UFO!

Also known as: Guerre aux OVNIS! (Canada), Les Satellites Attaquent (Europe), Nazo no UFO (Japan), OVNI! (Brazil), Satellit + (Europe), Satellite Attack (Europe)

Developer: Magnavox

In UFO!, you take control of a "robot-controlled battle cruiser," according to the manual. Your goal is to shoot down the three different types of UFOs that appear on screen…in an odd design choice, though, your battle cruiser looks more like a stereotypical UFO than the ships you're firing at do. The ships you're attempting to shoot down look more like pieces of popcorn…except for the light-speed starship, which looks more like a crushed magician's hat…it looks like an arm is going to appear on screen to pull a rabbit out of that hat. Those ships are deadly, by the way, and very difficult to avoid fire from. If any enemy UFOs happen to make contact with your ship, your turn is over. And by turn, I mean Game Over. You can start a new game quickly, but your score is reset to zero when you do. Helping prevent that from happening, though, is that your ship has a force field around it, protecting it from any damage. The force field drains when you either shoot or make contact with an enemy UFO, and you're stuck moving at half-speed until the force field is fully charged again. So, while it protects you when needed, it can also put you at a disadvantage if used too often. Likewise, since shooting blindly drains your force field, you're left strategically shooting rather than frantically shooting if you want to survive. The end result is a game that looks like nothing special, but may surprise you with its complexity. It's also one of those games where you'll die…a lot. But UFO! has that special quality where you'll keep coming back for more, and gradually survive longer and longer each time you play. If you've got an Odyssey 2, and looking for a solid 3rd person shooter, then UFO! Is one of your best options.

Review added: 07/07/2026