Major Havoc - cool

[TheSmirk]

I just want to open a thread on this one, since from the first time I played it as a kid way back when at the good ol' "8 on the Break" arcade/pool hall in central Jersey, I always thought this game was VERY cool; and still do.

Great gameplay, you NEED control to make it through those stations, especially when the timer is running down, you can't panic, or you are fried!!

Cool "breakout" game while you are in between levels...

Gyruss/Galaga style stage...

Just a cool game!

[Tempest]

Major Havoc is my second favorite Atari game of all time right behind Cloak & Dagger. I was only able to play it in the arcades once, but I instantly fell in love with it. Too bad the 5200 version (which was started) never got completed. I wonder if there's an early prototype of it floating around somewhere?

 

Too bad the game is so rare, I'd love to own one.

 

Tempest

[Inky]

I never saw it in tthe arcades. Personally, and this is just from playing it on MAME, I don't think its all that spectacular. Definitely not bad, but not amazing.

[Tempest]

It's one of those games that has to be played in the arcade to get the full effect. I've never been impressed with any vector game on MAME.

 

Tempest

[Mindfield]

I was definitely a big fan of Major Havoc in the arcades. Just the whole gameplay and concept was great. It had a good balance of action, reflexes, and strategy, and had pretty cool vector graphics to boot. I think the only games I ever wasted more quarters on were Robotron and Space Ace. :-)

[caveman]

Major Havoc is definitely in my top 10 Atari Coin Ops, roughly neck and neck with I, Robot. I liken it to what Berzerk would look like as an XY game. But unlike Berzerk, I was halfway decent at it. Yes, precision is a must in this game, especially with the cylindrical trak ball (more often than not replaced by a Tempest-esque spinner). the animation was superb, and it showed that you could do a lot with simple vectors.