candiru Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 What was your biggest disappointment from the difference between cartridge or box art and the actual game? I grew up on a farm out in the country so that didn't make for many visits to the arcades, and a 2600 was my first exposure to video games. I think my biggest disillusionment was probably Combat. Combat is one of my favorite two player games, but as a kid I used sit and look at the picture on the cartridge and think about how awesome it would be if the game was really like that. Of course, now that there ARE games that are like this it's my Atari that gets the most play. Go figure. Anybody else got any stories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Karnage Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Easy. Pac-Man. I recall the build-up ("Pac-Man is coming to Atari!"), and a few of my friends were excited enough to preorder the darn thing. Then they got it home and...well, y'know. My favorite bit about the whole Pac-Man thing was Atari's claim that the error that kept making the ghosts disappear was intentional - to make them more "ghostly". If you can't fix it, feature it! DK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voiddweller Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Easy. Pac-Man. DK Agreed!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Night Phantom Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Pac-Man was my greatest disappointment, but not because of a disparity between the box art and the game; actually, it resembled the box art more than it did the arcade game (which is the crux of the problem). I don’t think I was ever disappointed by the actual game because of the box art; rather, the opposite occurred. For example, I remember being intimidated by the freaky dematerialization scene on the Defender package and kept my distance! Eventually I came to my senses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Yancey Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Gorf was not very much like the arcade. Donkey Kong didn't even have all the levels like I stupidly expected! The programmer of Pac-man didn't even bother to create a graphic for the Pac-man changing directions or make his mouth stop chomping when he wasn't moving! Yuk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Flag Capture has some of the best artwork on the box. It looks like it's going to be some pirate adventure on the high seas, and it's nothing more than a memory/match board type game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raijin Z Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Venture. Need I say more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 My issues have always had to do with control: Why doesn't Sprintmaster use the Driving Controller? Why doesn't Basic Math use the Keyboard Controller? Why doesn't Crossbow use the light gun? Back in the day (1977-1983), I was amazed at what I was seeing on the TV screen .. I never expected that the box art work graphics had anything to do with the game graphics except to reflect the theme of the game. Super Breakout has an astronaut on the box .. what's up with that? Rob Mitchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagMax667 Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 That's easy. I think everyone was disappointed when they played: SWORDQUEST! I played FireWorld first. The box art was so cool, but when I played the game I realized how crappy it was. EarthWorld was better, but I've never played WaterWorld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Pac-man was already available when I got my 2600, so I wasn't all that disappointed since I already knew it was different from the coin-op version. I suppose the biggest disappointement was Centipede. My mom bought me the game and brought it home. I actually wanted a different game, but seeing Centipede there in front of me, how could I not open & play it? Well, the game wasn't bad, but it greatly disappointed me that the mushrooms were blocks and didn't deteriorate as you shot them. The game as a whole seemed too watered down to me. Donkey Kong was another huge disappointment, probably more than Centipede now that I think about it. I came inside and my mom & dad were playing it (a strange thing, they rarely played games, especially not my dad!). I couldn't wait for my turn! Well, after a few rounds I was thinking "where are the other levels? WHy can't I clear a barrel with a standing jump? Why does DK look like the Gingerbread man? WHy don't the fireballs climb ladders? WHY WHY WHY?" DK = one of the worst 2600 games I ever played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximebeauvais Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 DK = one of the worst 2600 games I ever played. I agree :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncoman Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 i say the mythicon games man i had all three and they were the same just different sprites need i say more ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witchfynde Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Hee hee, yeah, Pac-Man definitely... I remember the day that I was supposed to get it. Being the good student I was, I had made the honor roll, and after the ceremony, I saw my mom standing at the back of the room with a bag. I ran over to her to see if she had gotten it, which, yeah, not only had she--joy joy!--but she had gotten some other new game called Haunted House too. I was literally bouncing up and down in my few classes that were left, which a friend was freaking out...and then I'd calm down for a couple of minutes, wondering what on earth Haunted House was...and then I'd go back to being all hyper over Pac-Man. When I ran home--and my mom was idly taking it out of the box (hurry the hell UP!!)--and turned it on, my heart sank. Didn't really play or was programmed much like the arcade game. Still, I was addicted to it for that weekend, even though it was a different kind of play/addiction. Haunted House I liked. Defender didn't play like the original either, which I sold it, and then the guy I sold it to sold it to someone ELSE in turn! Centipede was pretty ridiculous too, and Reactor didn't give you constant energy, so it was hard to knock those electrons into walls...and the same day a friend bought that, he bought the re-released Space War, with it's really f***ed up controls (i. e. you barely press thrust for a second, your ship goes careening around damn near FOREVER!). Urgh... Sorry to ramble, must look like I have issues or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncoman Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 i remember haunted house as a kid man that ghost scared the hell out of me flashing and moving crap made my heart race i play it now and my girlfriend is like give me a break Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Other than Combat, I think Haunted House was my first or second game for the 2600. You gotta admit, it's pretty good -- atmospheric, creepy, and fun. And it played Twilight Zone musika. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Yeah Pacman was it. And a huge dissapointment it was, because it obviously bugged me enough that even YEARS later I woke up sweaty in the middle of the night thinking about Ms Pacman and how good it was, and I HAD to go to my pc to create that ""what could have been" jpg. Thankfully... it later came to pass and I could sleep again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 My biggest disappointment was Activision Space Shuttle. As a kid I couldn't figure out how to get it to do much. Now as an adult I realize it's a pretty cool little sim but I had dreams of super cool space piloting. Frankly I found all of the Star Raiders, Star Master, Spacemaster X-7 type of space games disappointing too. From the box art and magazine descriptions I expected WAY more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdstuff64 Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Easy. Pac-Man. I recall the build-up ("Pac-Man is coming to Atari!"), and a few of my friends were excited enough to preorder the darn thing. Then they got it home and...well, y'know. My favorite bit about the whole Pac-Man thing was Atari's claim that the error that kept making the ghosts disappear was intentional - to make them more "ghostly". If you can't fix it, feature it! DK Yea,that is it.Hands down.That or maybe E.T.I don't know,it is really hard to say,they both sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candiru Posted October 23, 2002 Author Share Posted October 23, 2002 I had never played the arcade Pac-Man, so at the time, I actually kind of liked the 2600 port. I'm still trying to console myself with the fact that I was a youngster at the time and didn't know any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Karnage Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I remember ET being awful, but no one I know (at the time) actually bought it. And that was a year or two after the Pac Man debacle. Up until then, I was content with the arcade being the arcade and with Atari being Atari. When Pac-Man came out, it was almost an admission that Atari wasn't up to the task of adapting arcade games for home play. I (and several of my friends) didn't really look at Atari the same way after that. By the time ET came out, a lot of the magic was gone. Or maybe I was just more interested in MTV by then. Hmmm...Canyon Bomber or Billy Squier? Tough call. DK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 The Swordquest contest and games ultimately. I'll admit, the first day I played it (Earthworld) over at my friends house we played and played til about 4am hoping to solve the puzzle...I dunno what we were expecting to happen. We were excited about it.... Then realized it was just a crap ass, boring crap crap. And all that hype...jeeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 My biggest disappointment- Swordquest. Although my wife's then-boyfriend pre-ordered E.T..... it must have been $40! My copy, one year later.... 50c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Or maybe I was just more interested in MTV by then. Hmmm...Canyon Bomber or Billy Squier? Tough call. DK Igniggnokt and Err!!!!! You sure you weren't interested in Foreigner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Karnage Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 >>>Are you sure you weren't into Foreigner? Of course I was, but they didn't have any videos. Well, not 'til "I Want to Know What Love Is". So I was stuck watching Billy Squier, Kim Wilde and Talk Talk for hours at an end. Not the worst way to while away your pre-teen years. STROKE! DK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 I have to disagree. Having to watch Billy Squier is the absolute worst way to spend your teenage years. I was a teen then too. I put on MTV for the chicks but with the sound down. I put on the Ramones for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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