9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Let me know what you think about my reviews.
User avatar
VideoGameCritic
Site Admin
Posts: 18102
Joined: April 1st, 2015, 7:23 pm

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby VideoGameCritic » September 24th, 2006, 1:11 pm

The grades haven't changed for these re-reviews, but I've fleshed out the details and I think they make for much more interesting reads.



Alienblue

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Alienblue » September 25th, 2006, 6:15 am

You'll probably get more responses on this, but there is DEFFINITELY a pattern on stampede, a very easy one! First
come skull, then black angus, then skull, angus, etc....
they rotate. So you can always know unless you lose track!

I've always been a bit confused about 2600 Pooyan (you should mention the 2600 cart is quite rare)-see, I played 2600 Pooyan BEFORE I played the "real" one on Konami Classics. I always read that that "thing" the little wolves were trying to push on you on screen 2 was the MOTHER wolf (look carefully at it- it DOES look a little like a wolf curled up) -yes, I KNOW it is a rock in the arcade version but the brown thing on VCS seems too "wide". Anyone play the 400/800 version? Also, I liked this game in SPITE of the graphics. I find the coin-op one too difficult. The 2600 games PLAYS fine, it just LOOKS crappy. Play before looks! (:

Dennis

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Dennis » September 25th, 2006, 8:45 am

Stampede is my second-favorite 2600 game of all time, behind Yar's Revenge. 

 

Whether or not there's a pattern depends on what setting you've got it on.  Certain settings are the same every time and certain ones are randomized.  I always played on setting 3, which was random.

 

FWIW, a good strategy is to keep a row of three (slow) brown cows at the bottom of the screen the entire game, just keep nudging them every time they get close.  That way, you will never encounter a Black Angus that's impossible to rope because you're too far away from it.


Zenzerotron

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Zenzerotron » September 26th, 2006, 1:07 am

 2600 Pooyan is really crummy. I'd say it's borderline "unplayable". Any sort of stragedy you can apply to other versions can't be used on this version. It's just a very ugly mindless choppy shooter where you randomly move around and shoot, with luck being the only factor in your final score.

I'll probly cause a riot with this statement.........but  "Double Dragon", "Pooyan" and "Burgertime"are the 2600's truely most terrible arcade ports that deserve all hate and trash talk.

"Pac Man", "Defender" and "Donkey Kong" aren't nearly as poor compared to these games, even though these are the games that get all the hatefull trash talk.


D. Boon's Ghost

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby D. Boon's Ghost » October 8th, 2006, 9:57 am

[QUOTE=Zenzerotron]..but  "Double Dragon", "Pooyan" and "Burgertime" are the 2600's truely most terrible arcade ports that deserve all hate and trash talk. "Pac Man", "Defender" and "Donkey Kong" aren't nearly as poor compared to these games, even though these are the games that get all the hatefull trash talk. [/QUOTE]

Egads. I guess it is all in a matter of opinion, but I'm hard pressed to name anything as miserable as Pac Man and Donkey Kong. Horrible.

And I'll echo the comments made before me: Stampede was a lot of fun.
Great reviews.

Alienblue

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Alienblue » October 8th, 2006, 12:30 pm

Zen, sorry to disagree with you & the critic but Pooyan is not all that bad a game-a bad ARCADE translation maybe, but then AMIDAR for the 2600 was FAR worse! That has NOTHING to do with the coin op!

Pooyan controls well, and I enjoyed it BEFORE I played the "real" version on the Konami PSX CD. You just have to keep moving. I have an easier time beating both screens on THIS version than the coin-op. I agree the graphics suck though. Konami really did a poor job there. I still think it looks like a sleeping "big bad wolf" the wolflings are pushing on screen two, not a rock!

Zenzerotron

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Zenzerotron » October 8th, 2006, 2:00 pm

I actually enjoyed 2600 Amidar as a child. It was my first experience with drawing/tracing games. I never saw it as moving too slow.

But alas, when I grew up, I bought a few versions of Qix, and indeed, 2600 Amidar isn't such hot stuff in the "here and now".

I think Qix spoiled me because you have total freedom in drawing/tracing any sort of boxes/shapes you want, while in Amidar, everything is pre-determined.


Adamant1
Posts: 2088
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Adamant1 » October 8th, 2006, 7:33 pm

[QUOTE=Dennis]Stampede is my second-favorite 2600 game of all time, behind Yar's Revenge.[/QUOTE]

It's my favorite, but I haven't played Yar's Revenge. I guess I should try it out, eh? 
 

[QUOTE=Dennis] FWIW, a good strategy is to keep a row of three (slow) brown cows at the bottom of the screen the entire game, just keep nudging them every time they get close.  That way, you will never encounter a Black Angus that's impossible to rope because you're too far away from it.
[/QUOTE]

Note that the longer you keep a cow on creen, the shorter a distance it travels when you nudge them, which means you have to replace your cow barrier every once in a while. And THAT is when those bastard black cows make their move!

...yes, awesome awesome game.

Alienblue

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Alienblue » October 9th, 2006, 1:26 pm

ZEN: Did you ever play Amidar in the ARCADE? Awesome game! Yes, your path was defined by maze borders but it was VERY different then the 2600. The gorrilla on screen one had to pick up all the "dots" around boxes to fill them in, and they filled in with a solid color. Then you got a bonus screen (get the pig to the bannanas) THEN the paintbrush maze was TOTALLY different. Scores filled the boxes and you could only "paint" a short distance before running out. Oddly, getting four corners caused the enemy to change COLOR, not turn into chickens! ...later mazes are actually DIFFERENT, too! We need a new AMIDAR , programmed by a good homebrewer. (I agree that QIX is still the better game though-free form art!)

Zenzerotron

9/24/2006: Atari 2600: Pooyan, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stampede

Postby Zenzerotron » October 10th, 2006, 12:22 am

You know, I've never played the actual arcade versions of Berserk, Mr Do! or Amidar. I just KNOW these 2600 versions are missing gameplay elements from their arcade counterparts. I know "ignorance is bliss". I'd stop enjoying the 2600 versions the second I played the real arcade games.

Big childhood memory of 2600 Amidar~ I got it as an unrequested birthday gift from my mom. Mom has always known absolute zero about videogames. The TRU clerks actually convinced her buy this for me. I recall my mother saying how TRU clerks convinced her it was a big seller, an extremely popular game, so really.........thinking about it now..........I got this game because  mom got conned.

But all in all, like I said before, when I was a kid, I was perfectly happy with this game. I know better now, but back then I loved to draw, and it took me a very long time to outgrow coloring books; so this game had quite a unique appeal to me.

Unrelated but kinda related............if it wasn't for Metal Slug Second Mission, Crush Roller would be my favorite NeoGeo Pocket game of all time..........it strikes the same nerve in me that Qix and Amidar does.


Return to “Review Feedback”