Breakout vs Super Breakout

[tyranthraxus]

Breakout is one of my favorites on the 2600, even though I am not very

good at it. So I am wondering what is the difference between Breakout

and Super Breakout? In other words is it worth getting when I already

have the orginal?

 

Also how does the 2600 version compare to the 5200?

 

John

[NE146]

2600 super breakout is better since you use the excellent paddles. Besides the 2600 was made for exactly that type of game and thus obviously excels at it.

 

5200 Super Breakout still leaves a bad taste in my mouth due to it being the friggin PACK IN. ugh! They could have at least made pacman or space invaders.. but nooooooo. They had to go for super breakout Anyway, it kinda sucks to play breakout with a joystick, analog or not.

 

And yes Super Breakout has more variations over the original. I highly recommend having both.

[StanJr]

Super Breakout is better (that's why they called it "Super"). The sound is better, the colors are better, you can play more than 2 walls, there are more variations. NE146 is right, they are both worth having, but I only play Super Breakout any more.

[DuckandCover]

With the different variations and challenges, Super Breakout is definitely worth having, especially if you're a fan of Breakout. It's a strong improvement over the original.

 

I've never played the 5200 version, but I can't imagine trying to play Super Breakout with a joystick. Of course, I generally can only play 2600 paddle games on the console itself, not in emulation. I've never been able to accept the mouse as a stand-in for a paddle.

[Scott Stilphen]

NE146: They both use paddles

[Paul Slocum]

Maybe Thomas could hack Breakout so it has more than two levels?

 

-Paul

[NE146]

NE146: They both use paddles

 

Huh? Sorry dude unless you have some kind of 5200 custom controller, I consider the 5200 Super Breakout to be completely Analog JOYSTICK controlled.

[Scott Stilphen]

I thought you were talking about Breakout vs Super Breakout (you weren't too clear about comparing the 2600 and 5200 versions of SB). Technically, they both use potentiometers. A hacked (custom paddle) 5200 controller is the way to go with those type of games....or you could just play the computer version with original paddles

[NE146]

Yeah I'm aware of the custom 5200 paddle a board denizen had made.

 

btw, have you ever tried playing 5200 Super Breakout with a taken-apart controller? you basically just rotate the x-axis potentiometer and you got yourself a little crappy paddle Hmmm now that I think about it I guess I could have mounted something on it to make it a little more playable.. but I guess even back then there only so much Super Breakout one could want to play.

[ROBERT]

Hello fellow gamers:

 

Not too long ago, I proposed to Ron Corcoran that the classic "Breakout" for the 2600, which had no more than 864 points possible in every variation, was by itself too easy for Twin Galaxies to track point-wise, like Dodge'em 1080 and M*A*S*H 999.

 

So, to breathe new life into the title, I petitioned that we track "Fastest 864 Points", and Ron agreed. Currently, the endeavour is part of the Twin Galaxies Atari 2600 Time-Based Decathalon...our first-ever.

 

Overall, Super Breakout is the more interesting of the two offerings, especially the "progressive" concept where section after section keeps coming down non-stop. Definitely the harder of the two.

 

Robert T Mruczek

Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee

Star Wars classic arcade champion

(212) 366-3036 (work-day)

rmruczek@doremus.com (work E-MAIL)

 

*******************************

[Room 34]

I agree with ROBERT. The "Progressive" Breakout in Super Breakout's variation #7 is the best! I used to spend hours on that one as a kid. And in college (in the early '90s) my friends and I would have Super Breakout "tournaments," always on variation 7. (I put it in quotes because it wasn't anything formal... we were dorks, but not that bad.)

 

I also like the different scoring tones in Super Breakout, and how you can choose them by hitting Game Reset a bunch of times.

 

Breakout still has a couple of elements I like that are missing in Super Breakout... like variations where you can "guide" the ball (it's not really steering it... but sort of) and of course "Breakthru."

[Pac-Guy 26]

Why is everyone complaining that Super Breakout on the 5200 only uses the joystick?

 

 

OoOoOoOoOhHhHh NnNnNoOoOoOoOo! You have to use a D-PAD to play MILLIPEDE on your NINTENDO! OoOoOoOoOhHhHh CrRrRrAaAaAaAaAp!

 

EDIT: oops necropost

Edited January 2, 2018 by Pac-Guy 26

[VectorGamer]

EDIT: oops necropost

 

That's OK.

 

I recall playing both games in the arcade BITD. And I was delighted when Atari released Breakout for the 2600. I still enjoy playing both games but Super Breakout is the better game.

[+save2600]

Super Breakout is still a VCS favorite of mine and always will be. We didn't have the original Breakout BITD, but enjoyed playing it at a friends before we eventually got Super Breakout. Very cool how the sequel progressed from the original. Really added a lot of features without ruining the original 'Breakout' experience. They're both classics of course, but Super Breakout FTW.

[toiletunes]

Super Breakout wins. It's one of the games you can easily play on the 5200 with the standard controller. Plus, it gives you a rating at the end.

The 2600 version is pretty good. Regular Breakout is lacking by comparison.

[BassGuitari]

I prefer Breakout. It's more classic, I like its variations better (Catch, Breakthru, Invisible Wall, combinations thereof, etc), and it's a little simpler, more colorful, and more pleasing to look at. There's a simple elegance about it. Support for up to four players is nice, too.

Super Breakout is fine, too, of course. Double walls, multiballs, and double paddles just scratch a different itch for me. IMO it's the not-so-missing link between Breakout and Arkanoid. Ironically, being effectively a sort of compromise between the those two "extremes," it's comparatively bland or generic to me. That's not to say it's a bad game or anything (I enjoy it quite a bit) but it doesn't quite have Breakout's simple charm, or Arkanoid's depth.

Super Breakout for the Atari 5200 is a fine enough game in and of itself, if a bit austere compared to most other games that were coming out. It was just a fantastically poor choice of launch-day pack-in for the 5200 system (Atari changed it to Pac-Man later). And of course it doesn't play as well with a joystick--even an analog one--as it does with a paddle (it's not as bad as people make it out to be, though), but the 5200 Trakball is a pretty nice substitute.

FWIW The Supercharger cassette game Fireball is a really cool take on Super Breakout, as well.

[davyK]

I rate Super Breakout as one of the few perfect games I have ever played alongside Asteroids Deluxe (arcade), Tetris(various) and Super Monkey Ball (Gamecube).

 

I say perfect because the game is complete and needs nothing added. And on 2600 it has the beautiful peerless paddle control.

 

It would have been nice to have the 4 player variations that the original cartridge had and a 2 player progressive mode, but really it's no big drawback. The 2 wall limit of the original cartridge hurts it and means it's not really suitable for hardcore playing - though still remains an excellent casual game. i suppose the timed games could be considered hardcore though.

 

I'd recommend owning both cartridges.

Edited January 8, 2018 by davyK

[Skylark68]

I always enjoyed both on the 2600, never had a 5200 so can't comment. I always liked the "Breakthru" variation on Breakout. I think that is the one where your ball continues through the wall instead of bouncing back to your paddle.