Wanted: Feedback For Water Ski & Tank Command

[nosweargamer]

It'll be interesting to see how much feedback i get on these two!

I'm looking for feedback for the next episode of the Atari 7800 Game By Game Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/78gbg )

What are your memories and/or thoughts on the Froggo games Water Ski & Tank Command on the 7800?

Also, how would you rate them? I use a system of 4 choices (From Best to Worst):

Hall of Fame Game (Top 5 officially released game on the system)

Solid Game

"Meh" Game

Trash Game (Bottom 5 game on the system)

These games will be covered on Episode 11.

You can also e-mail text or audio to atari7800podcast@aol.com

Just keep it family friendly

You can also send feedback or stories on previously covered games or the system itself. Thanks!

[Jinks]

Water ski awesome concept. Difficulty way too hard makes it not much fun to play.

so meh.

Tank command has pink backgrounds on a tank game thats all I can say so meh rating as well.

[+save2600]

Yeah, but a color fix is available for Tank Command at least. So can play the enhanced version (found here at AA) via emulation or have Al make you a cartridge.

 

Never played the game myself, but judging from online videos, seems like a "meh" game to me.

 

I used to have Water Ski and agree about the difficulty. Could have been a much better game had they improved the level design. Not much fun to play as-is for any length of time, so meh.

 

These things said, probably the two best games Froggo ever put out!

[gambler172]

Hi

Waterski is a solid game for me....i just like it

Tank Command is a Meh for me.

The Tank Command hack is better

greetings Walter

[Shawn]

Both are solid. Water Ski takes some time to master the controls but when you do it's pretty good.

[ave1]

I liked the innovation of Water Ski (I never do very well but still enjoy the game) and Tank Command seems to be moderately fun for me. I've had these games for around 23 or 24 years

Edited May 31, 2015 by ave1

[SoulBlazer]

So I put in some time this weekend on both these games. I had avoided them when playing 7800 games via emulation in the past cause I knew how horrible Froggo's games were for the 2600.

 

Water Ski: Meh game for me. I was surprised at this one for being better then I expected. The control scheme is unique and works well once you get the hang of it, and it does require some practice. The graphics are decent, the sound effects are well done, and it's a very challenging game. However, I found it too easy to make a simple mistake and crash and then have to restart at the start of the level, and no continues is not good either. No music either, which encourages you to play your own. It's not a terrible game but not great either and I don't think I'll be returning to this one. A few tweaks such as turning down the difficulty level or not forcing you to restart a level each time and I would have put this in the Solid ranking.

 

Tank Command: Trash game for me. The opening song sounds terrible, the colors used are horrible, it badly needs some music playing during the game, and it seems to take WAY too many hits to be able to destroy the bunkers. The graphics are decent enough but the colors are limited and looked washed out, and the palate is not very pleasing to the eye. I know it's realistic to have a limited ammo and fuel supply but you burn through both too fast, and you should be able to rotate the turret of the tank independently of the tank like in a real tank. Instead you're forced to get at the firing angle to blast targets, which wastes both fuel and time. The firing range of your shots is terrible. And then finally when you run out of energy -- which is GOING to happen -- you're forced to just sit there and wait for something to kill you! One time I had to wait three minutes for something to decide to come along and blast me! Finally collision detection is wonky at best. Awful, awful game. For collectors only.

[Trebor]

Water Ski - Boasting pretty impressive graphics, but on a poorly selected color scheme, the game's controls may take some time getting used to. A higher degree of difficulty, with no option for an easier setting, may be a huge discouragement. Once you get the hang of the controls and learn the nuances of navigating through the various obstacles, the game does become more appealing. However, even with an improved color palette, the lack of in-game background music, coupled with the overall difficulty (learning) curve, make this a “Meh” game.

Tank Command - Not as graphically impressive as Water Ski and an even poorer color palette choice, leave this one as an eye sore from the start. Controls are simple and straight forward; however, the game(play) feels incomplete. Just like its watery sibling, no in-game background music. While an improved color palette helps this one, it still doesn’t impress graphically. Cheap deaths and a higher difficulty may be a welcomed challenge for some, but for most, it makes the game even less inviting. This too ranks a "Meh", with a strong lean towards "Trash".