Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

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VideoGameCritic
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Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby VideoGameCritic » July 8th, 2017, 11:28 am

I get excited whenever I see the word "Pitfall" attached to a game, which makes the game all the more disappointing when it sucks. The Mayan Adventure has so many design flaws you'd think it was made by a junior programmer. Bad collision detection.
Creatures that overlap with you so you can't hit them. Invisible walls. Objects blending into the background. And those goofy animations don't help.

Where was David Crane when we needed him?

CaptainCruch
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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby CaptainCruch » July 8th, 2017, 1:05 pm

I somewhere read that the 32X version of this game has more slowdowns than the Genesis and SNES editions, is that true?
Furthermore, in the first level of the game you can find (and play) the original Pitfall Atari 2600 game!

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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby VideoGameCritic » July 9th, 2017, 10:52 am

So as is often the case, I'm feeling the need to (re)review other versions of this game as a basis of comparison. I just picked up the Genesis version on Ebay for pretty cheap. My SNES review is pretty good but maybe a little harsh? I'm thinking D. My Jaguar review of this game needs a re-review as well.

I'm thinking this might merit the ET icon. What do you think?

Still, it's a decent seasonal summer game.

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Stalvern
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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby Stalvern » July 9th, 2017, 1:44 pm

It's pretty bad. The SNES version is the worst because of the cramped field of view, but the others have the same sloppy controls, incoherent level design, graphics that make it hard to tell where you can and can't go, and generic enemies. And Harry Jr. still falls over like a moron whenever he runs into a wall. It's a shame because most of the ingredients are there for a decent Earthworm Jim wannabe, but they all have stupid little problems that spoil it all. (One little change that would go a long way would be for Harry Jr. to just turn around instead of flailing all over the place like the Prince of Persia whenever he switches direction.) At least it looks nice and has that little Easter egg.

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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby goldenband » July 9th, 2017, 2:58 pm

I have a friend who's a big fan of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, and from what he tells me, the Sega CD version of Pitfall is the best by a good margin -- so I'd be sure to throw that in the mix. I think he ranks them something like this:

Sega CD > Genesis > Jaguar > 32X > SNES

However that ordering will vary depending on if you count the extra levels in the Sega CD and 32X (DOS too, BTW) versions as a positive or not. The Jaguar version also has saving, which is a plus.

Pleased to hear the 32X review set will soon be one step closer to completion! :)

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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby VideoGameCritic » July 16th, 2017, 8:09 pm

If there's any difference between the Genesis and 32X version of this game, it's lost on me.

mbd36
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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby mbd36 » July 17th, 2017, 12:13 am

I had the SNES port back in the day and didn't like it much.

It's a shame that they could never do anything great with the Pitfall license beyond the Atari 2600.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » July 17th, 2017, 1:11 am

A few differences:

The 32x version has a foreground that moves at 30 frames per second, which will drive you mad if you can tell. The colors are muted, and less vibrant overall. The main character in the 32x version is shaded like a soft pillow, or a bad t-shirt design, which is great if you couldn't afford a Jaguar and had no taste in pixel art.

But it's not all bad: The contrast between this newer, lighter sprite palette, and the dimmed backgrounds, means he now pops off the stage tiles, which are more detailed than ever. It doesn't look good, but it does look more practical.

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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby LuckyWDFN » August 18th, 2017, 7:05 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:So as is often the case, I'm feeling the need to (re)review other versions of this game as a basis of comparison. I just picked up the Genesis version on Ebay for pretty cheap. My SNES review is pretty good but maybe a little harsh? I'm thinking D. My Jaguar review of this game needs a re-review as well.

I'm thinking this might merit the ET icon. What do you think?

Still, it's a decent seasonal summer game.


I thought your SEGA review was a bit harsh. You're spot on about the respawning frequency of the snakes and bats but the intricacies of the levels makes me forgive a lot. If you can breakthrough the frustration of learning the game, you can fully appreciate how much went into this game. I completed the game but STILL haven't found ALL the missing letters (PITFALL) in the levels and alone will probably get me to try to complete it again with all the letters. It's not perfect, but it's a great game if you really put in an effort to beat it.

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Atariboy
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Re: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X)

Postby Atariboy » August 19th, 2017, 10:02 pm

This one might not be great, but it has one of the best endings of any videogame.

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