Page 32 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #39 FREE Edition

Bob Smith for Atari. This version does not emulate the vector graphics of the arcade but, rather, uses traditional raster graphics. Despite this change, the game was 8 KB in size and it
was the first 2600 game to use bank switching. The programmers took advantage of the 2600's ability to display colors and made the asteroids display various different colors, something that was an improvement over the arcade original. With
blue, orange, and yellow asteroids displayed on a black background, the asteroids look fantastic. It should be noted that this is among the
few early 2600 games that used a black background. The score is also displayed in red and the player’s ship is also colored in a red-orange tone. Unlike the arcade, here you control your ship using the 2600's joystick. Pushing the joystick to either side turns the ship right or left, pulling back activates hyperspace, and the fire button shoots the ship’s lasers.
If you own a Starplex controller, you can play the game using buttons only to better emulate the arcade experience. This port doesn’t just replicate the arcade gameplay, it has 66 variations to choose from and
it even has features that were not found on the original arcade game! You can even use a shield or have an immediate 180-degree turn! Audio
is also top notch for this port, with a “beating heart” sound that gets faster as the game advances. The laser
fire, the explosions, and the saucers also sound great. The controls work very well and make this port not only excellent, but also one that expands on the original gameplay.
So, how can such an excellent game be improved? Well, you’ll have to speak with the folks at SpiceWare! Programmed by Darrell Spice, Jr. with sounds effects by Bob DeCrescenzo, and graphics by Nathan Strum, Space Rocks take the Asteroids formula to the next level on the 2600. The game has multiple options that the player can select using a menu of options. These include: one or two players, head-to-head or cooperative two player modes, vector or solid graphic styles, multicolor rocks or one of
16 monochrome color themes, four difficulty levels (Kids, Easy, Normal, and Hard), shields, hyperspace or 180 degree turn when you press down
on the controller, friction, bonus life (5K, 10K, 20K or disabled), or Magna- Mines (on or off). If you enjoyed the original Asteroids, Space Rocks will be a thrill!
ATARI 5200/8-BIT
Though the Atari 5200 never saw
an official release of Asteroids, the 8-Bit computers did. An identical port was developed in 1982 for the 5200 using the Atari 8-Bit version but it was never released (though it is available online). Both versions
are pretty much identical, so details on one are pretty much the same for the other. Programmed by Tod Frye, this port does not emulate the vector graphics. It uses raster graphics but, unlike the 2600 port, it does not use multi-colored asteroids. The asteroids are all blue in color while the ship
and the score are a dark green. The flying saucers are rendered in an orange color that does contrast well with the black background, though. You can shoot just fine and all the game mechanics are here. The game has several options, including up to four players, cooperative
or competitive modes as well as selecting hyperspace, shield, flip, or nothing when pulling the joystick back. Sound effects are alright. The heartbeat sound is rather soft but does accelerate as it should. This port is
a bit less that what I’d expect on an Atari computer but still enjoyable.
ATARI 7800
This port of Asteroids was released in
1987 and it was programmed by Greg Munster, Doug Macrae, Mike Horowitz, Josh Littlefield, and Ethan Jacobs. This team not only ported the game
to the 7800, but they also enhanced the game while remaining true to the original. There are no vector graphics but, rather, pseudo 3D raster graphics! The asteroids are colorful but they
are animated and spin on their axis as they move about the playing field. Their movements are random and the action gets quite hectic as you blast the asteroids and more and more
of them fill up the screen. Oh, they also have nice explosion animations to enhance the game visually even more. The large and small saucers are here but there are sound effects that let you know they are coming. The saucers have a spinning animation and they are rendered in two colors. Pulling back on the joystick activates hyperspace. This port offers two- player competitive and cooperative modes. This is easily one of the best versions of Asteroids you can play!
ATARI LYNX
Released in 1995, and programmed by Steve Marschner, the port of Asteroids for the Lynx was part of a dual-title cartridge containing Super Asteroid & Super Missile Command. Super Asteroids is a nice visual update of the original game (using raster graphics) that pretty much preserves but enhances the arcade’s gameplay. Space is now full of stars, the asteroids are all rendered in one color but they have surface details to make them look more “realistic.” They don’t spin but do move smoothly on the screen and masterfully explode when hit by your ship’s fire. Small pulsing stars of different colors fly across the playing field that you can
3 32
9
2
O
O
L
L
D
D
S
S
C
C
H
H
O
O
O
O
L
L
G
G
A
A
M
M
E
E
R
R
M
M
A
A
G
G
A
A
Z
Z
I
I
N
N
E
E
•
•
I
I
S
S
S
S
U
U
E
E
#
#
3
3
9