Vanguard

To my knowledge, there was only one other home version of Vanguard ever created, and that was for the Atari 5200 - and if you're looking for a home version of Vanguard that's close to the arcade, then go with the 5200 version. However, if you want a competent SHMUP for the VCS, and one that has a lot in common with the arcade Vanguard, then grab the VCS version. I enjoyed the VCS Vanguard immensely - in fact, I had no idea an arcade (or 5200) version even existed until just a few years ago. Even after playing the arcade and 5200 versions, I still find myself coming back to the VCS game. While not identical to the arcade, it's still quite fun to play - and that's what's really important in the end.

Vanguard is a superb shooter with great sound, a variety of enemy attacks and a very interesting color scheme. The 5200 version is an excellent port of the arcade sleeper, and the 2600 version, while still very good, loses the urgency and the detailed backdrops of the original. It feels a bit too sluggish, like piloting the River Raid jet through a molasses filled sky. Molasses reminds me of sugar, which reminds me of candy, which reminds me that I could really go for a SkyBar right about now, and, hey! Speaking of SkyBars, maybe I'll go plug another quarter into Vanguard while I'm at it!

Vanguard é um jogo de batalha aérea no qual sua habilidade de piloto é testada. São vários aviões inimigos que devem ser derrubados.

In all seriousness, this was high-class stuff in its day, and was definitely one of those titles that heralded things to come. Unfortunately, this version on the 2600 wasn't quite up to snuff with its earlier arcade counterpart. Whereas the arcade version offered a separate control function for the multidirectional shooting, the simplified home console version had the action simply mapped to whichever direction you pulled the main joystick. It's still fun, but definitely a little awkward.

This multi-directional-scrolling shooter lets you to shoot in four directions simultaneously, as you travel through a variety of "zones". I'm happy to say that Vanguard looks just like the arcade version. Unfortunately the gameplay begs for a real joystick, and the 5200 joystick just isn't up to the task. It feels extremely unresponsive, and it's difficult to get off a shot quickly in any particular direction. Fortunately, there's an option that will keep you shooting forward continuously (which helps a little bit). Another annoyance is the horrific carnival music that plays during the rainbow zone stages. Was that in the arcade version? It's appalling! Since when is carnival music cool? On a positive note, there are four selectable tunnels to keep the challenge high. But despite its good looks, poor control prevents Vanguard from being great.

Vanguard isn't a great shooter, but it's certainly original, and it'll give your arm one heck of a workout.