It’s been 50 years since the moon landing, and before the year ends, I have to talk about one video game that’s about moon travel. That game happens to be Moonbase Alpha, and it became a meme sensation for a while when it first came out.
Released on July 6, 2010, Moonbase Alpha a realistic simulation game developed by Army Game Studios and published by NASA Learning Technologies. The game takes place in a distant future, and your goal is to repair your outpost, after taking massive damage from a meteor strike, in order to save 12 years of research of your team’s life on the moon. These are done by repairing vital components of the life support system, solar array, and oxygen units using a wide a wide variety of tools available. Team cooperation is highly encouraged, hence why it supports online multiplayer.
The game received mixed reviews from critics, praising its concept while criticizing its lack of diverse missions. It’s also spawned a meme in the gaming community regarding its Fonix DECTalk text-to-speech chatbox, allowing players to goof off by typing absurd dialogue to each other for the lulz. Because of this, the game isn’t being played as originally intended.
If you’re curious to try this game out by yourself and want to bring your friends along, then go ahead. Moonbase Alpha is free to download on Steam. You’re bound to laugh out loud and have some chaotic fun with the text-to-speech chatbox and some of the dialogue you or your friends will type out. Without further ado, “UUUUUUUUUU…”
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