Archive for the ‘Activision’ Category
Atari 2600: Seaquest
June 28th, 2009 by Sean R.
Yet another expertly-programmed Activision game, Seaquest is a sight to behold. The bright blue water, red sunset, and crisp graphics are incredibly inviting.
The game offers some engaging, yet repetitive, rapid-fire submarine action. Manning a yellow sub, you must rescue lost divers being chased by sharks.
The blue divers look funny as they kick frantically with jaw-snapping sharks on their heels. You’ll also have to contend with gray submarines that fire torpedoes.
Your sub can carry up five divers at a time, and considering they are nearly as large as your sub, you wonder how they can all fit in the thing! It’s like the clown car of the ocean!
Your oxygen is limited, but that’s rarely a factor. What is a factor is the small, unassuming ship patrolling above. He looks friendly enough, but that son of a [expletive] will try to ram your ass when you surface! Bastard!!
I love Seaquest’s bright visuals and crisp controls, but its gameplay gets old in a hurry, and not necessarily due to the difficulty level. Basically it’s the extra ships you get at every 10K that water down the challenge and drag things out.
Still, Seaquest by Activision is an appealing title that gets by mainly on the strength of its good looks.
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Console Games
Atari 2600: Pressure Cooker
May 31st, 2009 by Sean R.
If this Atari 2600 game is any indication, working in a fast food restaurant is an absolute blast!
Pressure Cooker lets you play the role of a short-order cook, a concept we didn’t see again until Cooking Momma took the Nintendo Wii by storm in 2007.
Pressure Cooker lets you assemble burgers by piling tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and onions onto beef paddies moving down a conveyor belt.
The bottom of the screen shows a “checklist” of ingredients required to create the next three orders. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Console Games
Atari 2600: Frostbite
February 20th, 2009 by Sean R.
At first glance you’d be tempted to write off Frostbite as “Frogger in the snow”, but closer inspection reveals some interesting twists on the old formula.
There’s a river on the bottom half of the screen with four rows of “ice floes” moving across it. Controlling an Eskimo, you must leap across the floes while avoiding birds and crabs.
Pressing the fire button reverses the direction of the ice floe you’re standing on. Each time you jump on white ice, it turns blue and an igloo block is created on the top of the screen.
Once the igloo is fully constructed, you can enter it to proceed to the next stage. Later stages introduce a polar bear that patrols near the igloo.
Frostbite requires strategy and quick thinking. Like most Activision titles, the graphics, sound, and control are first-rate.
Two skill levels and a two-player mode are included. Give Frostbite a try and you’ll be hooked for sure.
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Games
Atari 2600: Fishing Derby
February 7th, 2009 by Sean R.
This ingenious game was created by David Crane, the man who later programmed the legendary Pitfall (Activision, 1982).
Nowadays we take our fishing games for granted, but back in 1980 Fishing Derby was quite the novel concept.
Two fishermen sit on docks on opposite sides of the screen, and by adjusting your line with the joystick, you attempt to hook one of the many fishes swimming below.
Deeper fish are worth more points but require more effort to reel in. The fire button lets you reel in your fish quickly, and timing is key to avoiding the shark prowling along the surface, ready to snatch up anything in his vicinity.
Fishing Derby’s graphics are very good. The fish look like fish, the shark looks like a shark, and the rednecks look like rednecks.
Overall Fishing Derby doesn’t offer much replay value for the solo player, but it does provide some terrific and sometimes hilarious head-to-head action.
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Games
Atari 2600 – Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
October 27th, 2008 by Sean R.
The original Pitfall established a new standard for adventure games, but Pitfall II pushed the envelope even further.
Heck, Pitfall 2 cartridges even include their own chip set! The result is expansive levels with varying scenery, high-resolution graphics, and first-rate audio.
An incredibly catchy soundtrack plays throughout the game – probably the best music ever composed for the 2600.
Pitfall II takes place mainly in deep, multi-tiered underground caverns, and there’s a pool of water at the bottom which Pitfall Harry can actually swim though. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Games, Reviews
Atari 2600: Boxing
October 17th, 2008 by Sean R.
People tend to love or hate Boxing by Activision, but I think it captures the spirit of the sport perfectly.
Its relentless, non-stop action and constant button-pounding can really make you work up a sweat.
Boxing’s minimal graphics feature an overhead view of a boxing ring with two goofy-looking boxers, one black and one white. Each bout is two minutes long, and you can face off against a friend or the CPU.
It’s very satisfying to watch your opponent’s head fly back after a hard hit to the face.
Despite the simple controls, there is subtle strategy involved. You can keep your distance with jabs, or go in for the kill with a ferocious combination.
Close bouts are really fun, and the intensity builds as those last few seconds tick down. Will the boxer who’s ahead remain aggressive, or try to run out the clock?
One thing’s for sure – this game can make your thumb really sore.
Overall boxing is a fun game and worth having in your Atari 2600 collection. I picked up my copy for less then $3.00 USD at my local used game store.
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Games, Reviews
Atari 2600: Kaboom
October 5th, 2008 by Sean R.
Arguably the most fun Atari 2600 game ever, Kaboom by Activision is also one of the simplest to play.
Using a paddle controller, you move a set of “buckets” from side to side, catching bombs being dropped by an escaped convict at the top of the screen.
The three buckets are filled with water, so by catching the bombs, the fuses are extinguished.
If you miss a bomb, any onscreen bombs will explode and you lose a bucket. The Mad Bomber will also smile at you.
Each wave gradually becomes faster until you’re dealing with an astonishingly fast 13 bombs per second. At that point the game’s practically mesmerizing. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., Games, Reviews
David Crane: Classic Game Programmer
September 25th, 2008 by Sean R.
David Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600.
After meeting up with co-worker Alan Miller in a tennis game, Miller discussed with him a plan he had to leave and found a company that would give game designers more recognition.
From this meeting, he left Atari in 1979 and co-founded Activision, along with Miller, Jim Levy, Bob Whitehead and Larry Kaplan.
His games have won many awards while he was at Activision.
David Crane is best known as the designer of Pitfall!, a game that stayed at the top of the charts for 64 weeks.
Other Activision hits written by David Crane include Dragster, Fishing Derby, Laser Blast, Freeway, Grand Prix and Skateboardin’. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in 2600, Activision, Atari Inc., NES 8-bit, Photos
