River Raid (Atari 2600)

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Herschie
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Herschie » November 24th, 2017, 9:41 am

Also, I find it challenging getting the timing down. You never know when those stupid boats are going to move! Sometimes it seems as if they don't move at all, then all the sudden they do move and avoid your shot, but then bounce back and hit you. This seems to happen right before the bridges. Throws your timing off.

I get the same feeling when I strike out on a changeup in MLB The Show when I was expecting a fastball on that 3-2 count.

Teddybear
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Teddybear » November 24th, 2017, 10:09 am

Please try River Raid's first cousin.....Activision's H.E.R.O. Instead of going up a river, you'll be going down into caverns. This game should be on everyone's top-10 list of 2600 games.......

I am chiming in because I currently have my Colecovision hooked up and played a few games of H.E.R.O. until I just got frustrated with having to use the crummy stock controller (you need two buttons - the right button detonates the bomb). This game requires a good amount of precision that I find myself struggling with those uncomfortable controllers. I was about to give up until I happened to actually read the manual - it turns out that you can use a standard Atari joystick in port 2! Viola - instantly beautiful control (EXACTLY like the 2600 version) using my Gemstick! Tears of joy streamed down my face!

The lesson here - sometimes it pays to read the manual!

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scotland
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby scotland » November 24th, 2017, 11:45 am

Teddybear wrote:Please try River Raid's first cousin.....Activision's H.E.R.O. Instead of going up a river, you'll be going down into caverns. This game should be on everyone's top-10 list of 2600 games.......

I am chiming in because I currently have my Colecovision hooked up and played a few games of H.E.R.O. until I just got frustrated with having to use the crummy stock controller (you need two buttons - the right button detonates the bomb). This game requires a good amount of precision that I find myself struggling with those uncomfortable controllers. I was about to give up until I happened to actually read the manual - it turns out that you can use a standard Atari joystick in port 2! Viola - instantly beautiful control (EXACTLY like the 2600 version) using my Gemstick! Tears of joy streamed down my face!

The lesson here - sometimes it pays to read the manual!


Cheers on mentioning H.E.R.O.

I did not encounter this game until its Commodore C64 port. There you quick press for firing, but press and hold to set the bomb, so a single button is more than sufficient. Certainly an early arcade action favorite of mine from back in the day.

Voor
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Voor » November 24th, 2017, 6:58 pm

YouTube “James and Mike Monday Atari 2600”. It’s a 4 part series where they try out a ton of Atari games. Really funny too because of the imagination required with the 2600.

LuckyWDFN
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby LuckyWDFN » November 24th, 2017, 7:05 pm

Herschie wrote:This also begs the question; what other Atari 2600 games are out there that I would be hooked on?


Berzerk is pretty addicting on the 2600 if you play a tougher variation like #9. The difficulty on that setting ramps up quickly and it's fun to keep trying for high scores. Maze Craze is great 2 player fun

Herschie
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Herschie » May 31st, 2018, 9:44 pm

So I actually did quite well, 13,810! Here's a pic, it happened!:

Image

Only thing is, I'm not so sure that it counts, since I used the Genesis controller. I feel that could be considered cheating, since back then nobody would have had access to it, but the games are so much easier to control!

Activision always has made the most addicting games, whether it's Call of Duty WW2 on the PS4 from 2017, or this from 1982 on the Atari 2600.

Sut
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Sut » June 1st, 2018, 3:18 am

On Activision Anthology you need 12,000 points on River Raid to obtain a patch so congratulations !

Cafeman
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Cafeman » June 3rd, 2018, 10:04 pm

River Raid is one of my favorite games for the 2600! I can remember sitting in 9th grade Biology class, this kid Jim also had an Atari and he was telling me he couldn't wait to get home to play more River Raid.. I asked my parents and they bought it for me within a few days too. Loved it.

However, I think I loved it even more on the A8 with the extra tanks and balloon and jaggy riverbanks, and it lists which Bridge (level) you are on too. I rediscovered the 2600 game via PS2 Activision Anthology . Played it so much. I usually get about 90-100K on score before I am finally defeated. What great coding by Carol Shaw.

H.E.R.O., Stampede, Enduro, and River Raid ... great 2600 games by Activision.

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Matchstick
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Matchstick » June 4th, 2018, 8:45 am

LuckyWDFN wrote:
Herschie wrote:This also begs the question; what other Atari 2600 games are out there that I would be hooked on?


Berzerk is pretty addicting on the 2600 if you play a tougher variation like #9. The difficulty on that setting ramps up quickly and it's fun to keep trying for high scores.


I second this wholeheartedly. Berzerk is a game that I missed the first time around, back when I was a kid. I picked it up for next-to-nothing years later at a yard sale, and, oh my, what a game! Easily in my top five Atari games.

As mentioned in a previous post, Activision's Enduro is another Atari gem. If you're willing to shell out a few bucks more, keep an eye out for Pitfall II. It's arguably the best game on the entire system, and a true leap over the original game. Many people regard the original Pitfall! as a classic (which it is!) but in my opinion, the second game just blows it away.

I also have a soft spot for The Empire Strikes Back. It was my favorite Atari game when I was young, and is still my favorite to this day, mostly due to the happy childhood memories. It's great fun to play for a high score.

And if you're looking for classic arcade games not made by Atari, themselves, Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, and Joust all have pretty good versions on the 2600. True classics like Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command are great 2600 games, as well, but you probably already knew that ;-)

Herschie
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Re: River Raid (Atari 2600)

Postby Herschie » June 5th, 2018, 12:51 am

Thanks, I'm starting to get back into my Atari 2600. Although, I really should quit playing Activision games before I have to go to bed, because ten minutes tends to turn into an hour, and next thing you know, I'm dead tired at work the next day. Very bad in sales. Whether it's this, or Call of Duty, they make these games that you intend to play for fifteen minutes, but then end up spending hours playing. Then I have to come on here and share my story with the world. I wanted to be in bed an hour ago!

Anyway, I'm getting better at this. I realized the key is to slow it down just a bit. Before I was going to fast, but when you go slow, you don't get hit as much by those boats and choppers that move on you at the last second. Plus, now you can line yourself up and get the shot, and thus the points.

Still got a ways to go before I set any records though.

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