets, but there is nothing fanciful about it. It is accurate to the real thing.

At the time I was really into it, I was living in San Diego, so I was surrounded by Navy and Marine platforms. I could look out at the water and see warships and watch jets zoom overhead.

What really got me into the games’s history was it longevity. It survived thanks to a die-hard fan base tied together through an early online community. They kept the game updated for years. However, eventually some within that same community became frustrated and built a new system that killed Harpoon. I think it’s an interesting tale of survival and transition.

It is available on Macintosh Garden. I downloaded that version yesterday, and I will test it soon.

 

[Byte Knight]

Nice Harpoon collection! Never got into the game but I always loved the box art. As a big fan of The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising, I really need to check this game out. Thanks for the write-up!

 

[Bolkonskij]

I think I can understand the fascination with Harpoon. Part of me really longs for "diving" into such a game that captures your mind like a great book does. But I guess just the software itself doesn't cut it, one needs the box with manuals, charts and such to really appreciate the simulation. It's the same with the old Infocom adventures for me. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts @RetroViator.

 

[RetroViator]

Nice Harpoon collection! Never got into the game but I always loved the box art. As a big fan of The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising, I really need to check this game out. Thanks for the write-up!

Howdy, @Byte Knight. If you liked early Clancy books, you'll understand Harpoon!