Reactor is actually fun with the right controller

[dr. kwack]

When I started collecting carts about 12 years ago, one of my goals was to get all known Arcade conversions.

 

Reactor was on the list. I bought it at a flea market. No docs and at that time, no Internet to find directions. The game made no sense to me at all and I didn't like it.

 

Years later, I got a boxed version w/instructions, read the docs and played with a joystick. Better, but still pretty blah.

 

Then I played the real deal on MAME and liked it lots. I decided to give Atari another try. Even better now that I understood the source.

 

Just today, I got a brand spankin' new trak ball. Wow! Personal best score ever (24,832) and it was actually fun to play. The ball kept me from overcorrecting. Really cool.

 

If you haven't tried Reactor with a Trak-Ball- do so! Are there any other games I should know about that play better with the ball?

[inextremis staple]

When I read the topic I thought you plugged it into the other port and was wondering how it worked. I've kept an eye out for a track ball but have yet to see one around these parts. Good score on finding it and thats not a bad score for Reactor either. Personally I don't think I ever got it above 5,000 if even that much.

 

is

[Susuwatari]

Sega Sports Pad controller in joystick mode works with Reactor as well. I think I got to 500,000 points on one life once.

[Stingray]

Reactor is a lot of fun to play in MAME with a genuine arcade trackball. I don't have a trackball for my VCS so I've never played it the correct way on the 2600 version.

 

-S

[Chris-in-NJ]

I didn't know this could be played with a Trak-ball. Will have to give it a try later on. Thanks for the info

 

I liked Reactor back in the day, but I think I've only played it a handful of times since I got it again last year. Pity some of the numbers in the score are reversed on my cart, I've tried cleaning it to no avail. Anyone else know why my 7800 is reacting (boo! hiss!) this way?

[Mindfield]

I didn't know this could be played with a Trak-ball. Will have to give it a try later on. Thanks for the info  

 

I liked Reactor back in the day, but I think I've only played it a handful of times since I got it again last year. Pity some of the numbers in the score are reversed on my cart, I've tried cleaning it to no avail. Anyone else know why my 7800 is reacting (boo! hiss!) this way?

 

Anything can be played with the Trak Ball (in joystick mode). Some games just make a lot more sense that way though. :-)