Guilty Pleasures

[+wavemotion]

If you've never played the arcade version, then you're probably unaware of the worst element of it... the completely STUPID control setup, where the joystick only moves up and down, and you have a button to press to reverse direction.  That is the single reason why I don't like the arcade version.  (Well, that, and it's too hard.  But I think the main reason it's too hard is the weird controls.)

 

Er... only in some versions. There were at least 2 major variations of Defender floating around the arcades back in the day. The arcades I played at mostly had joystick for up/down movement AND for thrust/reverse. Push the stick in the direction you were already going and you got thrust. Push in the opposite direction and the ship switched sides. Much, much nicer.

 

Asteroids had several flavors as well (I've played on cabs that had buttons for rotation and cabs that used a joystick for rotation... I prefer the joystick setups).

[Swingtown]

Sky Diver rules!

 

Especially when played kamikaze style. See how accurate a hit you can score if you never open the chute.

...

Too bad the Atari won't keep score in this "variation".

 

Yeah that is a fun "variation."

 

My other guilty pleasures would have to be:

*Star Ship (it may be blocky, but it's really addicting!)

*Frogs and Flies (esp. the one where the frog can jump into the water)

*Defender (flickering issues aside it isn't too bad)

*Human Cannonball (making him hit the wall is fun)

*Miniature Golf (any type of mini golf can't be that bad...)

[landsmarra]

Hmm, all this talk about 2600 Defender...Bob Polaro's ear must be ringing!

 

I, too, was OK with the 2600 verison but would sit for HOURS and play the 5200 version simply because I could thrust/reverse with the stick and not buttons. This alone caused me to almost never play the arcade version (nor on MAME). Mind you, I never saw a Defender cab with thrust/reverse built into the joystick.

 

Long live 5200 Defender!

 

Steve

[Room 34]

The arcades I played at mostly had joystick for up/down movement AND for thrust/reverse.  Push the stick in the direction you were already going and you got thrust.  Push in the opposite direction and the ship switched sides.  Much, much nicer.

I believe that was done in the later cabinets... presumably after many complaints about the earlier ones.

 

I am no expert when it comes to Defender arcade machines, but the majority of the ones I've seen have the arcane control set-up.

 

Asteroids had several flavors as well (I've played on cabs that had buttons for rotation and cabs that used a joystick for rotation... I prefer the joystick setups).

I have heard about this but I don't think I've actually seen a joystick model. My Asteroids cocktail table has the all-button set-up...

[joeybastard]

I've never seen a Defender that used the Joystick for Thrust/reverse. I thought that was only on home consoles.

[Keir]

Sorceror

[Godzilla]

And now for something completely different...

 

not quite, quite the opposite really.

 

I shall chime in again with my usual suspects

 

mythicon firefly, et, swordquest games, laser blast, space master x7, pac man, raiders of the lost ark

[BassGuitari]

And now for something completely different...

 

not quite, quite the opposite really.

 

It's a catchphrase dude. Watch Monty Python sometime.

[khryssun]

One of the Best is Skeet Shot

 

I play hours and hours...

This cart is always plugged into my VCS....

 

 

No, it's a bad joke.... forgive me, I'am very tired this morning... Forget, Forget

 

This is not a game... this is.... NOTHING

[Godzilla]

And now for something completely different...

 

not quite, quite the opposite really.

 

It's a catchphrase dude. Watch Monty Python sometime.

 

no, really? and it was used as a segue by cleese to introduce... wait for it....

something completely different! which this thread, is not.

[Godzilla]

Sky Diver rules!

 

Especially when played kamikaze style. See how accurate a hit you can score if you never open the chute.

...

Too bad the Atari won't keep score in this "variation".

 

Yeah that is a fun "variation."

 

My other guilty pleasures would have to be:

*Star Ship (it may be blocky, but it's really addicting!)

*Frogs and Flies (esp. the one where the frog can jump into the water)

*Defender (flickering issues aside it isn't too bad)

*Human Cannonball (making him hit the wall is fun)

*Miniature Golf (any type of mini golf can't be that bad...)

 

i really enjoy star ship, defender and miniature golf also. and yea, f&f & hc are fun too.

[BassGuitari]

i really enjoy star ship, defender and miniature golf also. and yea, f&f & hc are fun too.

 

Finally, another Star Ship lover! I was beginning to think Swingtown and I (and I believe Apolloboy too) are the only people who actually like that game.

[metalmom]

Laser Blast is my 'guilty pleasure'. I'm not quite sure why, but I think I could play this game for days.

[Shannon]

fwiw there is a command option in mame to "adapt" it to use a more conventional control style, at the price of high scores not being saved.

[Godzilla]

i really enjoy star ship, defender and miniature golf also. and yea, f&f & hc are fun too.

 

Finally, another Star Ship lover! I was beginning to think Swingtown and I (and I believe Apolloboy too) are the only people who actually like that game.

 

I've gone to bat for Star Ship many times, and generally been assaulted in the process.

 

Enjoy the beatings here:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...tar+ship+review

 

and here:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...tar+ship+review

 

Also, I think he deleted my review of Star Ship off of his web page because he disliked Star Ship that much. Anyway, here's that review again so It's not lost to the ages:

 

(This is the game manual, you can see screen shots and game select info on

all the game modes here:

http://www.atariage.com/manual_thumbs.html...areLabelID=495)

 

Star Ship is a very early 2600 game, so I will warn you ahead of time, if

you can't look past blocky and clunky graphics to the gameplay meat below

the surface, just disregard this review and don't play the game.

 

For the rest of you who are happy to enjoy great gameplay even if it does

look like a donkey's behind, may I heartily recommend Star Ship (AKA Sears

Outer

Space.) Or should I say, Star Ship, Head-to-Head Star Ship, Warp Drive, and

Lunar Lander, because Star Ship is all those things. Thanks to the long

forgotten magic of the select switch, Star Ship actually contains multiple,

distinctly different games, not mere scenery variants.

 

The first game is a single player game with 4 difficulty levels, augmented

by

the added difficulty of the select switch. Anyone who is worth their salt

will not enjoy this game on anything but the hardest setting, so max the

select switch, and play game four. The earlier/easy games are great for

children or the reflex impaired (like my ex-wife,) This game is a timed

contest, and if you are like me, and playing for score isn't a bad thing,

you will really enjoy the proper 'Star Ship' mode in Star Ship. To actually

accumulate a score over 100 requires quite a bit of strategy and skill. The

game is played from a first person perspective, hurtling through space, with

scaling white dots for movement effects, and funky random sounds in the

background. You control movement, airplane style. As you hurtle along,

various 'enemies' (strange geometric shapes,) scale towards you. If they hit

near the center of the screen, where you targeting reticule is, you loose a

point. Once you learn the timing of you lasers' shots, you will realize that

you can avoid collisions with an otherwise unavoidable enemy by leading him

into your target during the moment between when your shot was fired, and

when it hits the center of the screen. Also important is learning when to

take a hit. Certain enemy patterns that you are presented with will hit you,

even if you manage to destroy one. However, if one of the enemies is worth

three, or two points, it is worth taking the one point hit. The enemies and

the patterns are completely random, which keeps the game from monotony. I'm

sure with some experience, you'll develop your own strategies for gaining a

higher score.

 

The next game uses the same basic screen elements as Star Ship, but with one

primary difference. There is a player controlled space module on screen.

This game is played in two timed sets, with the second set swapping roles

between who is pilot and who controls the module. The higher game numbers in

this variation add asteroids, speed and other space objects. Oh, did I

mention the space module turns invisible while the fire button is held down?

A little tip to the pilot shooting at the module, it will black out your

target cursor when it passes over it :-) This is a great, competitive game,

and is a lot of fun on the hardest setting. You've really got your hands

full trying not to loose points to space objects while trying to tag an

invisible enemy. As the space module, once you get the feel for the speed

and movement, you should be able to have a good idea where you are on the

screen without even seeing yourself, and you can use turning yourself

visible to lure the other player into enemies. Besides, don't we always want

to blast the crap out of each other without getting arrested.

 

Next up is Warp Drive, once again, best enjoyed at the highest difficulty.

In this game, you are trying to hurtle as far as you can through space

within a time limit. Your score is measure in distance traveled (in parsecs,

that's one fast star ship.) The longer you travel at full speed, the more

parsecs you will travel. Every collision subtracts one parsec. Again, this

game is very enjoyable if you try to go for a high score. The patterns you

must dodge through are random, of course, so it's just you and your skill.

As a child who loved his Star Bird toy, and how it made 'speed' noises as

you moved it up and down, I still get some strange base satisfaction from

the rumbling space engine sound that lets you know how fast you are going.

In this game mode, you cannot shoot, and the fire button is instead your

speed control. The longer you hold fire, the faster you go (until you reach

maximum speed,) and the only way to decelerate is to let go of the fire

button and wait until you slow down. Properly managing your speed so that

you are still clocking the parsecs without pitching headfirst into

asteroids you don't have time to avoid is key to this game.

 

And finally, the Lunar Lander game (that bears no resemblance to Atari's

arcade lunar landing game, which actually came out after Star Ship,)

challenges you to maneuver your lunar module through meteor showers of

varying speeds and see how many landings you can manage within a time

limit. Once again, if you are going for the solo landings, make sure to max

the difficulty. See how many landings you can manage before the clock runs

out. It's amazing how the simple things impress us as kids, because I can

distinctly remember being 'wowed' by the flame effect that shoots out from

your lander. I can also remember thinking how hi-res the lander itself

looked. At least it's still fun to chase that 'ol moon down. The two-player

mode of this game does not change a thing, except that player two controls

the moon (I recommend steering the moon into the meteors.) Once again, you

take turns, witch each player having a turn to control the moon and the

lander. This one is great fun, as proper moon piloting can really make life

hell for that poor lander. Make sure you play the two-player version on

maximum difficulty, also.

 

So in conclusion, we have four distinct games, that are a lot of fun solo,

and even more fun when you are talking smack to your defeated opponent. All

in one innocent little, tiny, blocky old Atari cartridge. So if you don't

have it, find it. If you do have it, whip it out and give it a chance. You

may be surprised (or you may hate it, you're entitled to your own opinion.

But now you know mine.)

[Inky]

I have to say that while I dslike Burgertime, I sure did play it an awful lot. And I have to confess that I love Ghostbusters, and LAser Blast isn't a bad game at all.

 

And I like DKJr, especially after I found how to crash the game and get unlimited lives.

[Godzilla]

I loved dkjr when I first got it. I was like 'WOW THREE BOARDS!!!' I mastered it till I could get through all the boards easily, and never really played it much after that tho.

[Inky]

I loved dkjr when I first got it. I was like 'WOW THREE BOARDS!!!' I mastered it till I could get through all the boards easily, and never really played it much after that tho.

 

If they could find a way to make the Snapjaws better, and fix the bug on the Hideout screen, I think it would be a much beter game.

[BassGuitari]

I've gone to bat for Star Ship many times, and generally been assaulted in the process.

 

I got your back

[Godzilla]

yea, I was reading back through those threads and I noticed that. Thanks!

[tailGator]

The one cheesy game that I hate to admit liking is Circus Atari. I guess it's just a breakout clone, but it's pretty damn fun to play.

 

But kinda like bobbin' your head to REO Speedwagon, just make sure nobody sees you enjoying it, then you're all right.

 

BTW, Defender rocks on the 2600.

[Godzilla]

afaik circus atari is widely considered to be an ass kickin game.... (I think it kicketh asseth.)

[Swingtown]

afaik circus atari is widely considered to be an ass kickin game.... (I think it kicketh asseth.)

 

That's what I was thinking...in no way is it a cheesy game...I play that game way too much

[BassGuitari]

Yes, 'tis quite ass-kickethy

[NovaXpress]

I've never seen or heard anything about a Defender machine which put thrust/reverse onto a joystick. I've played a lotta Defender in a lot of places. I will take the position that it never happened. Every production run of Defender used the traditional button setup.

 

I think Polaro did a great job for the time with the 2600 adaption.