2021/4/26: Atari 2600: Asteroids, Defender

[Retro STrife]

Loved these two re-reviews. The personal stories about these classics, especially in the Asteroids review, are always a highlight in your reviews.

Both these games are technically "before my time", but I did have an Atari 2600 as a kid and try to appreciate these early games anytime I'm at an arcade. I'll admit that neither are among my favorites. Asteroids is good enough for a couple quarters, before I quickly move on. But I have always assumed that the arcade versions will always trump the 2600 versions.. to hear that Asteroids might have some benefits on the 2600 makes me want to play it next time I take out the system. Yet another reason to appreciate the VGC reviews.

As for Defender, I'll be honest.. I despise the game. In all forms, including arcade. Yes, I completely suck at it, and that's probably my main gripe. But I've tried it so many times over the years, and every time I just take my beating and then wonder why I wasted my time.

[MSR1701]

If I recall, both Asteroids and Defender on the 2600 used Bank Switching, correct?

Given the options, I have a nostalgic soft spot for Defender on the Game Boy (I had this as a kid), though the Atari 2600 is another version I revisit every so often. Asteroids I really play only on the 2600, at least until I got the Evercade and was introduced to the 7800 version and reintroduced to the Lynx Super Asteroids...

[MSR1701]

Loved these two re-reviews. The personal stories about these classics, especially in the Asteroids review, are always a highlight in your reviews.

Both these games are technically "before my time", but I did have an Atari 2600 as a kid and try to appreciate these early games anytime I'm at an arcade. I'll admit that neither are among my favorites. Asteroids is good enough for a couple quarters, before I quickly move on. But I have always assumed that the arcade versions will always trump the 2600 versions.. to hear that Asteroids might have some benefits on the 2600 makes me want to play it next time I take out the system. Yet another reason to appreciate the VGC reviews.

As for Defender, I'll be honest.. I despise the game. In all forms, including arcade. Yes, I completely suck at it, and that's probably my main gripe. But I've tried it so many times over the years, and every time I just take my beating and then wonder why I wasted my time.

I royally suck at Defender as well... I had the Game Boy version (that was paired with Joust) and have a nostalgic bias towards it, but playing any version that DOESN'T have motion blur is a plus (playing Defender on a Brick Game Boy once the planet blew up was a pain; couldn't see the mutants...).
Also as a kid my local school library had two game guides for Atari (for some reason), both of which I acquired during a book sale. Among the games the Defender guides were ones I found interesting and was quite happy once I got a chance to try the 2600 version. Better versions have come and gone, though I have to marvel at the technical achievement on a short time window (this IS Atari we're talking about, which had a five week development window for ET...).

[SpiceWare]

If I recall, both Asteroids and Defender on the 2600 used Bank Switching, correct?

Asteroids uses F8 bankswitching, 8K ROM

Defender is 4K, so no bank switching

Defender 2/Stargate uses F8SC bankswitching - 8K ROM + 128 bytes RAM

[MSR1701]

If I recall, both Asteroids and Defender on the 2600 used Bank Switching, correct?

Asteroids uses F8 bankswitching, 8K ROM

Defender is 4K, so no bank switching

Defender 2/Stargate uses F8SC bankswitching - 8K ROM + 128 bytes RAM

Thx for clarity!

[Cafeman]

I enjoyed these two reviews. They make me want to hook up my system and play them again.

I played Asteroids here and there, probably it was always variation 1, but never owned it. I'm sure there is a lot of gameplay I missed out on bitd.

Concerning 2600 Defender, it wasn't exactly impressive but I did play it for hours and hours. One of the reasons I quickly upgraded to 5200 was due to the watered down 2600 ports. It was a treat to meet its author Bob Polaro, at one of the Philly Classics, and discuss the game. That was almost 20 years ago now.

I wonder why he didn't implement a 2 controller option for smart bombs etc. Maybe it didn't occur to him, maybe it was frowned upon by management, maybe the 4k size was the limiting factor.

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

I was so caught up in Defender that I forgot to read the Asteroids review.

And now that I have...

More like this. This is one of your all time best.

It's not just a review, but a bit of nostalgic charm and a useful guide to getting the most out of the game.

It really adds a lot of value that most critics neglect. And it makes the most out of every word.

[ASalvaro]

i have been playing Defender since 1981 since the arcade and have played many versions since all the way up to the Williams collection on my XBOX 360 and i'm still TERRIBLE at it...after 40 years i still last only 5 minutes and get scores like 3,000 points.. it's the hardest video game for me to play ever lol

[VideoGameCritic]

I'm really glad these reviews were so well received! I really want to focus on a lot of the more famous classics in the coming months - particularly on the older systems. It's gonna be a hot summer!

[LuckyWDFN]

Total agreement with Pixelated. I particularly enjoy the tips, tricks, and variations breakdowns (and recommendations) on the older games. VGC made me want to play them again, and I did last night.

Hyperspace for me. I'm a gambler