Atari 2600 Reviews M

I consider all Adventure (Atari 2600, 1980) hacks to be loving homages to a timeless classic. Missadventure is a twisted take on the game that will throw even longtime fans for a loop. It offers a disconcerting dungeon layout with improved audio and visual effects. Its three variations are a lot harder. The idea is to guide a heroic square through blocky mazes while collecting items, unlocking castles, and battling tenacious dragons. But instead of pursuing a gold chalice, your goal is to transport a princess to an emerald palace. Missadventure does a fabulous job of addressing the "duck" dragons of the original game. The five (!) dragons actually resemble "real" dragons, including a pink baby dragon! Items have also been tweaked so the sword looks vaguely like a sword and the bat looks more realistic with a flapping sound effect to boot. The world is far more expansive with caverns, forests, and an enticing underground cave entrance. Still, I found it really hard to grasp the screen layouts. Certain passages don't line up correctly and when you re-enter certain rooms you'll find yourself in an unexpected location. The "tree" screens are especially annoying because it's hard to find your way out of them! You can't kill a dragon if another item is present in the room, which is kind of bogus. That said, there are still many magical moments to be had. Once I was heading straight up to the black castle with the black key when the bat swooped in and swapped it out for a white one! I was pissed, but a minute later I grabbed the bat, still holding the key, and used it to unlock the black castle. You never know each game will have in store. Missadventure is too harsh for novices, but veteran players will have their skills put to the test. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

When Atari-mania swept my neighborhood in the early 80's Missile Command quickly became "the game". Andy and myself played it over Billy's house all the time, but Billy was kind of a jerk about relinquishing the controller. So when I heard my local 7-11 was starting to carry Atari games I called them up to inquire about Missile Command. Sure enough they had it for $22, which was quite a bargain! I was giddy with joy as I made that mile-long trek up the main road that sunny summer morning. Missile Command's premise is flat-out brilliant. You intercept incoming missiles by creating explosions in the sky to protect six helpless cities below. A few compromises had to be made to port this arcade hit to the 2600. First, there's only a single missile base instead of three. This limits the strategy but arguably makes the game more playable. There are no planes or UFOs to shoot down, but you'll still need to contend with plenty of those those tiny, elusive satellites. I guess the biggest limitation is how you can only unleash three anti-ballistic missiles at a time with the fourth eliciting a high-pitched squeal. This adds challenge. A good joystick works well but ironically the game doesn't function well with Atari's own trackball. Just recently a helpful reader informed me that Missile Command works exceptionally well on a Colecovision with the Roller Controller (using the expansion module to play the Atari cartridge). That guy was right! The cursor control is quick and responsive, allowing me to achieve a new high score on the toughest variation. Missile Command's sound effects are arcade-perfect, including the warning alarms and satisfying random tones when you earn a free city. I love how the color scheme changes as the waves progress, although that "pea soup" green stage leaves something to be desired. The explosions have a reflective quality that makes them look like mirrors! And that thunderous explosion at the end is pretty momentous. Missile Command on the 2600 may be a scaled-down version of the arcade hit but all the fun remains intact. Related Link: The Day I Uncovered THE SECRET of Missile Command. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.