Surprisingly Good Atari 2600 Arcade Ports #2
All of the games listed below have one thing in common. They were all released during or after the video game crash of 1983. For most of this time frame, I was more interested in playing games on my Apple IIe computer. However; the Atari 2600 was still alive, coming out with multiple arcade ports that I truly did not think were possible on such an ancient video game console.
Jungle Hunt: this game is remarkably accurate to the arcade original. I am most impressed with the first stage, which has swinging vines and the illusion of scrolling bushes underneath.
Galaxian: This was one of my favorite arcade games as a young child. What impresses me the most in this game is the sheer number of sprites moving on the screen at the same time. At the higher difficulty levels, many enemy ships swarm down towards you at the same time. They even occasionally come down in formations of 3 ships at once, just like the arcade game. It really is as good of a port of Galaxian as you could hope for the Atari 2600. I also like the use of color on the title screen, which is accompanied by a cool strobe effect on the sides.
Moon Patrol: Moon Patrol is a difficult game no matter what console or computer you play it on. The graphics are simplified here, but the gameplay remains as tough as ever. The illusion of scrolling mountains in the background was well done here. I also like how the blocks at the bottom of the tank scroll to simulate movement.
Kung Fu Master: This is one impressive arcade port! Unfortunately, this port doesn’t have the end of stage bosses and stairs leading to the next level. Many of the enemies are present though, including mid-level bosses and the acrobatic midgets. The most impressive parts of the game are the illusion of scrolling with the multiple posts at the bottom of the screen. I am also impressed with the inclusion of the arcade music.
Stargate (aka Defender II): This version of Stargate got everything right. The graphics were very close to the arcade, complete with mountains and twinkling stars. The sound effects were somehow very accurately duplicated.
Tapper: I really didn’t think a game with such complexity would be able to be ported to the Atari 2600, but I was wrong. It has the core gameplay of sending drinks (Mountain Dew) to the patrons before they reach the end of the bar. It is missing collecting the tips on the bar to have the can-can dancers distract some of the patrons. Instead, the can-can dancers appear at the end of each stage to celebrate. This port even includes the bonus stage where you have to select the correct can that was not shaken up after they are switched around like a card shell game. I’m also impressed that they have music throughout the game and fairly accurate sound effects.
Millipede: Centipede on the Atari 2600 was done well, but Millipede is a true masterpiece. At first glance, Millipede looks very similar to Centipede. Despite still using rectangles for mushrooms, you quickly forget about this limitation when you play the game. It truly replicates the intensity of the arcade. You can feel overwhelmed by the large swarms of enemies moving around all over the place. I am in awe at how they were able to get so many enemies on the screen at the same time. The sound effects are spot on.
