Quick reviews/impressions of the 3 new UA 2600 games

[Godzilla]

Just a little note, as a HUGE pleadies fan, and owner of an original arcade cabinet of the game, my ramblings and musing on pleadies will be considerably longer than my briefs of the other three games.

 

1) Wow, all that anticipation, ever since I read as a kid that Atari bought

the rights to Centuri's arcade games (and pleadies was on that list,) I had hoped to own a home version of my favorite arcade game. Now, finally, after MANY years, it is here.

(aside: one of my favorite things about almost all of the atari 2600 arcade conversions, is that even though they almost never capture the audio visual of an arcade game, they capture the play perfectly,)

2600 pleadies plays nothing like the arcade game (aside from being a death from above* game,) in the first two screens, and plays a LITTLE like the arcade game in the third scene.

I actually enjoy 2600 pleadies as a unique DFA*, but it appears to me that this game may very well be an unfinished proto. The opening level has none of the play elements of the arcade game, the aliens dont turn into the faster balls, and they just leave a solid trail of themselves across the entirety of their few set movement patterns. They did a decent job of capturing the look of the screen for a 2600 game, tho, i must say.

The second screen from the arcade game (reminiscent of the large bird level of phoenix,) has been entirely removed from this version

The mothership level has been drastically altered. In the arcade game, the enemies from the first level return, and pour out from exhaust ports on the mothership. Only while the enemies are coming out can the exhaust ports be shot. Inbetween waves coming from the ports, faster, harder waves w/ the 'ball' enemies will attack and the cycle starts over. Last long enough and shoot out enough exhaust ports and you destroy the mothership.

The 2600 versions features what look like a cross between demon attack demons and the big birds from phoenix (which look nothing like the 'large bird' level from the arcade pleadies,) defending a mothership with randomly opening holes and a moving 'plus' that when shot clears the board instantly. Instead of attack waves, or shooting exhaust ports, there is just a constant number of the demon phoenixs blocking your ability to shoot through the random hole.

The last screen is the only one that is mostly like the arcade game. You guide your ship (complete with intertia,) up a ship filled runway while trying to collect flags. The arcade game featured random l-r movement of the ship as well as inertia to simulate buffeting, and the ships lowest speed was almost a dead stop. Also, the screen scrolled, which meant that you didnt always know what path was clear right away. None of those elements are in the 2600 version, as it is a static screen, no buffeting, but inertia is present. No screen scrolling (a bit of a surprise as vertically scrolling is not hard for the 2600,) and the ships lowest speed is still pretty fast, thus eliminating some of the finese of the finer manuevrs possible.

Lastly, the 'warp' button that takes you to a random horizontal position, was removed from this home version (or maybe simply not coded because this is a proto :-) )

So, overall, 2600 pac-man is much truer to it's arcade parent than this prototype of pleadies. But, much like 2600 pac-man, when taken on it's own merits, its quite a good game, and a lot of good old DFA fun.

 

Now for the short ones

 

2) Cat Trax. This REALLY feels & plays like a hack of mousetrap. I hate the way dogs can collide with you in 'around corner' situations, even though their sprites haven't technically touched you. The cat doesn't corner that well either, many times missing turns where you had already pressed the direction of the turn, very infuriating. Maybe the control & collision detection would have been tightened up before release?

 

3) Funky Fish. (havent played arcade, so take that in mind,)

Funky is right, this fish doesnt seem to care about saving much of anything

with the speed he moves at. Slow. I cant imagine that a 2600 game of this era (especially with such a detailed protagonist sprite, and detailed fruit, etc.) would have you combatting an antagonist that would look silly in adventure (a simple BLOCK,) at least adventure made it's antagonists look like SOMETHING.... a very repetitve game, with slow response, and a big ol block, that wears out quick.

 

There ya go :-)

 

Of course I'll say it again, great packaging, and artwork, and labels, and manuals, and EVERYTHING. A really nice set. Very proud to own 'em, and nice to have an instantly complete UA collection :-)

[NE146]

Nice review dude

[Godzilla]

Amazing! a Reply! Thanks NE1. Anyone else who has actually played these want to comment, voice opinions, etc? :-) or even just tell me what u think like ne1 did? (good & bad welcome,)