This sequel was one of the most anticipated sequels for the 2600 and
appeared in several catalogs. Sadly, this was all that most players would
hear of Combat Two for many decades. Fortunately, an in-progress prototype
was discovered a few years back and put onto cartridge so players could
finally find out what Atari had in mind. Probably one of the most familiar
titles to classic gamers, the original Combat came bundled with most of the
early VCS consoles and remains one of the most common games for the system.
It’s easy two-player gameplay held up well despite its somewhat blocky
graphics. While the premise is the same, there have been some changes. In
Combat Two, your mission remains to destroy the opposing tank before it can
destroy you. Unlike the first Combat, you now need several shots to destroy
an enemy, and each enemy has multiple lives, giving its scoring system a
more traditional arcade feel. The sequel aimed to build on the original game
in a number of interesting and innovative ways.
The terrain in C2 is more complex with destructible barriers that players
can destroy, grassy areas and rivers that slow players down and an entirely
new weapon, the guided missile that changes the strategy significantly. You
can only fire the missile when you’re located inside your base, located at
the opposing corners of the screen. Each time you fire the missile, it flies
towards your opponent and while they have a chance to get out of the way,
they usually take a hit. Once you fire a missile, you have to wait a few
moments to fire another one. Additionally, you can’t shoot it if your
opponent destroys your base. This gives Combat Two’s strategy a different
feel from the original game, making for a more complex and challenging
title. The game’s first two gameplay modes allow you to choose between
either standard blocky barriers which you can’t cross unless they’re
destroyed or trees which can also be destroyed, but can be traversed but at
a slower speed. These two modes stay fairly true to the original game, but
the biggest innovation in the sequel comes in its second type of mode, which
allows for customization.
Combat Two’s biggest change comes in allowing players to design and build
their own layouts before each round. Editing is quite simple, you move the
cursor around the screen and press the button to lay down a block, which
will then activate in the main game against your opponent. This is really
interesting and allows you to experiment with different approaches, maybe
ones with more open space to allow you to get right into the action, or fill
the screen with difficult barriers for your opponent to tackle. This is one
of the few 2600 titles that allows for customization and building your own
levels and is impressive in that aspect. Its easy to build levels and test
them almost instantly with another player. This approach gives the sequel
plenty of variety and replay value. Building your own levels makes the game
that much more interactive. Unfortunately, you can’t save your designs after
each round but it’s still an interesting addition to the game. These changes
definitely give Combat Two a different feel than its predecessor and make
for a deeper and involving title. It’s a bit slower and more thoughtful but
still packs some solid gameplay. It’s a shame that this one never came out,
since it would have been an innovative sequel that would have made a great
addition to the 2600 library.
Xevious – Atari 2600 Prototype
When it was released in 1983, Namco’s Xevious became an instant landmark for
its scrolling backgrounds, hidden areas and massive enemies. Structurally,
the game was a complex horizontal shooter for its time and presaged titles
like Gradius that would arrive several years later. Released by Atari
stateside in the arcades, it’s little surprise that the company was working
on a translation for the 2600, though it was never released commercially.
Emerging years later in this prototype form, the effort is impressive from a
technical standpoint and does an excellent job in bringing the essence of
the arcade game to life on the console. The game has you flying the famous
ship across the green fields as you battle waves of enemies across an alien
planet.
Most of these take the form of the familiar circular foes from the arcade
that can be dispatched in a single shot which come in both black and white
models. As you progress through the stages, you’ll find additional opponents
and battle against other foes. The screens change as you get further into
the game, and you fly over rivers which signal a new area and also serve as
checkpoints. One of the most important elements that separates Xevious from
its contemporaries is its use of a dual shooting mechanism. Instead of
shooting enemies on a single flat screen in 2D space, you also use bombs to
target ground-based opponents. It definitely feels like a scaled-down
version of the arcade game with its simplified play mechanics and blockier
graphics, but is still one of the more playable 2600 prototypes. It’s
definitely got a lot more depth to it than some much less complete titles,
such as the frustrating Tempest, which was seemingly less developed.
The controls are fairly straightforward, with players using a single button
to fire both standard shots and launch bombs. In this prototype version
tested, the bombs are also assigned to the button. As you fly, you’ll see a
field of two bars that close together to form the target area, which shows
where the bombs will land. Its fairly easy to understand, but it feels a
little clunky until you get used to it. This system isn’t as elegant as the
arcade game, but works in this context, and simplifies the game mechanics
somewhat. It plays very smoothly, with tight controls that make it easy to
maneuver your ship around the screen, escape enemy shots and drop bombs
Levels are fairly simplified from the arcade game and the game doesn’t prove
that terribly challenging. The stages seem to cycle and there are a limited
number of opponent types, such as the snake like foe that crawls across the
ground. It limits the game’s replay value through this may be a function of
a prototype that hasn’t been tweaked enough.
Graphically, Xevious follows the look and feel of the arcade game fairly
well, with scrolling backgrounds and the familiar, if simplified elements
such as the large phoenix recreated faithfully. There’s little of the
shakiness or glitches that you see in many scrolling shooters on the 2600
such as Espial, and the game’s scrolling is remarkably smooth. There are
some cool little details in this prototype, even the spinning grey barriers
from the arcade game are present. For an incomplete game, his is a fairly
impressive piece of work that could have benefited from additional polish.
Xevious shows a lot of potential and with a little bit more variety and
polish this title would have ended up as one of the better 2600 arcade
ports.
Elevator Action – Atari 2600 Prototype
Based on Taito’s hit game, Elevator Action was a remarkably faithful
translation of the arcade title from 1983. The gameplay should be
immediately familiar to anyone who played the game. You start as a secret
agent on a mission to retrieve secret documents from a building. You start
at the top and use elevators and escalators to get to the bottom of things.
You have to time this carefully and can’t go down empty shafts, so you have
to be careful or you lose a life. Each floor in the building has a series of
doors, most of which are blue in color. Occasionally, you’ll find a red one
that contains a secret document. You have to collect all of these on a stage
in order to move on, so you can’t skip them. Along the way, you’ll also
encounter other agents who are out to get you. They’ll fire shots at you in
order to stop your progress, but you can jump or crouch to avoid their
shots. The enemy agents aren’t nearly as aggressive as the arcade game and
won’t follow you onto elevators, but they can still fire on you unexpectedly
from behind closed doors so be careful. One of the more interesting things
taken from the arcade game is the ability to shoot out lights, which gives
you a little bit of additional cover. As for the action play mechanics, the
controls do an excellent job of recreating the feel of the arcade game, with
jumping, shooting and riding elevators working very much like the original
title. Elevator Action’s slightly slower pace and timing made it a good
choice for the 2600, though there are some problems that emerge with the
prototype.
The biggest thing you’ll probably notice is the game’s lack of sound effects
or music, which is a red flag that it wasn’t completed. While it’s annoying
at first, you can get used to it, perhaps our secret agent was penetrating
the building in stealth mode. The lack of polish is also evident in several
major glitches that show up during gameplay. The biggest of these comes when
the player is crouched down or jumping, where the enemy shots don’t harm
him, making it a bit too easy to escape attacking foes. The other bit flaw
you’ll probably notice is the uneven AI. Many of the agents seem to appear
out of nowhere and fire unexpectedly, which makes it had to get out of their
paths. Another problem comes with the elevators themselves, which move up
and down fairly quickly, but there are some points where it seems to take
them forever to arrive. This makes some floors an exercise in patience that
can become quite annoying. Players will also encounter other glitches in
this prototype such as the occasional garbled graphics that don’t effect
gameplay but give Elevator Action an uneven feel. The difficulty doesn’t
seem to change from one level to another, which makes it a bit repetitive
after you’ve seen the first stage.
Despite these flaws, this remains an enjoyable game that shows how much a
good programmer could get out of the 2600’s hardware. It’s a real shame that
so many elements in the game are missing or not implemented fully. This was
another unreleased arcade port from Atari, that was announced but never
released thanks to the infamous video game crash.
Elevator Action had the potential to be a solid title and would have
been an excellent translation had it been completed. Judging by the elements
that are present, its an interesting example that shows the potential of
what might have been.
Saboteur – Atari 2600 Prototype
The back story behind the creation of Saboteur is nearly as interesting as
the game itself. Developed by Howard Scott Warshaw, who also created Yars’
Revenge and E.T., Saboteur was the last game he developed for the 2600. As
happened to many promising titles, the ‘crash’ of 1983 scuttled the project
even though it was nearly complete. The game had a high degree of polish and
ambition, with three complete screens to traverse. Saboteur places you in
the role of
Hotbot, a space robot who lands on a planet where an evil race known as the
Quotile are building a massive rocket and its up to you to stop them. In the
first stage, you are placed in the center and have to shoot the other
creatures who are racing towards the rocket, building it up in stages as you
attempt to stop them. In addition, the famous Yars from that previous game
appear from time to time on the walkways, they also work to build the rocker
and you have to shoot them, or they’ll add pieces to the rocket, making your
mission that much more difficult to achieve.
On the other hand, you have the Gorfon creatures who take pieces from the
rocket and you have to avoid shooting them, which is very hard to do without
letting nearby robots go. If this doesn’t sound difficult enough, there’s a
robot at the top of the screen who’s shooting at you while targeting Gorfons
at the same time. Making it through this stage is difficult, but you can
even the odds by using diagonal shots to take out enemies and strategically
letting some pieces get through to protect the gorgons nearby. if you don’t
succeed, you’ll see the rocket launch and move to the next screen. On the
second stage, you move around the screen and try to avoid shots from the
Quotile Robot who chasing you around. At the bottom of the stage, you can
see pieces of the rocket moving around and you have to shoot them. However,
you can’t do this directly and have to bounce your shots off the robot and
hope they hit the targets below. If you destroy all the pieces before the
timer runs out, you’ll have won and return to the first stage. However, if
you don’t succeed, the robot will face off against the warhead in one final
battle.
This final stage is a solo battle against the warhead itself. The warhead
fires shots at you which you have to avoid while moving around and trying to
destroy it. This is easier than it sounds because the robot fires multiple
shots and moves quickly. When you face off against this final enemy, the
pressure mounts because it’s difficult to destroy, especially if you get to
the later levels. Destroying the warhead only delays their plans, because
once its destroyed, the Qoutiles begin the process anew and you return to
the first screen, where the action moves at a quicker pace. You have even
less room for error at the later stages and this is where the game becomes
more challenging for even good players. Saboteur’s structure is a bit more
complex and ambitious than most 2600 games, but that’s what makes it so
appealing. There’s none of the monotony that plagues most 2600 shooters
which gives it a strong replay value. Its controls are excellent and you
have plenty of maneuverability on the second and third stages. The bright,
colorful graphics use the console’s abilities effectively with excellent
animation and sprites. Watching the rocket lift-off the screen is a dramatic
and effective way that adds to game’s overall excitement and polish. The
sound effects are excellent and fit well with the overall mood of the game
which gives Saboteur plenty of polish
Overall, Saboteur’s ambitions are evident throughout and this
excellent action game would have been well-received had it been released.
Given its polished visuals, solid mechanics and exciting play, It’s a real
shame that Saboteur never came
out, but there’s a happy ending since it’s been released in cartridge rom
form and on many recent plug and play consoles. This makes it one of the few
‘lost classics’ accessible for most players. Playing the game today shows
that it has held up well thanks to its solid gameplay, multiple stages and
appealing visuals, making it a great addition to any classic player’s
library.
Sinistar – Atari 2600 Prototype
While it might seem improbable that the Atari 2600 could be home to a decent
translation of the intense arcade game, Sinistar proves that with a little
imagination, the feel and challenge of a much more complex machine can be
effectively transferred. Unfortunately, Sinistar was never released on the
2600, but a mostly complete prototype had been discovered along with several
other titles. For the long-time fan, Sinistar proves the 2600 was more than
capable in many ways. The game follows the basic structure of the arcade
game to a surprisingly faithful degree. The biggest compromise in this
version comes in the firing mechanism where you’re regular shots are placed
on automatic, with the fire button reserved for releasing bombs. It’s a
little hard to resist the temptation to fire some of these off at first, but
once you get the hang of things and learn not to fire accidentally, the
rhythms and pacing are excellent.
You begin flying in open space, looking for and shooting meteorites that
release the Sinibombs encased in them when destroyed. You have to look out
for workers, who are also looking to mine the rocks, for their own reasons.
There are also gunners who are firing at you. Destroying these and
collecting as many bombs as you can is essential. While you are in combat,
the workers are also busy constructing the Sinistar itself. Once built, the
tone of Sinistar changes completely as an ominous monotone roar fills the
screen and the chase begins. Looking at your radar, you can see where the
Sinistar, which helps you plan your attacks and escape. However, it can see
you and charges towards your position relentlessly.
Once engaged, your only option against it is to release the Sinibombs and
hope they destroy a piece of the Sinistar. This is where those bombs you’ve
been collecting come into play. You can collect up to 20 at a time and since
it only takes 18 successful shots to completely destroy the Sinistar itself
this should be a piece of cake. However, it’s tricky to land these attacks
successfully since the boss is in constant motion and you have to shoot from
behind. An effective strategy is to goad the boss into a position parallel
to yours and run away, shooting bombs as you escape its path. This isn’t as
easy as it sounds and makes the playing game and surviving the Sinistar’s
attacks surprisingly difficult and challenging.
You’ll probably use all your initial rounds during your encounters and will
have to collect more while the Sinistar is active, which makes things even
harder. It will probably take most players multiple attempts before they’re
able to destroy the Sinistar for the first time, but its definitely a
satisfying accomplishment. Visually, the game is well-done by 2600
standards, with a clean-look to the playfield that’s stable and colorful,
though the Sinistar itself is a little blocky. Sound effects are good, with
ominous pulsing when the Sinistar appears as the main highlight. Controls
are fairly fluid with steering and movement very nicely done. Overall, this
prototype is nicely polished and feels almost complete, and would fit in
well with other late-period arcade translations on the 2600 such as Galaxian
and
Phoenix.
The biggest drawback to Sinistar is that it can be frustrating if you’re not
up to the challenge, but Sinistar rewards persistent players with fast-paced
space shooter that delivers some of the best play action on the 2600.
