DoctorSpuds Reviews Things - Demon Attack (Imagic)

RSS Bot · June 28, 2018

OH YEAH! Now here's a game I can get behind! I love me some Demon Attack. This classic game from Imagic is regarded as being one of the best games released for the 2600, I'm tempted to agree with that statement, but but there's competition afoot. The 2600 wasn't the only console to receive Demon Attack, the Intellivision also has Demon attack in it's library and I think it might just be better than the 2600 version. There was also a version on Odyssey 2 but I'm not paying that much for Demon Attack. Onto the graphics then...

Which game has the best graphics overall?
I'm leaning towards the Intellivision on this one, despide the Atari arguably having more colorful sprites, the Intellivision's sprites are larger and, at least to me, a bit more pleasing to look at. The Intellivision also has a detailed foreground, which looks to be the moon or and asteroid, and the background is the Earth. The Atari's Demon Attack has only a black background, and a floor with a nice gradient, not too much going on. I will admit that the Demons in the Atari version are more varied and more colorful, but the Intellivision has something that the Atari doesn't have, the demon flagship Pandemonium, this is one of the greatest things that the Intellivision has or will ever display. This ship yakes up half the screen, the top of it is shaped like a devil with the flaming Core of Pandemonium blazing in it's mouth, it's so big it has an entire city residing upon it. This thing is awesome, and unfortunately the Atari version didn't have this, only endless waves of demons would befall you as you soldiered on towards inevitable failure.

Sounds for both versions are very similar but each fit with their respective consoles, I can tell when I'm playing Intellivision and when I'm playing Atari, I have no gripes with the sounds.

Which game plays best?
I'm finding it very difficult to pick out a definitive winner on this category. Both games control rather stiffly, with the Intellivision being slightly more so due to the controller, and for once the controller doesn't ruin the games controls, it simply takes longer to move your finger to the other side of the control disk than it does to flick a joystick in your preferred direction. One major difference between the Atari and Intellivision versions are the waves of enemies, once you complete three waves of different enemies in the Intellivision version you are taken to The Pandemonium, in the Atari version once you complete three waves you are given a different type of alien to blast, each increasing in difficulty. Since there is a boss at the end of each round in the Intellivision version, there is a jump in difficulty at the beginning of every new round, in the form of new weapons used by the aliens. Shrapnel bombs and heat detecting detonators await those who see past round one. Now I'm only looking at the first and easiest variation of these games, because if I looked at every variation I would probably end up writing a novel about these games. But who do I declare the winner in this impromptu competition? If I were forced to choose I would pick the Intellivision with the Atari following in a very close second, I just feel that the package is more complete in the Intellivision version, I get a better sense of reward and progression after defeating the Pandemonium than after beating another wave of aliens on the Atari with no real sense of accomplishment. Intellivision wins but only barely.

Both of these games are excellent, I would recommend that everybody owns at least one version of this game, both are excellent examples of a simple premise refined and nearly perfected. If you want more demon attack goodness track down a copy of Atari's Phoenix or perhaps even the unreleased Pleiades by UA Limited. I implore you to please play these games.

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