Entry posted by Arjak
483 views
Hello, and welcome to a series of reviews of Atari homebrew games. What I plan to do here is review an aftermarket game or piece of tech for the Atari 2600. By the way, this series is based off of a similar series by Nathan Strum.
Let's get started!
Review #1 - Seawolf
This is the first homebrew I got after buying my first Atari some months back. It is based off of the 1976 Arcade game by Midway of the same name. However, the Atari port by Manuel Rotschkar is greatly enhanced over the original in every possible way.
The first thing I noticed when I booted the game up for the first time was the amazing graphics. Everything was easily identified and vividly detailed. It reminded me of Activision's best work! There is also a cool tune that plays when the game is first booted up that really put me in the right mood. The sound effects work great and sound as close as the real thing as the 2600 can allow.
The gameplay is perfectly executed, and much more fun that the original. Your job is to take out as many ships as you can, without running out of fuel or torpedoes. It sounds simple, but Manuel has added lots of wonderful new features, like several different kinds of ships, each with their own characteristics. There are battleships that take multiple hits to destroy, ones that drop depth charges, Red Cross boats that bounce your torpedoes back, etc. Every 1,000 points you get, you get a chance to refill on fuel and torpedoes. If you run out of either, you lose a life.
There's a lot of strategy, too. You can bounce your torpedoes off of Red Cross Ships and into another ship, for instance. If you fire too much, you'll run out of torpedoes; but if you fire too little, you'll run out of fuel before you can get more!
The game also makes great use of the Difficulty Switches. One switch controls game features. The B setting introduces new game features slowly, and the A setting throws everything at you from the start. The other switch controls who is stronger, you or the ships.
All in all, this game is a real treat. I couldn't imagine it playing any better. It's loads of fun, the graphics and sounds are great, it has lots of replay value, and the gameplay is stimulating.
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Overall: 50/50
Arjak's Thoughts: Get it. Get it NOW!
This was my first homebrew, and I must say, I chose wisely. This game is spot on in every way. It has all the wonder of the great Atari classics, and is a game I could see myself playing for many years to come.
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
5 Comments
Recommended Comments