In 1982, arcade aficionados were given a glimpse into the perils of the 25th century, taking on the role of the time-tested hero Buck Rogers and keeping the universe safe from a never-ending supply of enemies.

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom let players assume the controls of a futuristic space ship. By viewing the game through a periscope that offered a 3D perspective, they manipulated the controls to avoid various space obstacles and fight off enemy ships. Controls allowed players to control the speed of the vessel, navigate around all kinds of debris, and, of course, fire weapons with reckless abandon. As the game continued, obstacles and enemies increased until they completely overwhelmed the frazzled player.

Although the game held promise, it was a victim of bad timing. Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom arrived a full year after the television series had been cancelled, leaving it without crossover appeal. Combine that with the fact that Star Wars and Star Trek based games were starting to arrive in arcades to much fanfare, and the result was that poor Buck stood little chance at competing. Sadly, it went away almost completely unnoticed by the gaming world.