 |
|
MegamaniaPosted on Thu, November 30 2006, by Brendan Onfrichuk |  |
 | If you're looking for a shooter with a wacky premise, look no further than Megamania. Of course there are stranger games, but how many of them let you shoot a flying hamburger? Megamania seems to get so much praise from fans so you can understand how excited I was when I purchased it. Activision is known for two different types of 2600 games: amazing originals or something done by Atari but done better by Activision like Enduro is to Pole Position or what Starmaster is to Star Raiders. Most people would argue that Megamania would fall into the second category because it plays like Space In... [Read More] 5 Comments |
Dig Dug DeeperPosted on Sun, November 26 2006, by Darryl Brundage |  |
 | Among the Atari/Hasbro/Infogrames classic updates, this one was probably overlooked. Especially in light of the more well known update of Pong (which appeared on many of the current consoles as well as the PC.) Find out how Dig Dug looks in 3D. Yeeeeech. Other than making a buck (hopefully) for video game companies, remakes usually either, in general, are welcomed (or not) with mixed feelings, or they might be halfway decent...just as long as you never played the original game that they were remaking (which was usually better left alone anyway, especially if you take a classic game and remade it into 3D; again, yeech). So, to help you, the consumer, get into the spirit of a remake, lets go over a... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Allia QuestPosted on Sun, November 19 2006, by Ethan C. Nobles | |
 | If you're looking for weird, you've come to the right place. Now why did I think this was an RPG? I've said it before and I'll say it again - we Atari fans have a lot to be thankful for these days. Sure, my favorite system of all time - the 2600 - past its prime a long time ago. However, there are still enough quality homebrewed games coming out to keep that old system alive and kicking. Allia Quest, released in 2001 by Ebivision and distributed by the good folks at AtariAge.com, isn't the finest homebrewed title out there. Regardless, it's still good enou... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Checkered FlagPosted on Tue, November 14 2006, by Brendan Onfrichuk |  |
 | Lesson number one in how to screw up a video game... Make the controls practically impossible so that no one has any fun with it! You can have nice graphics, but what good are they if you can't steer your car?! Before I got my Jaguar not to long ago I got the games first. I came across a collection of games at Value Village and they were so cheap I had to get them even though I didn't have a console. I even liked the selection of games I had. Because I was an Atarian I knew what all the games were and what kind of gameplay each had. I was glad to have games in each genre: fighting, shooting, simulation and even racing. I couldn't wait to play Checkered Flag because I... [Read More] 12 Comments |
Lord of the RingsPosted on Fri, November 10 2006, by Dan Loosen | |
 | Will the Tolkien family crack down on this homebrew text adventure? Let's find out!! Lord of the Rings is a homebrew text adventure, and an overall interesting game. How can one of JRR Tolkien's huge books be jammed into a 4K 2600 cart, you may ask? Well, the answer is that the game is an extremely condensed version of the story... and it works rather well. The control isn't perfect, but we're talking about a text adventure on the 2600 using a joystick. The control is satisfactory, and once you've progressed through a couple scene... [Read More] 1 Comment |
BoulderdashPosted on Mon, November 06 2006, by Lawrence Armstrong |  |
 | Here's another popular game you might have heard of... The name is a take off of the word "balderdash" which means, "1. senseless, stupid, or exaggerated talk or writing; nonsense." Hmmm... Boulderdash is a classic game loved by many--especially on the Atari 800. Most people consider this to be the best version of all. High replay value and lots of adventure make this game a favorite to this day. Featuring crisp, colorful graphics and nice atmospheric sound, Boulderdash is a joy to play. It will remind most players of Gauntlet or Dig Dug. Especially when they get crushed by a falling rock! Colorful, high res... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
BattlezonePosted on Thu, November 02 2006, by Brendan Onfrichuk | |
 | Another Atari coin-op classic comes home. But will gaming fans accept it's non-vector raster graphics instead? Well, the year 1999 has come and past and this war that takes place in Battlezone sure hasn't happened. But that doesn't hurt Battlezone, if anything, it makes the whole experience more fun to play through. And while the guy who wrote Battlezone's story should have chosen a year that he wouldn't see in his lifetime, this game still holds up against the test of time. But can the 2600 successfully reproduce the same fast and furious arcade gameplay... [Read More] 2 Comments |
Video PinballPosted on Mon, October 30 2006, by Darryl Brundage |  |
 | What exactly is the allure of pinball? A tiny silver ball bounces randomly around the play field and this is supposed to be fun? What about a FAKE pinball game played on a video screen? Wow, they're really reaching now... Man, this game really blew me away in the arcades in the late 70s. It's amazing how well the ball physics and all worked, the graphics were killer, and it was totally fun! After all, a lot of the early so-called "pinball" games for Pong-type tv consoles (either before Atari, the Channel F or the Odyssey systems came out, or it was during their very early days) either didn't have flippers (you got a paddle instead [think Breakout], like on the hand-held Microv... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Missile CommandPosted on Thu, October 26 2006, by Ryan Genno |  |
 | You remember John Connor in Terminator 2 playing this game. Yeah, that was some pretty obvious foreshadowing for that movie. Anyway, I'm sure you also know this game has been ported (along with Asteroids) to almost EVERY Atari game system? Ryan Genno takes on the nuclear missiles! Missile Command is definitely one of the biggest and best selling games from the Atari 2600 and why wouldn't it be, eh? In the game you must score points by shooting down tons of deadly missiles. Atari needed a big title for their 5200 game system so here is the upgraded Missile Command. Is it any good though? The worst possible scenario has happened to the peaceful planet and Earth colony of Zardon. The evil planet of Krytolia have always des... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
Cosmic CreepsPosted on Mon, October 23 2006, by Ethan C. Nobles | |
 | Ethan's back to give us the lowdown on this kiddie(?) game for the 2600. Really, I figured Big Bird, Oscar, and Miss Piggy were enough... Here is yet another game for the Atari 2600 which is fun from time to time, but certainly isn't going to top anyone's "best of" lists. You know what I'm talking about - it's not a bad game at all, but it's certainly not classic. Cosmic Creeps is a unique title I'm glad I have in my collection, but I've never used this one to show off my Atari. In Cosmic Creeps, the player starts out controlling an "Orbinaut" and is charged with the duty of ... [Read More] 1 Comment |