2020/9/4: Atari XEGS: M.U.L.E., Mail Order Monsters

[VideoGameCritic]

Let me know what you think about my latest Atari XE reviews, representing the best and worst of the system!

[Retro STrife]

Always good to see another humorous F- review. And M.U.L.E. is written in a way that makes me want to finally play the game. I bought the NES version years ago based on your NES review. But I've never started it, because it sounds like a time commitment. Do the games drag on a long time? And is it still fun in single-player?

[VideoGameCritic]

I think you can play a game in under an hour. Obviously the more rounds you select, the more it gives the game time to develop. Two players is probably ideal but it's still fun with one player. The game takes a while to grow on you so stick to it.

I just noticed my NES MULE review from 2001. Still gave it a A- so my grades have remained pretty consistent!

[Retro STrife]

funny that you forget your own reviews these days, you have so many. But sounds like I'll have to finally give it a shot. Like most strategy games, just the screenshot alone screams "this game is going to take me 5 hours to learn before I can enjoy it". Glad to hear it's faster than that.

[C64_Critic]

Assuming these are on par with the C64 versions of the game, I completely agree with your M.U.L.E. rating and review. But, I seem to have different memories of Mail Order Monsters. I may have to put this one in the queue. I will say that one of things I remember thinking was cool about Monsters was that I could 'build' a monster to my specifications at my house, save it to disk, and then take that disk to a buddy's house and fight with a monster of HIS building. That was almost revolutionary back in the 80's!

[LuckyWDFN]

I grew up on the Atari 8-bit M.U.L.E. and still play it from time to time. I recently tried to play it on an NES multicart and didn't enjoy the NES experience nearly as much... but that could just be me being so used to the version I've loved since '84.

@Retrostrife - the game is a little intimidating to learn at first. VGC does a good job explaining the game in limited space but you may want to find the instructions online & give them a quick once over. Each game takes an hour and you'll probably "get it" after 1 play. Easy to learn, difficult to master. I have a feeling that VGC's childhood familiarity with this game gave him an advantage and that he was way more likely to appreciate it as he does because of that. PRO TIP - Get a river plot for your first land grant & turn it into a "food" plot.