One of the first games I was introduced to on the 2600 was River Raid, back in 1982. I remember it vividly, as I was at my cousin David’s house, who was older than me, and he’d “baby sit” me so the adults could have some adult time hanging out in the dining room. We’d sit in the family room playing 2600, mainly River Raid.
This is an Activision game, and was later ported to Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, C64, ColecoVision, IBM PCjr, Intellivision, ZX Spectrum, and MSX. The player controls an airplane in a top-down view over a river and gets points for shooting down enemy planes, helicopters, ships and balloons (for versions after the Atari 2600). By flying over fuel-stations, the plane’s tank can be refilled. The player can shift side to side and change the speed of the plane. Sections of the river are marked by bridges.
The game was highly acclaimed for its ability to stuff tons of map into small amounts of space. The map was huge and it fit on the disk because it’s randomly generated using a common starting seed, basically, imagine some of the Diablo dungeons…they’re randomly generated but the starting seed which starts the random process is also ‘random.’ (probably based on clock time which isn’t too uncommon). Atari, rather than try to make a random level each time used the level random generator to build a procedural based level rather than drawing it and saving it into the cart. GENIUS.
A more highly randomized number generation system was used for enemy AI to make the game less predictable.
Germany consider this game harmful to children, indexing it on their list of games “harmful for children” along with the game Speed Racer. It remained on their list until 2002 (since 1984) when developers petitioned it off the list before the PS2 launch of Activision Anthology (otherwise they’d not be able to put it in the game)
Some of the Germany reasons: Minors are intended to delve into the role of an uncompromising fighter and agent of annihilation (…). It provides children with a paramilitaristic education (…). With older minors, playing leads (…) to physical cramps, anger, aggressiveness, erratic thinking (…) and headaches (wikipedia)
All in all, a great game! To hear all the details on River Raid and our opinions, checkout TD Gaming Podcast Episode 78.
I’m tired of this “PC gaming is dying” malarky. Seriously, it’s bullpucky.
PC games sell the same as they always have. The thing is, it used to be 400,000 was MASSIVE SALES on a PC. Now it’s considered embarrassing.
Console sales numbers have spoiled people. We see Halo: Reach selling $3M worth in the first week, and that is an unfair comparison to PC gaming. Good gaming rigs cost $900+. An Xbox 360 costs $200-300.
I’m tired of this “PC gaming is dying” malarky. Seriously, it’s bullpucky.
PC games sell the same as they always have. The thing is, it used to be 400,000 was MASSIVE SALES on a PC. Now it’s considered embarrassing.
Console sales numbers have spoiled people. We see Halo: Reach selling $3M worth in the first week, and that is an unfair comparison to PC gaming. Good gaming rigs cost $900+. An Xbox 360 costs $200-300.
Thought I might change things up a bit and get my comment in before the podcast is done this week. 🙂
(offtopic, feel free to ignore last weeks comment, my fault for being slow to comment and just echoed what others said)
@ the QotW
David Tennant! x 5billion (for anyone who has somehow managed to never watch the greatest tv series of all tome, he is the tenth, and greatest, doctor)
Thought I might change things up a bit and get my comment in before the podcast is done this week. 🙂
(offtopic, feel free to ignore last weeks comment, my fault for being slow to comment and just echoed what others said)
@ the QotW
David Tennant! x 5billion (for anyone who has somehow managed to never watch the greatest tv series of all tome, he is the tenth, and greatest, doctor)
@ Chrono Trigger:
Blasphemy! I loved RoboCop 3 on the NES. How can you say that you wouldn’t play such a game? 🙂
@MSFT clossing Massive: oh man! And I was hoping that in-game advertising would work …
I’m siding with Derrick, this piece of news just shows that in-game ads companies are not given a chance.
Don, interesting idea about Google picking the idea up.
@McDonalds and Zenga team up: it’s a marketing scheme I’d normally say it will fail. Actually all of the marketing schemes you mentioned sound silly. But because of that, it might actually work 🙂
@QOTW: Jack Nicholson. Mickey Rourke also did a good job, making his part believable, although the game in question was pretty lame.
@ Chrono Trigger:
Blasphemy! I loved RoboCop 3 on the NES. How can you say that you wouldn’t play such a game? 🙂
@MSFT clossing Massive: oh man! And I was hoping that in-game advertising would work …
I’m siding with Derrick, this piece of news just shows that in-game ads companies are not given a chance.
Don, interesting idea about Google picking the idea up.
@McDonalds and Zenga team up: it’s a marketing scheme I’d normally say it will fail. Actually all of the marketing schemes you mentioned sound silly. But because of that, it might actually work 🙂
@QOTW: Jack Nicholson. Mickey Rourke also did a good job, making his part believable, although the game in question was pretty lame.
– Microsoft Closing Massive
In-game advertising seems to be mainly used in racing games (like burnout, made by EA) and sports games (like FIFA, made by EA). That kinda shows that EA is one of the only companies really pushing in-game advertising. And as long as it doesn’t seem out of place or obtrusive, I’m fine with it.
– QOTW
Wow, really good question and a really hard one too, there’s so many great actors to choose from! I’d love to see Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Stewart, Tony Shalhoub (from Monk), Jeremy Clarkson (from Top Gear) or Denzel Washington do some voice acting, but I think Tim Curry would be my pick. (sorry for that long list btw, I just couldn’t leave any of them out)
Leonard Nimoy (Spock from the original Star Trek) did some voice acting for Civilization 4, which was very cool. And Christopher Lloyd is reprising his role as Doc Brown for a Back to the Future in development by Telltale Games. Just that by itself makes me want to buy it.
– Microsoft Closing Massive
In-game advertising seems to be mainly used in racing games (like burnout, made by EA) and sports games (like FIFA, made by EA). That kinda shows that EA is one of the only companies really pushing in-game advertising. And as long as it doesn’t seem out of place or obtrusive, I’m fine with it.
– QOTW
Wow, really good question and a really hard one too, there’s so many great actors to choose from! I’d love to see Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Stewart, Tony Shalhoub (from Monk), Jeremy Clarkson (from Top Gear) or Denzel Washington do some voice acting, but I think Tim Curry would be my pick. (sorry for that long list btw, I just couldn’t leave any of them out)
Leonard Nimoy (Spock from the original Star Trek) did some voice acting for Civilization 4, which was very cool. And Christopher Lloyd is reprising his role as Doc Brown for a Back to the Future in development by Telltale Games. Just that by itself makes me want to buy it.
I doubt I will post this in time for the podcast, which I’m betting is already recorded at this point, and this will probably have already been addressed, but both Patrick Stewart and Tony Shalhoub have done voice acting, as has Tim Curry. (Tim Curry’s done a LOT, actually, most recently Arl Howe in Dragon Age. Actually, I think he’s played an on-camera role in more than one game.)
As for my own list, the less I actually recognize the voice actor in question, the happier I am (unless it’s a Pixar film, but that’s another medium entirely.) For instance, I rarely forgot that “Joker” in Mass Effect 1 & 2 was Seth Green. (Though I was okay with that, since he wasn’t a huge role, as such.)
I want to hear the Allstate Guy in a game voiceover. (I forget the actor’s name, but he was also the president on early seasons of 24.) I’d also like Scott Bakula to voice a main character in a game.
I doubt I will post this in time for the podcast, which I’m betting is already recorded at this point, and this will probably have already been addressed, but both Patrick Stewart and Tony Shalhoub have done voice acting, as has Tim Curry. (Tim Curry’s done a LOT, actually, most recently Arl Howe in Dragon Age. Actually, I think he’s played an on-camera role in more than one game.)
As for my own list, the less I actually recognize the voice actor in question, the happier I am (unless it’s a Pixar film, but that’s another medium entirely.) For instance, I rarely forgot that “Joker” in Mass Effect 1 & 2 was Seth Green. (Though I was okay with that, since he wasn’t a huge role, as such.)
I want to hear the Allstate Guy in a game voiceover. (I forget the actor’s name, but he was also the president on early seasons of 24.) I’d also like Scott Bakula to voice a main character in a game.
To elaborate on Krud’s comment, Patrick Stewart was a voice in “Oblivion”, and Tony Shalhoub was a voice in “Fallout 2”. Sorry to milk a dead horse there…
At least everyone else’s picks are somewhat possible. My picks would require either the invention of a time machine, or the services of a qualified necromancer: Madelyn Kahn and Wolfman Jack. I suppose there’s always the option of archival materials, though.
To elaborate on Krud’s comment, Patrick Stewart was a voice in “Oblivion”, and Tony Shalhoub was a voice in “Fallout 2”. Sorry to milk a dead horse there…
At least everyone else’s picks are somewhat possible. My picks would require either the invention of a time machine, or the services of a qualified necromancer: Madelyn Kahn and Wolfman Jack. I suppose there’s always the option of archival materials, though.