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How to cover very simplistic games?

Posted at 16:12 on December 21st, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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While I agree with almost everything you said, this won't solve the general problem. If I were to review the Advanced Lawnmower Simulator, I'd like to cover the great Spectrum version of it. Again, this is just to say again that there are simplicistic games on any system, and making a rule exception based on system alone, this'll help that specific system alone. As for doing a more general rule exception, there's the 'lure' I talked about before...

For the most part, simplistic games are limited to a specific group of systems, so you could make the rule apply to "all systems prior to 1983" or a specific list of systems. Granted, there are some simplistic games for more advanced systems, but a simplistic game on a more advanced system is very unlikely to stand out enough to warrant a review. If you do find one worthy of a review, you can just challenge yourself. :p
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At the end of the day, you're left with a bent fork & a pissed off rhino.
Posted at 17:09 on December 21st, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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You mean like this one? Oh, wait, that's just 239 words as well. Damn. Seriously, though: It always amazes me how popular old consoles (and their games, to be more exact) are these days, especially compared to their home computer counterparts of the same time. However, bandwidth consumption will hardly be a problem, because the eternal rule 'file size' ~ 'number of downloads' still applies.


Really that game should have been on the Odyssey 2, it doesn't have the Atari feeling at all. I think the old console games are more popular because it is easier to run with the emulators. Sure, there are Amiga and DOS emulators but running those are many more times complex than running the NES or Atari emus. I realize most DOSbox games only require mounting them then navigating through DOS but this small amount of 'work' probably turns off quite a lot of people.

Anyway the average length of my Atari reviews is over 300 :P
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Keep your stick on the ice
Posted at 20:00 on December 21st, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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Reviews:
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Space Cavern
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Space Cavern is the most complex atari 2600 game I've ever seen, with a manual three times as thick as any other atari 2600 game. There are countless different difficulty levels you can choose from when starting a game, selecting from options such as whether to have two or four enemies above you, whether or not to have any enemies from the sides, whether the enemies above were large (easy targets) or small, and whether the enemies above shot straight or diagonally. All of these options are independant of one another, so you can mix and match. In all of the variations, you stand on the ground and shoot up at the enemies above you, while trying to avoid their falling bullets. If you chose to have the side enemies as well, then you will also have to watch out for creatures coming out of the caverns to either side of you (which is where the game got it's name). Fortunately the cave monsters don't shoot at you, they kill you by making contact. Strangely, in order to shoot right or left, you have to move the joystick up or down. Up fires to the right while down fires to the left. The fire button fires upwards.
You start out with four men, and get a free life at every 20,000 points. However, you can only have a maximum of four lives at any one point in time. In a tow player game, the players alternate. Large electrosaurus (the flying enemies) are worth 115 points each, small ones are worth 165 points each, shaggy marsupods (the cave creatures) are worth 200 points each.
If you choose to play without the cave creatures, you can often just stand in your starting position while firing. However, if you choose to play with the cave creatures, remaining in your starting poisition (on the far right) is a sure way to get killed the instant the right-sde creature appears. It is generally best to stay near the center of the screen, where you have manuvering room, and can see the cave creatures emerging before they can get you. One very annoying thing is when the electrosauruses above you stop moving sideways. It is possible to get underneath them to kill them, but the timing is very tricky. It is also possible to shoot the electorsauruses' bullets out of the sky, but your aim and your timing have to be very precise. Shooting their bullets usually just happens by accident.

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Warlords
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Warlords is very basic in gameplay, but is fun and fast action, and also allows for a certain level of strategy. In Warlords, you have four players (always 4. If you have less than 4 human players, the rest will be computer controlled), and each player have a warlord, a castle, and a shield. This game uses the paddles instead of the joysticks. What you have to do is use your sheild to deflect the ball away from your castle & warlord, while simultaneously trying to direct it -at- your opponents' castles & warlords. The castles are a secondary line of defense, and you can lose them without losing the game. However, if your warlord is hit, you lose. Period. The castles sit in the corners of the screen, and the shields slide back and forth in front of them. One difficulty option is whether you could catch the ball by holding the button when it came in contact with your shield (then trying to launch it at one of the other players) or if you could only deflect the ball. Another difficulty option is the speed of the ball (you can choose between fast or slow). The castles completely protect the warlords at the beginning of the game, but break when struck by the ball. The shields are indestructible, but only protect one small area at a time.
One thing that can be very annoying is when you play a one or two player game, and all the human players have been eliminated. You still have to sit there and watch the remaining computer players fight each other. The game isn't over until one player wins five times, so you can't simply start a new game instead of waiting for the computer to beat itself.
Another game option is called "doubles". In "doubles", each player controls two warlords.
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At the end of the day, you're left with a bent fork & a pissed off rhino.
Posted at 21:13 on December 21st, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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Here are some screenshots:
SPACE CAVERN
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WARLORDS
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At the end of the day, you're left with a bent fork & a pissed off rhino.
Posted at 21:50 on December 21st, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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Alright, if you now give each game a rating, we're set! Since fretz has gone missing again, I'll try to come up with an introductory text tomorrow and add the games then.
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Now you see the violence inherent in the system!
Posted at 02:36 on December 22nd, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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Hmm... how to rate these....
If I rated them back in the day, I'd give them both extremely high scores. If i rated them next to current games, I'd have to rank them pretty low. (Although warlords is actually still a fun game, especially if you have more than one human player. A clone of it would make a great addition to one of the mario party games.)

Space cavern I would have gived a 4 or 5 out of 6 to back in the day, but just a 2/6 today. It doesn't have any "flaws" as such, but (as with most 2600 games) it's just too repetitive & unchallenging. You can play it almost indefinitely without getting killed, but you'll probably grow bored in under half an hour.
Since I would have rated it much higher back in the day, I think I'll split the difference and rate it 3/6.

Wardlords was a great deal of fun back in the day, and it's a rare game that actually manages to retain much of it's enjoyability & even a good ammount of challenge, despite it's age. It's particularly good as a "party game", with 3 or 4 human players.
I think I'll give warlords a 5/6. It's a must-have for any 2600 fan, and everyone else should give it a try.


btw Atariage.com has roms, manuals, emulators, and info on pretty much all 2600 games. I also have all(?) the roms of the official games.
My fav 2600 emulator is pcaewin, it's easy to use & works very well.
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At the end of the day, you're left with a bent fork & a pissed off rhino.
Posted at 15:08 on December 22nd, 2007 | Quote | Edit | Delete
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The three games, plus Stella and PCAE as emulators, are online. Cypherswipe, thanks again! fretz, I just put in the same rating for Atlantis as mine on your account (since you've written part of the review, the system demands you give it a rating). In case you want this changed, let me know the number to put in.
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Now you see the violence inherent in the system!
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