The Best Atari 2600 Games You Never Heard Of

[DeusExMachina]

Found on this website:

http://www.vgg.com/2600/bestgamesmain.html

 

AtomiComp Presents:

Punch Buggy

 

The game where you can punch your virtual sibling in the arm! A one or two player video game version of the kids' driving game where the first one to spot a VW Beetle on a busy highway gets to whale on the other. But be careful! If you jump the punching gun, you lose a point!

 

 

Avoid at all costs the crappy knockoff called "Padiddle," which basically swapped day for night and replaced the well-rendered VWs of Punch Buggy with generic cars with one headlight out. You may remember it as the misguided target of housewife protests in the early '80s over the alleged "salaciousness" of the title.

 

Ironically, the protests sparked increased sales and the knockoff sold better than the original. Padiddle peaked, Punch Buggy tanked, and the company, AtomiComp, panicked.

 

AtomiComp suspended production to retool the game, but an advanced version with better graphics, three levels of punching strength, and the rumored ability to make your opponent actually cry never materialized, due to the fall-through of a co-branding deal with Volkswagen, who insisted the VW Beetles in the game (no longer in production in the U.S.) be changed into the then-current VW Dasher. "Punch Dasher" just doesn't have the same ring, now does it?

Edited April 20, 2007 by DeusExMachina

[madhatter667]

Neat.

[supercat]

AtomiComp Presents:Punch Buggy

 

Could be an amusing game concept if someone wanted to do it. The graphics shown could not be attained, but it might be possible to come somewhat close. I could imagine siblings having fun playing the game competitively, but can't see any good solo play possibilities.