Breakout (Atari 2600)

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Written by  :  RobinHud (73) Written on  :  Sep 28, 2005 Platform  :  Atari 2600 Rating  :

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Summary

Pong has evolved! Again!

The Good

We can see with this game that Atari has done some improvement in programming the games. Now we're going even further away from the original Pong. Whether you play alone or with up to 3 other players, the game is equally fun. I'm still surprised how such a simple game can offer so many hours of entertainment. Well, simple applies mostly to the concept. Because time, you can choose the angle of the bounce, though it's really not that easy to control. And if you get really good, you may decide to dig a hole through all the walls really early so you get points faster by accessing to the last wall and by having your ball bouncing up and down the upper screen for a while, IF you can handle having your paddle shorter right at the start... You may also optionally "catch the ball" so you can aim a little more, but I personally wasn't too excited about this feature. Not enough challenge I guess! This little game is a classic that many remembers and that concept has often been imitated since then.

The Bad

Even if the developers tried to offer variations on the game, the basic principle remains the same: you get to bounce the ball on a wall. Even if the wall optionally disappears, the gameplay is mainly the same. Nice try though! The graphics are quite basic, but at least, they are colorful and don't take away much of the pleasure. I cannot say the same for the beeps sounds that Atari kept as a trademark. But you can always turn it off...

The Bottom Line

The game is a more complex variation of good ol' Pong. Up your screen, you have several layers of brick walls. You have to bounce the ball on the walls with the help of your paddle. Each time you touch a brick, it disappears, allowing you to hit the next wall. After 8 hits, the ball goes faster. When you reach the last wall, your paddle shrinks to make it more difficult. The further the wall is, the more points you get. The angle of the pitch depends where the ball bounces on your paddle.