DoctorSpuds Reviews Things

I agree about Qix; it's a timeless classic that defies classification but that has always been one of my favorites.  The ability to draw lines in two different ways (aided by the two action buttons on the 5200 controller) adds an interesting element of strategy: drawing blue lines is faster but earns fewer points, while drawing red lines earns more points but is slower and leaves you more vulnerable to the Qix.  So at any given time, you can play it safe, or you can risk being greedy.

 

One slight correction: the 5200 version of Qix was (unofficially) converted to the 8-bit computers later, but the official 1982 version of Qix that Atari shipped for the 8-bit computers was quite different.  (See the screenshots of this version on Atarimania.)  That's the one that I played the most growing up, and it's a passable enough version, but the game action—particularly the fill routines after closing off a section or being zapped by an enemy—are considerably slower, and it really drags down the momentum of the game.

2 hours ago, jaybird3rd said:

One slight correction: the 5200 version of Qix was (unofficially) converted to the 8-bit computers later, but the official 1982 version of Qix that Atari shipped for the 8-bit computers was quite different.  (See the screenshots of this version on Atarimania.)  That's the one that I played the most growing up, and it's a passable enough version, but the game action—particularly the fill routines after closing off a section or being zapped by an enemy—are considerably slower, and it really drags down the momentum of the game.

 

Yes, I realized that soon after I posted the review and was closing my tabs. Oops, oh well, either way, its Qix, its still fun either way. 

Another reason why the Atari 5200 was far better than the reviews on Youtube.
The same reviews from today's generation just trying to make a buck.

The A5200 ROCKED in my opinion and I had several over the years and is still my favorite of the series.

Also while Taito licensed versions of Qix (except for the Atari and oddly enough also Fujitsu FM-7) may have been delayed until 1989, of course there were clones earlier on. For instance on the C64, back in 1983 there were both Stix by Supersoft and Rollerball by Ocean Software. Micro Power released Frenzy in 1984 (not to be confused with the Stern arcade game also published on Colecovision). Windmill Software also released Styx for PC DOS/Booter in 1984, plus a PD/noncommercial game called Xonix for the PC in 1984. Apparently Taito didn't cash in on the trend early on.

 

Perhaps I should try to look up a version of Night Flight for the MSX or Tomy Tutor, which seems to be a Qix clone with a twist.