What made River Raid Fun to Play?

[atari_aaron]

I've begun to follow the long path of Atari 2600 game development. I have a long road ahead of me and I know it. I've just begun learn the concepts behind Assembly programming, but I endevour to perseveer.

 

Anyway, in the meantime - while I learn assembly for Atari, I am also reading a video game developers book. The book constantly talks about how gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game. So, since EB's KC-135 is going to be a River Raid knock off, I would like to know what people thought of River Raid.

 

What made the game enjoyable/fun to play? What did you find aggrivating about the game, as opposed to what you found challenging?

 

Any comments?

[AtariDude]

For me, I love shoot em up games. I like the frenzied pace behind most of these games and they allow me to be mindless when I am playing as opposed to having to solve puzzles like in an adventure game or in an RPG.

 

Activision was always good at keeping the pace going in most of their games which is why they are so fun to play.

[StanJr]

1. It looked neat flying a plane over a river.

2. You control your speed

3. You had to keep an eye on the fuel gauge and refuel from time to time.

4. It was as much a game about navigating the river as it was shooting enemies.

5. If was moderately unique in terms of shooting games.

 

River Raiding Stan

[christianscott]

river raid took scramble and changed the camera angle, the idea that you can fuel up like that is one of those weird video game laws like first aid kits being scattered through out abandoned tombs...

 

the smooth control of the ship and the pacing were nice, perhaps the best feature was the audio, great use of sound effects. i hated how the sides of the river would make your ship crash though.

 

i think this type of gameplay was perfected in xevious

[atari_aaron]

It's been years since I played River Raid, my brother was the true master. I vaguely remember him beating the game... but I could be wrong. Was that possible? Does River Raid end after so many levels, or is it one of those that goes on forever?

[StanJr]

far as I know it goes on forever (unless the score freezes at 999,999)

[atari_aaron]

Hmm... then I'd say that maybe he flipped it, but jeez 1,000,000 points is alot. Maybe he just played it an awful lot and I was wrong about him beating it.

 

Anybody have personal experience with flipping River Raid?