datelive

I've always been a fan of Irem's R-type series, here you'll be flying a lone spaceship against hordes of enemies,  ranging from ships and robots to huge bio-monsters. The game features plenty of power ups like the ricocheting blue beam, the straightforward but power red laser and the fire attack, which shoots straight up and down (didn't really care for that last one) but everyone's favorite is without a doubt the shining orb, it can be used as a shield, thrown against enemies and it even fires its own weapons which is especially useful against bosses. Speaking of them, the bosses are awesome, the first one looks like a super sized version of Ridley Scott's "Alien" and the third level is basically just one big boss fight, making it my favourite level in the game.

Unfortunately the Master System can just barely handle the game, you'll come across a fair amount of slowdown, but the real offenders here are the flickering graphics and the gutted soundtrack.

Trivia: Did you know the Master System version of R-type has a secret level? You access it on the fourth level, by ramming against a specific pillar, oddly enough this level has the best song in the game.

Pros:
- The orb power-up gives makes the game stand out from anything else in the genre
- The bosses are fun and original (and Level 3 is basically one big boss fight)
- One of the best SHMUPS on the master system

Cons:
- Between flickering graphics and relatively poor music the Master System can just barely run the game

The packaging for this game is above average for the time and definitely leaps and bounds ahead of most Master System games, I love that 80's sci-fi artwork and amazingly, the grid background doesn't really clash with it.

The Manual doesn't really say much though, it gives you two short paragraphs for backstory, one explaining who your enemies are and the other giving you details about your ship, the rest is just item descriptions, points you get for each kill and a small detail of what each level layout is.

My version also came with a Master System Catalog, and it's without a doubt the most interesting part of the packaging, I just love reading about all of the games that I own and still hope to own.

Originally created to compete with Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior, Phantasy Star went on to be the closest thing the Master system had to a "killer app" (sorry Alex Kidd). These days the series is more often remembered for its series of short lived MMOs, which is a shame because this is without a doubt in my mind, the BEST Master System game out there and the best RPG I've ever played on an 8-bit console.

You play as Alis, a resident of the Algol solar system who witnesses her brother's death by the hands of King Lassic's forces. Along the way you'll ally yourself with a warrior, a wizard and a talking cat (just go with it). The game's plot isn't really its strong suit, but it really shines in gameplay, graphics and content. For starters you have three planets to explore all of them with their own look, feel, towns and gear, the combat itself is done in typical turn-based RPG fare, though you have the option to talk with some of your enemies, sometimes helping you evade battles.

Unlike other RPGs of the time, who were almost exclusively sword and sorcery themed, Phantasy Star is a mix of Science Fiction with fantasy, this means some of your characters will be equipped with laser blasters while others still use swords and shields. You also get to travel between three planets, all of them look stunning with some well animated and colored overworlds. Even the battles look amazing, all of your enemies perform a small animation when attacking and sometimes the backgrounds are animated as well, I especially loved the beach, you can see the waves coming and retreating as you fight.

Although most of the game is set in 2D, when you enter a dungeon the perspective changes into a Pseudo-3D plane which looks great, but it also makes it easy to get lost, so a pen and graph paper will be crucial towards the end of the game (I love games that require me to draw my own maps).

Its obvious Sega was trying to one-up the competition by packing everything they could into the game and that's a good thing because we got one hell of an RPG

Pros:
- A fun mix of medieval and sci-fi
- All three planets have a very distinct feel and are fun to explore
- First Person Dungeons are extremely well done

Cons:
- The story could have been more fleshed out
- Almost every dungeon will require you to draw a map, not everyone will be up to it

For all the great content the game has, I seriously expected more from the packaging, what? Not even a map Sega?

At least the manual does a good job of explaining the story and what most of the items and spells do, so there's always that.

I also like the artwork, but I think it's ruined by that grid background (big surprise, right?), it just makes a decent cover seem bland, at least they put more effort into it then they did with early Master System covers.

Yar's Revenge is a pretty complex considering its competition, in most space games all you have to do is either shoot everything on sight, or collect items while shooting everything on sight.

But not here, for starters, there's only really one objective and that would be destroying the Zorlon on cannon on the right while avoiding it's beams and guided missiles, as if that wasn't enough the cannon is protected by a shield (which looks pretty good) which you'll slowly have to wear down by either shooting or ramming into it.

Luckily though, you can retreat into the neutral zone in the middle of the screen (which also looks pretty good), which will stop the enemy fire but will also prevent you from firing, there you can also pick up a slab of energy capable of destroying the cannon but not it's shields. Once you destroy the cannon you're treated to a nice looking explosion, and then the whole thing starts all over again, only harder and harder.

Overall, Yar's Revenge is a treat in both gameplay and graphics, though I didn't care much for its sound, it got annoying fairly quick.

Trivia: Did you know that one of the people who worked on this was responsible for the infamous E.T. game?

Pros:
- Pretty complex considering its direct competition is Space Invaders
- The graphics look pretty good by Atari 2600 standards
- It's pretty unique

Cons:
- The sound can be a bit grating after a while

Developer:    Activision
Publisher:     Activision
Played on:    XBLA Game Room

This is an unusual game, as a detective you'll have to drive around in a quasi freeroam game, you'll have to pick up several items in the right order and under a very strict time limit, these are meant to serve as clues for the case you're working on (there's three cases total, one for each difficulty) but you wouldn't know it without reading the manual.

Your only means of defense is the jump button which is okay for the first case, but after on the final level I was wishing my gumshoe had a gun or something, it just gets way too chaotic for my taste.

Despite the interesting gameplay mechanics, I found this title to be little more than a memorization game with a lot of trial-and-error involved.

Developer:    Activision
Publisher:     Activision
Played on:    XBLA Game Room


THIS is how you do a sequel, the original Pitfall was a good game that unfortunately was starting to show it's age, but the sequel improves just about everything, the world is bigger and this time, instead of an underground path there's a whole complex of them that are strangely reminiscent of Metroid, you also get some new abilities like swimming and flying on balloons.

The graphics are virtually the same as the original Pitfall, but the sound is MUCH better, there's even background music this time around, something very rare for the time.

Trivia: Did you know the game's cartridge came with its own sound chip?  No wonder the music is so good

Pros:
- Possibly the best soundtrack on any Atari 2600 game
- Gotta love that dungeon system
- Flying on the balloons is a guilty pleasure of mine

Cons:
- it still comes down to little more than memorization, though this time there's more to do

Developer:    Activision
Publisher:     Activision
Played on:    XBLA Game Room

Although often considered to be one of the best 2600 games I personally feel like time has not been kind on this classic.

As Pitfall Harry you have 20 minutes to find all treasures in a dense jungle, filled with scorpions, snakes, crocodiles and barrels (huh?). You can usually jump over most threats, though the crocodiles require you to jump ON them when their mouths close, it's a bit tricky at first but you'll soon get the hang of it, other times you can jump on vines and swing to the other side which is definitely a blast, if you go underground every time you reach the end of a screen the game jumps you three screens ahead, however there's quite a few dead ends as well, so some memorization is essential.

Overall, the game was okay, but every time you boot it up you'll always have the same experience, at first the 20 minutes limit will be a major hindrance, but after a while you'll have an optimal path memorized and it becomes cakewalk

Pros:
- Jumping over the obstacles and picking up treasures is good clean fun
- Love the Tarzan reference when you swing on vines

Cons:
- Kind of feels like the same thing every time I play it
- The dungeon system feel unnecessarily complex

Developer:    Activision
Publisher:     Activision
Played on:    XBLA Game Room

If there's something I love about the 2600 and games in general from that era it would be how so many tittles have such simple concepts and how well the developers make pull it work.

A cop and robbers game on a mall? Genius! A shame you don't get to play as the robber though, still, this game is very fun regardless, you'll need to chase said robber before he escapes or before the time runs out while catching items for bonus point and avoiding bouncing balls and shopping carts, I also like that being hit by them doesn't take you a life, but instead reduces your timer and that's a good thing, because by the time you reach the 4th or 5th level things get REALLY hectic, though they also get a bit repetitive.

Pros:
- A nice, simple platformer
- I love how much stuff they cram on the same map between levels
- It isn't long before the game becomes chaotically fun

Cons:
- But it also isn't long before it becomes too chaotic
- Adding some more maps would be nice

Developer:    Activision
Publisher:     Activision
Played on:    XBLA Game Room

In this game you're sent to a deep dark cave infested with the typical spiders, bats, bottomless pits and lava to save some miners, luckily you brought with you a short distance laser, a limited supply of dynamite and a backpack propeller (God I wish I had one of those).

Each level has various screens, usually requiring you to kill/dodge enemies, blow up a pillar or perform some light platforming. I like how some of them offer more than one path, though often it comes down to little more than a 'right' and 'wrong' path, so some memorization is definitely in order. I also really like how colorful and detailed your character looks, those are some late 2600 graphics right there.

Trivia: H.E.R.O. is an acronym for Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation

Pros:
- Flying on your chopper is extremely fun
- I love the difficulty scale progression
- Smart level design
- Having to conserve dynamite promotes strategic thinking


Cons:
- Running out of Dynamite will pretty much result in a game over
- Suffers from leap of fate syndrome

Developer:    Atari, Inc
Publisher:     Atari, Inc
Played on:    XBLA Game Room

An ancient Egyptian themed SHMUP sounds like a pretty good original idea on paper, unfortunately, what this Pseudo 3D SHMUP has in originality it lacks in fun.

Making use of an isometric perspective, Desert Falcon looks stunning for an Atari 2600 game, but as a side-effect it's hard judge distances or even aim. I also found the power up system needlessly confusing, requiring you to pick up three items and depending on their order you get a different temporary ability.

You falcon can either walk on land or fly, while on land you move at a snail's pace but it's easier to dodge enemy fire, when taking flight I felt the game ran too fast making it uncontrollable. At the end of each level you come across a giant Sphynx which acts as each level's boss, but honestly, even though I've already killed it several times I still have no idea what you're supposed to bring it down. sometimes it died in a few hits other times you'll keep wailing at it and it doesn't even blink, wherever it's weak-spot may be, I haven't found it.

Maybe I just don't 'get' Desert Falcon, but after dedicating quite a bit of time to it I have to say there's little enjoyment to be had here.

Pros:
- How many Ancient Egyptian thematic shooters do you know of?
- The power up system is pretty interesting...

Cons:

- But it's not very fun
- When flying everything goes by too fast
- When walking everything goes by too slowly

Developer:    Atari, Inc
Publisher:     Atari, Inc
Played on:    XBLA Game Room 


Despite having comparatively weak graphics and sound (even by Atari 2600 standards) Adventure completely blew me away with its gameplay.

The objective of the game is to find a gold chalice and return it to the gold castle, problem is the chalice is randomly placed on the game meaning you'll have to explore every nook and cranny in order to get it.

You'll also come across several helpful randomly placed items such as the magnet, bridge or sword all while crossing mazes, running away from dragons and dodging bats that will take your item and replace it with something else, making Adventure a chaotic and unique experience every time you play it.

Trivia: Did you know Adventure was the first game to feature an Easter egg? There is a secret room in the game that lists the name of the game's creator, it was done as a protest against Atari's internal policy at the time, which forbade developers from listing their names in their creations.

Pros:
- The first Action Adventure game ever
- The bat trading system is both is genius... annoying, but genius
- Randomized item placement adds to the replay value

Cons:
- Sometimes the game bugs out and the keys are spawned inside the gates they're supposed to unlock
- The dragons look like ducks