2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

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VideoGameCritic
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby VideoGameCritic » January 15th, 2015, 10:47 pm

I wish I could have posted these new Xmas reviews in December, but didn't receive the games till Xmas Eve.

Glacier Patrol is an update - raised for D- to D.

Let's hear your comments.

scotland171
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby scotland171 » January 16th, 2015, 11:24 am

Possibly my favorite line from all your reviews is this from Glacier Patrol: "Loosely based on a true story, invading aliens are trying to encase our entire planet in ice."

What is the true story, that the invading aliens were only trying to encase London?

SpiceWare1
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby SpiceWare1 » January 16th, 2015, 1:48 pm

Thanks for the review!

Based on Our high score: 10,787, I suspect y'all didn't make it past level 9.  If that's true, then that's a shame because level 10 is where one of the biggest improvements over Stay Frosty shows up.

LuckyMan1
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby LuckyMan1 » January 16th, 2015, 2:17 pm

Nice reviews! You're so right about those buildings in Naughty List. I enjoy the game, but I think it may need a parental advisory warning!

BTW, I found a small typo at the end of the review: Byte Before Christmas is (a) first-class package...

thrust261
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby thrust261 » January 16th, 2015, 4:30 pm

Any special reason for your disdain for invisible mazes? 

BTW: With the right tactic you can play level 5 with the maze visible whenever it really counts (present and top right fire). To me it is just another challenge. Maybe you should limit your disdain to always invisible mazes? [smile]


Noah981
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby Noah981 » January 17th, 2015, 3:23 pm

Stay Frosty 2 is incredibly fun. Thanks for reviewing these!

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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby VideoGameCritic » January 17th, 2015, 6:40 pm

I updated the Stay Frosty 2 review about turning off the music.

I think invisible mazes are kind of passe.  It's been done way too much.  I do think they are a little more palatable if you can see immediately around you (like Haunted House) or at the very least see yourself.  

PinMike86661
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby PinMike86661 » January 19th, 2015, 1:17 am

As tough as Stay Frosty 2 can be, I've reached Stage 20 not using continues at around 47,500 points. I think the game is very finely tuned in terms of difficulty. I'm not really that good at videogames in general, but I actually have a helpful tip; there are a couple stages where you can obtain the broom and carrot items, however, you actually don't need the carrot as Frosty can go high enough to touch the flames. The invisible stages are a little tricky, but I actually found the third invisible stage easier than the second as there are no small platforms to be careful landing Frosty on. This is a fantastic homebrew and is a personal favorite of mine on a console that has many great homebrews; I think this might be my favorite Atari 2600 game.

The Byte Before Christmas is a surprisingly excellent minigame cart that features four unique and very challenging games. Santa's Scabs and Naughty List are my two favorites, with Bell Hopper being a nice relaxing paddle platformer and Christmas Adventure being a nice take on the classic game. If you thought Stay Frosty 2 was tough, the two former minigames are even tougher; Santa's Scabs, in particular, requires quick reflexes, tight maneuvering, and steady stick control to get far and even though it's fairly liberal with the extra lives, you will need them. Naughty List is quite tough as you need to be very precise in your aim to destroy the peni...I mean buildings. Bell Hopper is the easiest of the four, but has insane scoring potential as you can score billions, which I've never seen on an Atari 2600 cart. I haven't touched Christmas Adventure much as I have to be in a mood for a game like Adventure, but it does look to be a very fine game using that style.

Overall, these two AtariAge homebrew carts come highly recommended, especially if you like a challenge! I'm definitely interested in getting the Concerto Cart (Atari 7800 flashcart) when it becomes as availble as the Harmony Cart. Being able to play nearly every official 2600 and 7800 game, as well as homebrew titles, on a single cart is nothing short of awesome! I do have a Harmony Cart and I love it, but since the Concerto Cart is the sequel, it will be nice to upgrade.

snakeboy1
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby snakeboy1 » January 19th, 2015, 11:11 pm

Has anyone else found a secret bonus level in Stay Frosty 2?

Also, I'm kind of regretting not also ordering The Byte Before Christmas.  Bell Hopper sounds like the kind of thing that would be right up my alley.

PinMike86661
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2015/1/15: Atari 2600: Glacier Patrol, Byte Before Christmas, The, Stay Frosty 2

Postby PinMike86661 » January 20th, 2015, 2:01 pm

I encountered the bonus stage at Level 8 where you'll fall into the pit. I assume you'll need to collect the presents to trigger it, but I'm unsure.


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