+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 You may have read that I'm working on a pro-E.T. page and while working on it, I started to wonder if E.T. was the first Atari 2600 non-turn-based game to provide a way to pause during active play. I know some games stayed paused between rounds until you pressed the joystick button, but was E.T. the first to let you pause while actively playing a game? http://www.atariage.com/manual_html_page.h...wareLabelID=157 To pause play, allow E.T. to fall into a well. You can leave him there as long as you like without endangering E.T. or subtracting from his energy. When you're ready to play again, levitate E.T. out of the well and resume the game. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I believe the first one was Mark Turmell's Fast Eddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 I believe the first one was Mark Turmell's Fast Eddie Thanks. So would it be safe to say that E.T. was one of the first then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 Thanks. So would it be safe to say that E.T. was one of the first then? I think I have the answer to my own question. I searched for every game I could find mentioned at AtariAge that allows you to pause. If the following list of 70s/80s/90s games is complete, it seems E.T. is one of the first non-turn-based games that allowed you to pause a game during active play: Beany Bopper (1982) Challenge of Nexar (1982) Fantastic Voyage (1982) Fast Eddie (1982) Flash Gordon (1982) Super Cobra (1982) Turmoil (1982) E.T. (1982) Burgertime (1983) Kool-Aid Man (1983) Crazy Climber (1983) Gas Hog (1983) No Escape! (1983) Quest for Quintana Roo (1983) Spy Hunter (1983) Star Wars: Death Star Battle (1983) Dark Chambers (1988) Super Football (1988) Radar Lock (1989) Secret Quest (1989) Sentinel (1990) Xenophobe (1990) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Burgertime was released in 1983, only the arcade version carries a 1982 copyright. So if we go by date of release it ends up like this: #1 - Fast Eddie #2 - Turmoil (also by Mark Turmell) #3 - E.T. I'm sure there are more 2600 games than that with a pause feature, it was often undocumented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 Burgertime was released in 1983, only the arcade version carries a 1982 copyright. So if we go by date of release it ends up like this: #1 - Fast Eddie #2 - Turmoil (also by Mark Turmell) #3 - E.T. OK, thanks. I'll go back up there and put them in order. That's the last time I'll trust AtariGuide: http://www.atariguide.com/3/304.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 For M Network info this is the place to go: http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/...ts/atari1.shtml Interesting how the 2600 market was cornered by Activision and Atari for so long. I believe the next third-party game was Space Jockey or Skeet Shoot (wasn't Skeet Shoot available for Xmas 81?). The market exploded in the late summer of 82 when Imagic and Coleco releases hit the shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 For M Network info this is the place to go:http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/atari1.shtml Oh yeah, I've been there before, but not in a long time. I should add that link to my web site. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 How about Kool Aid Man (1982)? Radar Lock (1989) has a pause key too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 How about Kool Aid Man (1982)? Radar Lock (1989) has a pause key too. Thanks. I'll add those to the list above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 How about Kool Aid Man (1982)? Actually that was 1983, I put the M Network link right up above! Copyright dates are not the same as release dates. On a hunch, I checked Mark Turmell's third and final 2600 game, Gas Hog. Yep, it's got the b/w switch pause feature as well (I don't know for sure but I think this was sold theough that music club in late 83). What a thoughtful guy. Does anyone remember Turmell's first game on the PC, Sneakers? A great Galaxian-inspired shooter. That's why those weird blue/white things show up in all of his games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fellow Atari Man Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 When you pressed the Game Select switch on Death Star Battle, that would pause the game, and that came out in 1983. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 Thanks for the additions. E.T. is still in the top three. Excellent (said while rubbing hands together and wearing an evil grin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I MUST find another early one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 More games with pause: Beany Bopper Challenge of Nexar Fantastic Voyage Flash Gordon No Escape! Quest for Quintana Roo Secret Quest Sentinel Spy Hunter Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Super Cobra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 What about games that GIVE one pause? Skeet SHoot comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 More games with pause:Beany Bopper Challenge of Nexar Fantastic Voyage Flash Gordon No Escape! Quest for Quintana Roo Secret Quest Sentinel Spy Hunter Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Super Cobra E.T. is now in the top eight. Hogaaaaan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 And the top 5 would be . . . 1(tie). Fast Eddie 1(tie). Beanie Bopper *released alonng with F.E.* 3(tie). Fantastic Voyage 3(tie). Turmoil *released along with F.V.* 5. Challenge of Nexar (was released 1 month after Turmoil as I recall) So ET's pause is a nice feature, but nothing innovative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 What about games that GIVE one pause? Skeet SHoot comes to mind. Isn't that round based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cootster Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 The "pause" in ET isn't a pause . . . Technically, the game is still moving, you are just in a completely safe location . . . That's like hiding in the alleged safe spot in arcade Pac-Man, sure, one could do it for hours, but it's not a controlled pause feature like Turmell's games, etc. had . . . I don't think it counts. Love the game, but that's not really one of its technical advances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 What about games that GIVE one pause? Skeet SHoot comes to mind. Isn't that round based? Figure of speech, meaning 'making one wonder wtf they were thinking' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 What about Othello, Backgammon, Video Chess, Video Checkers, Bridge, etc.? Those you can even pause while making your move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 The "pause" in ET isn't a pause . . . Technically, the game is still moving, you are just in a completely safe location . . . That's like hiding in the alleged safe spot in arcade Pac-Man, sure, one could do it for hours, but it's not a controlled pause feature like Turmell's games, etc. had . . . I don't think it counts. Love the game, but that's not really one of its technical advances. Good point. I'm not a big ET player so I assumed that it did have an actual pause. Looks like 20th Century Fox is the company who deserves all the accolades here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 20, 2004 Author Share Posted February 20, 2004 The "pause" in ET isn't a pause . . . Technically, the game is still moving, you are just in a completely safe location . . . That's like hiding in the alleged safe spot in arcade Pac-Man, sure, one could do it for hours, but it's not a controlled pause feature like Turmell's games, etc. had . . . I don't think it counts. Love the game, but that's not really one of its technical advances. If you think it doesn't count, go ahead and keep playing the game through supper or through your favorite TV program or when you have to go to the bathroom, while I hop in a well and come back an hour later to resume my game, right where I left off. Sure, there's no official pause button, but you don't need one with this game. The reality is that you can leave the game and come back to it any time you want. Out of the hundreds of non-turn-based games made for the Atari 2600, few of them let you leave the game and come back to resume play. Although Atari calls it "pause," maybe I should say on my page that E.T. is one of the few non-turn-based games that allows you to leave the game and pick up where you left off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted February 20, 2004 Author Share Posted February 20, 2004 What about Othello, Backgammon, Video Chess, Video Checkers, Bridge, etc.? Those you can even pause while making your move. They don't count in this thread since they are turn-based games: . . . I started to wonder if E.T. was the first Atari 2600 non-turn-based game to provide a way to pause during active play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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