Games2Win, an online game company, today announced the launch of Apollo 11: Mission to the Moon, which recreates the historic mission to the moon, without the mind-numbing terror of knowing you were sitting on top of a mess o' solid rocket fuel protected by nothing except parts contracted out to the lowest bidders. The game’s release is schedule to coincide with, and commemorate, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s success on July 20, 1969.
"Apollo 11: Mission to the Moon" is what the vendor calls a "free-to-play Flash game" and you can find at http://www.games2win.com/ap1. The game play mimics pretty small parts of the first manned mission to land on the moon (without the mind-numbing terror of knowing you were sitting on top of a mess o' ... well, you get the idea) and the four stages that made Apollo 11 a successful mission.
First, you have to launch the rocket. That involves clicking up and down arrows.
Second, you have to orbit the spacecraft around the Earth while traveling towards the Moon. I didn't get that far because I couldn't get past clicking the up and down arrows in part 1.
Third, you have to land the lunar module on the moon’s surface and then re-enter Earth, which seems a big enough deal it would get its own number, but whatever.
Last, splashdown safely in the ocean.
Or just see if it appeals to you by watching this video.
Should you be so inclined, "Apollo 11: Mission to the Moon" can even be played on Facebook - play against your friends! Who wants to be the commies? Can I be Werner von Braun? I have been saying "No, our Germans are better zan zer Germans" since 1984 so my accent is spotless.
'But wait, there's more!!' They say.
Embedded in the game, is a link to a paper model rocket design of Apollo 11 that can be downloaded, printed, cut and built into a real-life memento.
I don't understand it, myself. You press a few buttons and something seems to happen but it's as close as you're going to get to a moon landing without spending billions of dollars of your own money.
