Basic Math and Blackjack
Basic Math
Okay, don't talk to me about basic math, see? It ain't a game, see? It ain't fun, see?
It's math, man! It's not even "fun" math, like differential equations and shit. It's plussin' and minusin' and multiplyin' and dividin'. Phooey!
Blackjack
Oh, please, dear god, why? Why is it always Blackjack?
While the graphics for the Fairchild version of Blackjack are slightly more ambitious (remember the rounded, green dealer's table graphic?), Atari's Blackjack is superior in many ways. The sound is better and it allows for up to three players, who can come and go during the game as they please without disrupting the other player's games. It has a difficulty option which determines if the dealer shuffles after evey hand (difficulty "A") or if it shuffles when 34 or more cards have been dealt (difficulty "B").
The other difficulty switch lets you choose between Casino rules and Private rules. Private rules is what I noticed was missing from the RCA and Fairchild Blackjacks. One rule in particular was the rule I kept looking for: if you take a hit four times without "busting", you win the hand. It's Atari's version that lets you have that, which is why I remembered it, because it was Atari's version that I actually played as a kid.
You "break the bank" at "1000". Atari's edition of Blackjack also neglects to use the dollar sign to denote currency. The advantage of this is that you can pretend that you are gambling with gold pieces, kitty cats or radioactive rods -- whatever your avarice requires! It also allows them to sell it in other countries without having to make up versions of the same game with different currency symbols.
This is a "competant" version of Blackjack. However, once again, I'd like to point out: IT'S JUST BLACKJACK! Why'd they even bother? Did they do a focus group in Vegas? Do they really think that the type of people who enjoy gambling would enjoy doing it with pretend money? Hell, it's not even money, it's just "points" that you can call "money" (or dubloons, or yen, whatever.)
In keeping with my new "house" rules (established after the RCA Blackjack): After I lost one round of Blackjack, (and lost 200, um, pesos), before I could play again, I had to pawn an old multi-colored glass desk lamp which belonged to my wife since high school for $20. (It said "tiffany" on it. Wasn't she an early 90s pop star?). I did it just to get that "I'm-a-pathetic-gamblin'-kind-of-guy" feeling. It made me feel "dirty" which was actually pretty cool. My wife sure will be surprised, because she was going to get it "re-stored" anyway so I re-stored it for her. See? If it's in a Pawn Shop, it's in a store again. That's what it means, right? Re-Stored! Haw-haw-haw! HAAAW-haw-haw! Haaaaw-haaaw-HAAAAAW!
Next Entry: Star Ship. (It's odd to see the word "starship" it written as two words, but then again, people still rip apart the words "video" and "game" to talk about videogames.)
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