Sorry for not posting in awhile. I had to take my "1,001 Video Games" copy back to the library. I intend to buy a copy, but until I do, I will play a few Breakout games, since Breakout is the next game on the list. First is the original Breakout for the Atari 2600.
I wanted to note beforehand, that unless one owns an actual Breakout arcade machine, playing the original version of the game is pretty much impossible. Breakout was programmed with discrete logic, rather than via a microprocessor. What I'm saying is that as a result, games that don't use processors cannot be emulated. As it is, there were not many versions of the original Breakout that were ported. The most well known was for the Atari 2600, and I played it using the Atari Anthology for the original XBox.
When I think of Breakout, I usually think of the more modern games like Arkanoid, Brickbreaker, and others. Playing Breakout was taking a huge step backwards in time, as I'd not played it in many, many years. And with the exception of Pong, you cannot get more simple than Breakout. I immediately noticed differences. For one, you do not take out one brick at a time, but rather, there are rows of bricks that your ball must hit, one by one. Ideally, you should try to hit the ball towards the far right or left, so that the ball gets trapped in the top area, but this is often easier said than done. When you hit certain bricks, the ball veers quickly and wildly, making it difficult to reach it in time.
Almost needless to say, the graphics and sound are very basic. And so is the gameplay. Arkanoid pioneered the use of new elements to the Breakout experience (multiple balls, lasers, other power-ups), and this game was years before Arkanoid. The variants that can be utilized don't add much to the experience, although I thought the "invisible" mode was kind of cool. I did not use a paddle controller, but the Xbox 360 controller was serviceable, although I highly recommend using the digital pad to move your paddle; the analog stick is way too loose and I had lost many balls before switching to digital.
In the end, this game held my attention for awhile, which is more than I can say for Pong. Not to say that Pong is bad, quite the contrary, but Breakout is more of a single-player affair, whereas Pong was always more of a multiplayer experience. But it does lose its appeal after a time; I started gaming in around the mid to late 80s, and I tend to struggle holding my attention when it comes to playing games released before that time (there are a few exceptions, most notably Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga).
Included below are videos of the original arcade version of Breakout, and a review of the 2600 version. I was impressed with how the arcade version looked; also, the bricks are separate, rather than long colored rows like the 2600 version. However, it's actually black and write, with color overlays placed where the bricks are located.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Oregon Trail (1975 Version)
I promised that I'd get back to The Oregon Trail, and I am a man of my word. It was kind of mysterious to me that The Oregon Trail was the 1st game listed in the book "1,001 Video Games to Play Before You Die", even before Pong. This is because it was originally released in 1971. A few student teachers at a Minnesota college, as part of their history class, wrote a computer program using an early variant of BASIC to help teach the class. This program, of course, was Oregon Trail.
I actually found, via Wikipedia, a very interesting blog in which the blogger tries to track down the earliest known version of Oregon Trail to have existed. The original version was up on the college network until the end of the semester, and it was then deleted. The creator printed out a copy of the original source code, but unfortunately, the whereabouts of that source code are no longer known.
However, a friend of the blogger was able to find a tape copy of a program simply entitled "Oregon" at a school, dated 1975. Upon loading the program up, it turned out to be a version of "Oregon Trail" dated 1975, three years earlier of the earliest known version said to have existed prior to that point. I found it really cool that a few people were that passionate about the game and about the past of computing.
But have my feelings changed on playing Oregon Trail for the first time in many years, especially since it is the first copy now known to be in existence? Sadly, no. First, there are no graphics whatsoever, unlike the one you probably played in elementary school. Just purely text-oriented, as basic as it gets. Not to say that I mind this. I have a fond affinity for some text-based games I used to play, key among those being "Zork". But those games were pretty much like interactive novels.
A key frustration I always had with this game, and this early version is no different, is the lack of control that you have. You start the game with approximately $700, and you have to allocate so much to clothing, oxen, food, ammo, etc. After that, the events that happen to you seem entirely random. After each day, or turn, you can choose to hunt, stop at a port if available (to buy food and supplies), or continue your journey. If you hunt, you must type the word "bang" very quickly. And I do mean, quickly. I can touch-type very fast (between 90 and 100 WPM), and was able to successfully kill an animal for food once. I cannot guess why that is, maybe because I was playing on a computer screen, rather than via teletype (typewriter) as the game was originally designed?
But anyway, regardless of what you choose, some big event may happen to you and your travelers that you may or may not survive. The first time I played, I had gotten relatively far; I believe you must successfully complete 18 days or turns in order to "win" the game. But on later occasions, I survived maybe 3 or 4 days before perishing.
I plan on trying out later versions of the game as I progress through the games in the book. But so far, I really doubt that my feelings will change. In order to play either the 1975 or 1978 version, you must open a command prompt window (if you're using Windows, this should be under Accessories) and type in a teletype command. The blog I linked to has further instructions. And one more interesting item of note: the famous "you have died of dysentery" line did not come up in the series until later when it came out on the Apple II.
This Youtube video is a very cool look into the history of The Oregon Trail.
I actually found, via Wikipedia, a very interesting blog in which the blogger tries to track down the earliest known version of Oregon Trail to have existed. The original version was up on the college network until the end of the semester, and it was then deleted. The creator printed out a copy of the original source code, but unfortunately, the whereabouts of that source code are no longer known.
However, a friend of the blogger was able to find a tape copy of a program simply entitled "Oregon" at a school, dated 1975. Upon loading the program up, it turned out to be a version of "Oregon Trail" dated 1975, three years earlier of the earliest known version said to have existed prior to that point. I found it really cool that a few people were that passionate about the game and about the past of computing.
But have my feelings changed on playing Oregon Trail for the first time in many years, especially since it is the first copy now known to be in existence? Sadly, no. First, there are no graphics whatsoever, unlike the one you probably played in elementary school. Just purely text-oriented, as basic as it gets. Not to say that I mind this. I have a fond affinity for some text-based games I used to play, key among those being "Zork". But those games were pretty much like interactive novels.
A key frustration I always had with this game, and this early version is no different, is the lack of control that you have. You start the game with approximately $700, and you have to allocate so much to clothing, oxen, food, ammo, etc. After that, the events that happen to you seem entirely random. After each day, or turn, you can choose to hunt, stop at a port if available (to buy food and supplies), or continue your journey. If you hunt, you must type the word "bang" very quickly. And I do mean, quickly. I can touch-type very fast (between 90 and 100 WPM), and was able to successfully kill an animal for food once. I cannot guess why that is, maybe because I was playing on a computer screen, rather than via teletype (typewriter) as the game was originally designed?
But anyway, regardless of what you choose, some big event may happen to you and your travelers that you may or may not survive. The first time I played, I had gotten relatively far; I believe you must successfully complete 18 days or turns in order to "win" the game. But on later occasions, I survived maybe 3 or 4 days before perishing.
I plan on trying out later versions of the game as I progress through the games in the book. But so far, I really doubt that my feelings will change. In order to play either the 1975 or 1978 version, you must open a command prompt window (if you're using Windows, this should be under Accessories) and type in a teletype command. The blog I linked to has further instructions. And one more interesting item of note: the famous "you have died of dysentery" line did not come up in the series until later when it came out on the Apple II.
This Youtube video is a very cool look into the history of The Oregon Trail.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Windjammers
There don't seem to be that many variants of Pong out there, at least, the kind that put a twist or two on that pioneering game. But I have saved the best for last. Windjammers was a game for the Neo-Geo in the mid 90's; I remember having it for a brief time when I bought a Neo-Geo CD a long time ago. Regretfully, I ended up selling it and the games that came with it. I remember playing it a few times and enjoying it, but did not really appreciate how great it really is until I tried it again in my journey to play all these games as part of the blog.
It certainly has a Neo-Geo flavor; like the other two games I reviewed, Bang Bead and Battle Flip Shot, it's kind of a meld between Pong and a fighting game (the latter in terms of presentation) but Windjammers pulls it off much more successfully than the other two, and it's incredible considering the other two were released years after Windjammers.
You use a flying disc and can throw it in 8 different directions; the disc can either fly directly towards your opponent or it will bounce and ricochet off the walls surrounding the field. Some stages will have barriers in the middle of the field, adding an extra element of challenge. The disc will continously increase in speed until a goal is scored, causing the loser to throw the next disc. There are yellow and pink zones; the yellow is worth 3 points and the pink is worth 5. Also, letting a disc fall to the ground is worth 2 points to your opponent.
There are many kinds of throws you can do. In addition to a normal throw, you can curve it, toss it up in the air, power throw, special throw (these two require a power charge) and counter. The special moves require SF 2 type moves to execute, but they add some spice to the proceedings (for example, setting the disc on fire). There are 2 sets that last around 30 seconds each, making for fast-paced contests. There are six players to choose from, and six courts available for play
Incredibly, I thought the graphics were more colorful and had more variety than either BFS or Bang Bead, which is impressive given that the latter were released in the late 90's. The sound is nothing to write home about, but you'll probably like it if you like Neo Geo games (or arcade games from the 90's). The high point for me was the gameplay. Windjammers is a very easy game to just pick up and play, and I never felt overwhelmed by what was going on. You can actually defeat the AI opponent pretty easily, unlike in Battle Flip Shot. But it still poses a challenge.
I am pretty envious at those who have a good friend who they could potentially play this with, as it has been certified by numerous reviewers that the game absolutely shines in two-player mode. But I found going solo was really fun as well. I would not only recommend this game, but would go as far as to say that the compilers of the "1,001 Video Games..." dropped the ball by not including this on the list. The only Neo-Geo games I noticed on the list were some of the fighting games, but they did a lot more than that.
It's a real shame that outside of emulators and actually owning a Neo-Geo console (or the arcade hardware), it's really difficult to be able to experience Windjammers. It's available on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, but only in Japan. One would think it would be a relatively simple matter to make it available to American users of the Wii via download; the only thing I could think stopping that would be rights issues. But if you can find a copy, by all means pick it up.
It certainly has a Neo-Geo flavor; like the other two games I reviewed, Bang Bead and Battle Flip Shot, it's kind of a meld between Pong and a fighting game (the latter in terms of presentation) but Windjammers pulls it off much more successfully than the other two, and it's incredible considering the other two were released years after Windjammers.
You use a flying disc and can throw it in 8 different directions; the disc can either fly directly towards your opponent or it will bounce and ricochet off the walls surrounding the field. Some stages will have barriers in the middle of the field, adding an extra element of challenge. The disc will continously increase in speed until a goal is scored, causing the loser to throw the next disc. There are yellow and pink zones; the yellow is worth 3 points and the pink is worth 5. Also, letting a disc fall to the ground is worth 2 points to your opponent.
There are many kinds of throws you can do. In addition to a normal throw, you can curve it, toss it up in the air, power throw, special throw (these two require a power charge) and counter. The special moves require SF 2 type moves to execute, but they add some spice to the proceedings (for example, setting the disc on fire). There are 2 sets that last around 30 seconds each, making for fast-paced contests. There are six players to choose from, and six courts available for play
Incredibly, I thought the graphics were more colorful and had more variety than either BFS or Bang Bead, which is impressive given that the latter were released in the late 90's. The sound is nothing to write home about, but you'll probably like it if you like Neo Geo games (or arcade games from the 90's). The high point for me was the gameplay. Windjammers is a very easy game to just pick up and play, and I never felt overwhelmed by what was going on. You can actually defeat the AI opponent pretty easily, unlike in Battle Flip Shot. But it still poses a challenge.
I am pretty envious at those who have a good friend who they could potentially play this with, as it has been certified by numerous reviewers that the game absolutely shines in two-player mode. But I found going solo was really fun as well. I would not only recommend this game, but would go as far as to say that the compilers of the "1,001 Video Games..." dropped the ball by not including this on the list. The only Neo-Geo games I noticed on the list were some of the fighting games, but they did a lot more than that.
It's a real shame that outside of emulators and actually owning a Neo-Geo console (or the arcade hardware), it's really difficult to be able to experience Windjammers. It's available on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, but only in Japan. One would think it would be a relatively simple matter to make it available to American users of the Wii via download; the only thing I could think stopping that would be rights issues. But if you can find a copy, by all means pick it up.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Plasma Pong
I didn't think that much can be done with the premise of "Pong", just some slight refinements here and there via a few games. Boy, was I proven wrong! "Plasma Pong" was an indie game, done by one person, that was released a few years ago (2007, I believe). It is free to download for PC.
Plasma Pong is basically Pong, with paddles, ball, and black screen. But there is one key factor that influences the gameplay significantly, and makes it into almost a completely different game. The field between your paddle and your opponent's is a field of plasma, that can be molded and manipulated via your paddle. Your paddle (and your opponent's) can be used to shoot plasma, which influences the direction of the ball. This causes the ball to go into wildly divergent patterns, and there are often times when the ball will fly into the plasma made by your opponent, causing the ball you just shot to come flying right back at you. You can also use the plasma to suck the ball into your paddle and release a shockwave that will send the ball speeding towards your opponent.
The game is not a best of 10 or 11 set as in regular Pong, but every time you get the ball past your opponent, you advance to the next level, where the plasma becomes even more plentiful on the field and it becomes harder to determine the path of the ball. You get 10 lives, and lose one when a ball slips by you.
The graphics are pretty amazing. The plasma that is shot quickly turns the black screen into a cavalcade of vibrant colors. Potheads could really appreciate this game. During gameplay, pressing 1-9 can alter various graphical elements of the game, including 3D, plasma shading and temperature, creating even more graphic variations. The music is an orchestral/dance hybrid of some kind, and you can hear its tempo speed up every time you go to the next level.
There is also another mode called Sandbox that lets you tamper with the graphical effects of the game without having to play it. This is good if you just want to sit back and treat yourself to a light show.
The only issue that I have with the game is that I wish it had gamepad support. It only supports the mouse, and I found that using it tightened the control up more than it should have been. Maybe a trackball mouse would work better with this game. Other than that, I have to wholeheartedly recommend it, especially since it's free to download.
(Note: The developer, Stephen Taylor, closed the website promoting the game [www.plasmapong.com} due to its infringing on the Pong trademark. There is a note on the website promising an update of the game, along with another new game from Mr. Taylor, but neither seems to have materialized; the notice was published in 2008. It's a shame, because it is a very good game.)
Plasma Pong is basically Pong, with paddles, ball, and black screen. But there is one key factor that influences the gameplay significantly, and makes it into almost a completely different game. The field between your paddle and your opponent's is a field of plasma, that can be molded and manipulated via your paddle. Your paddle (and your opponent's) can be used to shoot plasma, which influences the direction of the ball. This causes the ball to go into wildly divergent patterns, and there are often times when the ball will fly into the plasma made by your opponent, causing the ball you just shot to come flying right back at you. You can also use the plasma to suck the ball into your paddle and release a shockwave that will send the ball speeding towards your opponent.
The game is not a best of 10 or 11 set as in regular Pong, but every time you get the ball past your opponent, you advance to the next level, where the plasma becomes even more plentiful on the field and it becomes harder to determine the path of the ball. You get 10 lives, and lose one when a ball slips by you.
The graphics are pretty amazing. The plasma that is shot quickly turns the black screen into a cavalcade of vibrant colors. Potheads could really appreciate this game. During gameplay, pressing 1-9 can alter various graphical elements of the game, including 3D, plasma shading and temperature, creating even more graphic variations. The music is an orchestral/dance hybrid of some kind, and you can hear its tempo speed up every time you go to the next level.
There is also another mode called Sandbox that lets you tamper with the graphical effects of the game without having to play it. This is good if you just want to sit back and treat yourself to a light show.
The only issue that I have with the game is that I wish it had gamepad support. It only supports the mouse, and I found that using it tightened the control up more than it should have been. Maybe a trackball mouse would work better with this game. Other than that, I have to wholeheartedly recommend it, especially since it's free to download.
(Note: The developer, Stephen Taylor, closed the website promoting the game [www.plasmapong.com} due to its infringing on the Pong trademark. There is a note on the website promising an update of the game, along with another new game from Mr. Taylor, but neither seems to have materialized; the notice was published in 2008. It's a shame, because it is a very good game.)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Battle Flip Shot/Bang Bead
As part of my overview of Pong, I also planned to look at some of the few variations over the years on the game. I guess there's only so much you can do with the core theme. I came upon a couple of games from the Neo-Geo era called Battle Flip Shot and Bang Bead (Bang Bead came out a couple of years after Battle Flip Shot and was from the same company). As far as I know, these games were only released in Japan. One disclaimer I should give before proceeding is that I always do single-player in these games. I do feel that these types of games would probably be a lot of fun with two people, and my impressions of these games are solely based on the single-player experience. Let's look at BFS first.
Battle Flip Shot tries to integrate Pong with Street Fighter II. The first thing you do after inserting the coin is choose from 5 different characters. Then you go to an arena-type field, equipped with a shield, which you use to hit the ball back. Your goal is to hit the targets behind the opponent. When the last target is hit, you win the round and move on to the next (each level is 2 out of 3 rounds, just like any fighting game). Of course, you must protect your targets as well.
This game is very fast. Unlike Pong, you can also move forward and backward, in addition to left and right. The A button gives you a more powerful shot, and the B button lets you slide. To be honest, I really didn't see much of a difference in using these buttons, and feel the game can usually be played by just moving the pad to hit the ball. Obviously, for a late 90's title, the graphics are much better than Pong, but certainly not revolutionary. If anything, I found the graphics a little behind the curve, and they could have been pulled off on a Super Nintendo without too much difficulty. The music isn't anything outstanding, but will make you feel right at home if you're used to playing Neo Geo/arcade games.
The only caveat I have with this game is that it can be very difficult. The ball moves really fast, and you must always be on your toes if you hope to win. The AI also has some quirks. For most of the game, it's relatively easy to bash its targets, but when you're down to the last one, the AI suddenly becomes very stubborn and will protect that last target like its child. A lot of times, I'd have 3 or 4 targets to the computer's one, and I'd end up losing out of the computer's fierce defense in protecting that last target. For that reason, the game would probably be preferable with two people.
Bang Bead is pretty much the same as Battle Flip Shot, with a few differences. The graphics are slightly better. There are more characters (7 characters, along with two hidden ones). There is more variety in the backgrounds. The only gameplay difference I noticed was that after hitting the targets (9 stars), the round isn't won, but the force field behind the targets will break, which means that placing a shot behind your opponent will lead to a win. There is also a super attack that can be filled up via a gauge. Hitting the A button for attack seemed to make a difference in the gameplay, unlike BFS. Like BFS, the gameplay is very fast, and I found the AI slightly easier this time around. Again, I'd imagine that this is a gameplay experience that would be superior with two people.
Battle Flip Shot tries to integrate Pong with Street Fighter II. The first thing you do after inserting the coin is choose from 5 different characters. Then you go to an arena-type field, equipped with a shield, which you use to hit the ball back. Your goal is to hit the targets behind the opponent. When the last target is hit, you win the round and move on to the next (each level is 2 out of 3 rounds, just like any fighting game). Of course, you must protect your targets as well.
This game is very fast. Unlike Pong, you can also move forward and backward, in addition to left and right. The A button gives you a more powerful shot, and the B button lets you slide. To be honest, I really didn't see much of a difference in using these buttons, and feel the game can usually be played by just moving the pad to hit the ball. Obviously, for a late 90's title, the graphics are much better than Pong, but certainly not revolutionary. If anything, I found the graphics a little behind the curve, and they could have been pulled off on a Super Nintendo without too much difficulty. The music isn't anything outstanding, but will make you feel right at home if you're used to playing Neo Geo/arcade games.
The only caveat I have with this game is that it can be very difficult. The ball moves really fast, and you must always be on your toes if you hope to win. The AI also has some quirks. For most of the game, it's relatively easy to bash its targets, but when you're down to the last one, the AI suddenly becomes very stubborn and will protect that last target like its child. A lot of times, I'd have 3 or 4 targets to the computer's one, and I'd end up losing out of the computer's fierce defense in protecting that last target. For that reason, the game would probably be preferable with two people.
Bang Bead is pretty much the same as Battle Flip Shot, with a few differences. The graphics are slightly better. There are more characters (7 characters, along with two hidden ones). There is more variety in the backgrounds. The only gameplay difference I noticed was that after hitting the targets (9 stars), the round isn't won, but the force field behind the targets will break, which means that placing a shot behind your opponent will lead to a win. There is also a super attack that can be filled up via a gauge. Hitting the A button for attack seemed to make a difference in the gameplay, unlike BFS. Like BFS, the gameplay is very fast, and I found the AI slightly easier this time around. Again, I'd imagine that this is a gameplay experience that would be superior with two people.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Pong: The Next Level
There is only one official update that was made of Pong (unless you count the numerous spinoffs of the original arcade game, which are pretty much the same anyway), and that was a version released in 1999 by Hasbro. During this time, modern updates of several classics such as Missile Command, Q-Bert, Asteroids, etc. were put out for the Playstation One and several other consoles. I recently bought that version of Pong and tried it out, for this blog.
My initial impressions were very good. I really enjoyed the presentation; the audio in particular really takes you back to the day. It just has a very old-school flavor, and I liked some of the updates that were made, such as the paddles having a personality. Then I played the game. The first few stages were pretty good, and I liked how you could advance through different stages (such as a arctic ice cap, a soccer field, and so forth) with different goals in each stage. However, a few kinks soon became apparent to me.
The first is the control. I don't know if I agree with the Classic Game Room's Youtube review that a paddle was needed to play the game (although it would have been preferable), but the controls certainly could have been tightened. There were many times I'd only slightly move the analog stick on my PS3 to minutely move my paddle to hit the ball, but the paddle would veer beyond that and I'd lose the ball, and a point would be gained for my opponent.
However, my biggest problem with the game is that I felt the developer was too ambitious for the game's own good. By the soccer stage, I was already struggling with the concept of moving two paddles (one for the kicker, other for the goalie), and by the time I got to the clown stage, I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do. Granted, I am not the best gamer in the world, not by a long shot, and I'm sure there are others who played the game who had no trouble. But I think the game would have benefited with a "less is more" approach.
I came away with a favorable opinion of the way that "Pong" was presented in the Atari Evolved game for the PSP, because not only did it come with the original game, but also with several "evolved" updates, such as Air Hockey and Pinball. These updates retained the same gameplay of the original, but updated the graphics and sound to make it more appealing to the present-day gamer. I think that approach would have been more beneficial to this game. Rather, the developers came up with a lot of different stages where there was a lot going on and where I came away confused. That, combined with the loose controls, led me to make this a hard one to recommend. To me, classic gaming (and Pong certainly symbolizes that) is all about simplicity, and this game fell short in that regard.
If you still want to play it, you can get the game for dirt cheap; to my chagrin, I found out that it was on the Playstation Network (I could have downloaded it to my PSP rather than buying the CD). But I don't think being able to play it on a handheld would have led me to change my impression of the game. I will probably keep at this game out of sheer stubborness, but I doubt my feelings on it will change.
My initial impressions were very good. I really enjoyed the presentation; the audio in particular really takes you back to the day. It just has a very old-school flavor, and I liked some of the updates that were made, such as the paddles having a personality. Then I played the game. The first few stages were pretty good, and I liked how you could advance through different stages (such as a arctic ice cap, a soccer field, and so forth) with different goals in each stage. However, a few kinks soon became apparent to me.
The first is the control. I don't know if I agree with the Classic Game Room's Youtube review that a paddle was needed to play the game (although it would have been preferable), but the controls certainly could have been tightened. There were many times I'd only slightly move the analog stick on my PS3 to minutely move my paddle to hit the ball, but the paddle would veer beyond that and I'd lose the ball, and a point would be gained for my opponent.
However, my biggest problem with the game is that I felt the developer was too ambitious for the game's own good. By the soccer stage, I was already struggling with the concept of moving two paddles (one for the kicker, other for the goalie), and by the time I got to the clown stage, I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do. Granted, I am not the best gamer in the world, not by a long shot, and I'm sure there are others who played the game who had no trouble. But I think the game would have benefited with a "less is more" approach.
I came away with a favorable opinion of the way that "Pong" was presented in the Atari Evolved game for the PSP, because not only did it come with the original game, but also with several "evolved" updates, such as Air Hockey and Pinball. These updates retained the same gameplay of the original, but updated the graphics and sound to make it more appealing to the present-day gamer. I think that approach would have been more beneficial to this game. Rather, the developers came up with a lot of different stages where there was a lot going on and where I came away confused. That, combined with the loose controls, led me to make this a hard one to recommend. To me, classic gaming (and Pong certainly symbolizes that) is all about simplicity, and this game fell short in that regard.
If you still want to play it, you can get the game for dirt cheap; to my chagrin, I found out that it was on the Playstation Network (I could have downloaded it to my PSP rather than buying the CD). But I don't think being able to play it on a handheld would have led me to change my impression of the game. I will probably keep at this game out of sheer stubborness, but I doubt my feelings on it will change.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Pong
Ahhh, Pong, the 2nd game in the book. There is no denying the influence that Pong had on gaming; while it isn't the first video game, it was the first game to really enter the mainstream. The success of Pong led to Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, etc. A case can be made that if it were not for Pong, video gaming as we know it today might not exist.
Most people have probably played Pong, even if only once in their lives for a few minutes. And honestly, that's all the time you need. For while Pong is no doubt an iconic video game, the first successful commercially released video game, it is very simple to a fault and one can get bored with it very quickly. Peter Molyneux, the guy who's designed such games as Populous, Syndicate, Black & White, and many more games, wrote the preface to the book. In it, he says that he bought a Pong console back in the 70's (yes, some of the first gaming consoles that were sold only had one game, such as Pong, and you could not buy other game cartridges). He took it home and became bored within a half hour.
Pong has been released in several video game compilations over the years, including Atari Anthology and the Atari Flashback 2 console, which comes pre-installed with many 2600 games. I own these, but I have revisited Pong via my PSP and the Atari Classics Evolved game.
This is a cool little compilation. You get 11 classic Atari arcade games (in addition to Pong, also Battlezone, Centipede, Tempest, etc.) and also what are called "evolved" versions. These versions have updated graphics and sound. I started with the original Pong. I forgot how hard it can be, because the paddles are so small. In addition, it's almost required to use the standard directional buttons, as the analog "nub" on the PSP is awful. And games in those days used paddle controllers, so a decent analog control could have made all the difference. I ended up getting my ass kicked by the computer in pretty much every game I played, to be honest. And it's Pong, so the graphics and sound are very minimal, but it's a game that's worth spending a few minutes with now and again.
But what are really cool are the "evolved" modes of the game. Pong has four. The first is Ping Pong mode, with a nice-looking overhead view of a tennis table (the pong paddles are now rackets) and tennis sounds as the ball is hit. The second is pinball mode, which looks kind of like a pinball table. The third, and my personal favorite is Air Hockey. This changes things up a bit, by switching the perspective to a vertical one (and you have to adjust your PSP and play it that way). I love air hockey, and the graphics and sound make it almost feel like the real thing; my only gripe is that you can't move up and down like in real air hockey, only left-right, but I guess they wanted to keep it in the spirit of Pong. The final mode is Neoclassic mode, which is basically regular Pong only with a grey background (rather than the black of the original), slightly bigger yellow paddles, a glowing yellow ball, and some additional sound effects.
I think that if you want to play Pong, and happen to have a PSP, Atari Classics Evolved is probably the way to go. Not only do you get an emulated version of the original Pong, you get these very cool modes of the game that I found far more appealing to play than the actual Pong.
Sorry for not being more frequent when it comes to playing these games, my schedule's been a bit messed up lately. My next post will talk about an updated sequel to Pong that was made in the late 90's for the Playstation, which I'm playing now. Also, I've never really uploaded videos, but I can't seem to find any videos on Youtube for the evolved modes of Pong, so I'll look into getting some kind of camera eventually, so I can post the videos here.
Most people have probably played Pong, even if only once in their lives for a few minutes. And honestly, that's all the time you need. For while Pong is no doubt an iconic video game, the first successful commercially released video game, it is very simple to a fault and one can get bored with it very quickly. Peter Molyneux, the guy who's designed such games as Populous, Syndicate, Black & White, and many more games, wrote the preface to the book. In it, he says that he bought a Pong console back in the 70's (yes, some of the first gaming consoles that were sold only had one game, such as Pong, and you could not buy other game cartridges). He took it home and became bored within a half hour.
Pong has been released in several video game compilations over the years, including Atari Anthology and the Atari Flashback 2 console, which comes pre-installed with many 2600 games. I own these, but I have revisited Pong via my PSP and the Atari Classics Evolved game.
This is a cool little compilation. You get 11 classic Atari arcade games (in addition to Pong, also Battlezone, Centipede, Tempest, etc.) and also what are called "evolved" versions. These versions have updated graphics and sound. I started with the original Pong. I forgot how hard it can be, because the paddles are so small. In addition, it's almost required to use the standard directional buttons, as the analog "nub" on the PSP is awful. And games in those days used paddle controllers, so a decent analog control could have made all the difference. I ended up getting my ass kicked by the computer in pretty much every game I played, to be honest. And it's Pong, so the graphics and sound are very minimal, but it's a game that's worth spending a few minutes with now and again.
But what are really cool are the "evolved" modes of the game. Pong has four. The first is Ping Pong mode, with a nice-looking overhead view of a tennis table (the pong paddles are now rackets) and tennis sounds as the ball is hit. The second is pinball mode, which looks kind of like a pinball table. The third, and my personal favorite is Air Hockey. This changes things up a bit, by switching the perspective to a vertical one (and you have to adjust your PSP and play it that way). I love air hockey, and the graphics and sound make it almost feel like the real thing; my only gripe is that you can't move up and down like in real air hockey, only left-right, but I guess they wanted to keep it in the spirit of Pong. The final mode is Neoclassic mode, which is basically regular Pong only with a grey background (rather than the black of the original), slightly bigger yellow paddles, a glowing yellow ball, and some additional sound effects.
I think that if you want to play Pong, and happen to have a PSP, Atari Classics Evolved is probably the way to go. Not only do you get an emulated version of the original Pong, you get these very cool modes of the game that I found far more appealing to play than the actual Pong.
Sorry for not being more frequent when it comes to playing these games, my schedule's been a bit messed up lately. My next post will talk about an updated sequel to Pong that was made in the late 90's for the Playstation, which I'm playing now. Also, I've never really uploaded videos, but I can't seem to find any videos on Youtube for the evolved modes of Pong, so I'll look into getting some kind of camera eventually, so I can post the videos here.
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