Rip-Off

Rip-Off is a top-down vector shoot ’em up arcade game released by Cinematronics in 1980 and brought to the Atari 7800 by Robert DeCrescenzo. It is the first shoot ’em up arcade game to feature cooperative gameplay and to exhibit flocking behavior.

When you start a new game, your pirate-destroying ship will appear on the right side of the screen. In a two player game, a second pirate-destroying ship will appear on the left side of the screen. Your canisters will be in the center. You must guard your canisters from the pirates who will try to steal them. The pirates can appear from anywhere on the screen. Steer your ship with the joystick for left and right rotation. Move your ship forward by pressing the left button or up on a single button joystick.

Press the right button to fire lasers at the pirates. The pirates can be destroyed by colliding with them, but you will then have to wait for your new pirate-destroying ship to appear before you can fire more lasers. The game is over when all the fuel canisters are stolen.