Josh Cating @joshcating

Ballblazer (Atari 7800)

Simple Game but Lots of Fun

The Good
The game was simple enough....a soccer-type game, set on the "grid", and played with robotic "rotofoils" . The music, based on some sort of fractal equation, was incredible (I can still hear it today, and I haven't played in 15 years). Large numbers of robot competition made it a challenge, even as I got progressively better

The Bad
This was my first game with split-screen graphics. That, coupled with the "rotosnap" (the rotofoil snaps 90 degrees to follow the ball, or, if the player has the ball, to face their goal line) made things a bit disorienting at first. The scoring system was a bit confusing as well. However, both of these could be overcome simply by familiarizing yourself with the game

The Bottom Line
Enjoyable.....worth playing

By Josh Cating on May 13, 2008

Tutankham (Atari 2600)

An Addicting and Amusing Game

The Good
My entire family was enchanted by this game, especially my father. It was an amusing illustration of ancient history, combined with a maze/shooter game, which made for enjoyable gameplay.

The Bad
The controls took some getting used to, making sure to press the joystick in the direction you wanted to fire, etc. Graphics were a bit limited. And the "beep-beep" of the explorer walking through the tomb got annoying after a while (especially when I was trying to sleep with my dad playing in the next room).

A further snag....After completing level four, you started over....the only appreciable difference from starting at the very beginning was that any lives/laser flashes used were not returned, You got one extra flash for completing all the levels, but it took me one to get the keys from both dungeon 3 and dungeon 4. Thus, I was using flashes faster than I replenished them, making it impossible for me to complete the fourth dungeon more than twice (when I got to that door a third time, I did not have the key).

The Bottom Line
Interesting way to learn history and have fun at the same time

By Josh Cating on May 13, 2008

Dan Kitchen's Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator (Atari 7800)

Probably the most advanced game on the system

The Good
This game hit roughly the same time "Top Gun" was popular on NES. I only had my 7800, though, so I requested this game for Xmas, thinking they'd be similar. However, Tomcat was FAR superior, in my opinion. Tomcat requires the player to take off and reach cruising altitude on his own, rather than having the computer do it, as on NES. It was necessary to use controls on the game console itself, to allow for actions such as raising and lowering landing gear. All action and shooting, however, was controlled by the joystick, and thus you never had to find a control to maneuver at a bad moment.

The Bad
The game was excellent; however, it had a few snags. The controls on the console forced the player to sit near it (and consequently, near the screen....how many times did my mother yell at me for that!). Also, there were controls to be learned that the game manual never covered, such as how to switch from missiles to machine guns. Also not mentioned in the manual....you had to cut thrusters after takeoff....if you didn't, you'd use up your fuel and wind up crashing into the ocean: not good! Also, unlike a real combat situation, you only had one enemy at a time. Finally, landing was difficult....I found the easiest way was to adjust my altitude to 65 ft, and simply coast in to the carrier at that altitude

The Bottom Line
Somewhat difficult to learn, but fun once you have mastered the basics. I recommend finding someone familiar with the game to teach you.

By Josh Cating on May 13, 2008