<s>
is	O
a	O
fixed	O
shooter	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
released	O
in	O
December	O
1980	O
by	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Phoenix	B-Application
mothership	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
video	B-Application
arcade	I-Application
game	I-Application
bosses	O
to	O
be	O
presented	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
challenge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
in	O
formation	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
birds	O
fly	O
down	O
kamikaze	B-Application
style	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
destroy	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
spaceship	O
by	O
crashing	O
into	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rounds	O
3	O
and	O
4	O
–	O
Flying	O
eggs	O
float	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
seconds	O
later	O
hatch	O
,	O
revealing	O
larger	O
alien	O
birds	O
,	O
resembling	O
phoenixes	B-Application
,	O
which	O
swoop	O
down	O
at	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
spaceship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
continues	O
with	O
increasing	O
speed	O
and	O
unpredictability	O
of	O
the	O
birdlike	O
creature	O
and	O
phoenix	B-Application
flights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
was	O
produced	O
by	O
"	O
a	O
smaller	O
Japanese	O
developer	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
Centuri	O
's	O
Joel	O
Hochberg	O
(	O
who	O
later	O
worked	O
for	O
Rare	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
company	O
based	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Hiraoka	O
,	O
licensed	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Amstar	O
Electronics	O
,	O
based	O
in	O
Phoenix	B-Application
,	O
Arizona	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Centuri	O
acquired	O
the	O
American	O
arcade	B-Application
license	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
both	O
Hiraoka	O
and	O
Amstar	O
Electronics	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
Centuri	O
released	O
it	O
for	O
the	O
Americas	O
in	O
January	O
1981	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Centuri	O
manufactured	O
the	O
upright	O
arcade	B-Application
cabinet	O
while	O
Amstar	O
Electronics	O
manufactured	O
the	O
cocktail	O
arcade	B-Application
cabinet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
later	O
released	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Phoenix	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
in	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
was	O
available	O
in	O
both	O
arcade	B-Application
and	O
cocktail	O
cabinets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Phoenix	B-Application
games	O
are	O
in	O
a	O
standard	O
Centuri	O
woodgrain	O
cabinet	O
,	O
but	O
several	O
other	O
cabinets	O
exist	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
this	O
game	O
being	O
sold	O
by	O
multiple	O
companies	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
unique	O
wiring	O
harness	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
n't	O
known	O
to	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
any	O
other	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
Europe	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
Americas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bill	O
Kunkel	O
and	O
Arnie	O
Katz	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Games	O
called	O
Phoenix	B-Application
"	O
perhaps	O
the	O
finest	O
invasion	O
title	O
ever	O
produced	O
for	O
the	O
2600	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
ranked	O
it	O
number	O
one	O
on	O
its	O
list	O
of	O
top	O
ten	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
games	O
in	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Flux	O
magazine	O
ranked	O
Phoenix	B-Application
69th	O
on	O
their	O
Top	O
100	O
Video	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
retrospective	O
review	O
by	O
Brett	O
Alan	O
Weiss	O
(	O
AllGame	O
)	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
awarded	O
a	O
five	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
rating	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
impressive	O
games	O
the	O
"	O
slide-and-shoot	O
"	O
genre	O
has	O
to	O
offer	O
,	O
bested	O
only	O
by	O
Galaga	B-Application
in	O
terms	O
of	O
sheer	O
enjoyment	O
and	O
replayability	O
"	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Finely	O
balanced	O
shooting	O
action	O
combined	O
with	O
colorfully	O
animated	O
graphics	O
make	O
Phoenix	B-Application
a	O
true	O
classic	O
among	O
shooters.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
Phoenix	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
Taito	O
Legends	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
Taito	O
Memories	O
II	O
Gekan	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Imagic	O
game	O
Demon	B-Application
Attack	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
closely	O
resembled	O
Phoenix	B-Application
which	O
Atari	O
owned	O
the	O
2600	O
rights	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
