Overall 8.5 Graphics 9 Sound 5.4 Addictive 7.8 Story 2.7 Depth 6.8 Difficulty 7.4
4.3
Greedy - Pitfall! for Atari 2600 iN008
Pitfall : Atari 2600 A review by iN008. The adventuring adventurer. Pitfall! For the Atari 2600 was the first of many games to come in the series, it has been remade countless times, 7 times from this game alone. Be it ported to the next console or not, this series survived for quite some time, even getting games on the systems like the Xbox and the Wii, of-course those games were either based on sequels or had major changes to them. But as it stands, the Atari 2600 had given birth to yet another franchise. Amazingly it has lasted longer than most of the other franchises made around this date.
Harry's first steps. The first game deserve some recognition does it not? Well of-course it does. It set up the basic rules for any sequels and remixes and was probably one of the better games on the Atari 2600, it's funny though, for all the games that to mention when talking about the Atari 2600, they rarely mention this game, it's like the system is just called bad for the awful games that were created for it. Don't blame the system, blame the creators as some games turned out quite well, this one and River Raid for example.
Graphics and Design : 9/10 As usual, being on the Atari 2600 had it's restrictions, be it the color palettes or the sprite capability themselves. How did Pitfall! Fair against it's brethren? Well quite well I must say. Almost everything found in the game is quite clear on what it is. Take Harry the main protagonist here. In total he has around 15 or so sprites from walking to falling. This in itself allowed for there to be quite a detailed animation when it came to Harry. His running animation is quite believable and looks decent, I mean for the system it looks realistic. The character of Harry himself is rather plain, and he pretty much consists of the backgrounds colors, a green top, dark green trousers, pink skin and one line of brown hair... or is it a hat? He is an adventurer now isn't he. Beside the fact that his design is basic, it still can be recognized as a humanoid. Which is probably the hardest thing to do, most of the other things within the game seemed like quite an easy job. The rest of his animations such as jumping are quite good so there isn't much else to say about that. There are a plethora of enemies within the game, ranging from crocodiles, snakes to what I believe to be scorpions. Each are quite easy to identify besides the aforementioned scorpions.
Lets start with the most common threat, logs, when stationary they are a dark brownish-green color and are shaped like a cylinder. The bottoms look weird to me and it could have gotten away without the dark spot in the middle of the bottom, the rest is easy to recognize. Next we have crocodiles, these are on the surface of the water and can be identified by there zig-zag mouth. I feel as if the water was a brighter blue that they would have been easier to see but they are still easy to see, they are generally good looking, the scorpions usually found in the caves below are quite weird however, I couldn't recognize what they were straight away, but after I while I figured it out. Besides them I didn't find much else enemy wise. There are a few snakes, these are curled up and feature a stripped pattern, the stripes appear to be purple but I couldn't make it out that well. Fires are a uncommon sight, they feature a jitter animation and resemble that of a camp fire. The only other thing found within the nature are the vines, these swing rather the opposite of realistic it would have been cool if they had more detail put into them.
The game is set within a jungle, thus the screen is generally filled with green colors, to be honest it seems more like a forest rather than a jungle as trees are spaced out, more trees and shrubbery would have made it much more detailed, I mean the underground cave is just black with no decoration besides the odd brick wall blocking the way. Sure each from screen the background's trees are slightly moved, however these are generally just repeated over two screens. This seems slightly lazy to me as I'm sure more effort could have went into it. There isn't even any kind of interface here, score and time is just displayed at the top where there was clearly space next to "AcTiVision" at the bottom, this seems like a waste of space and it could have been changed easily. There isn't even a title screen or anything, to put it into plain words, there really is only what's present within the game to go on about graphics.
Sound : 1/10 Within the game there is no music, pretty much standard amongst the Atari 2600, the only thing sound wise in the game is that of the sound effects, generally these don't bother me, however in this game it does. Let's start with the fact you make a sound every time you jump, this is really annoying as it is rather annoying and you tend to jump every two screens in this game. Next you have the fact that you make a sound swinging on vines, this sound is somewhat enjoyable but is rather out of place, wouldn't a swishing noise be more appropriate? Even getting hit by a log, the sound just drones and is really quite off-putting, I was wearing my headphones whilst playing and had my volume at the usual, when I did any of these actions my ears would get irritated so I ended up just turning sound off for the entirety of my play. Okay I understand it's the Atari 2600, but jeez... that seriously hurt my ears. Droning sounds are really only ever tolerable when in games that are text heavy and the droning is not that bad. This game has no excuse.
Addictiveness and Replay-ability : 4/10 Well, the game-play for this game really doesn't make it that fun, I'd presume if you were more into this kind of game you would be slightly more addicted to it. Sure it's okay to play for a while but it sure does get boring after a while, thanks to the timer I saw that when I played it the first time I only played it for the first 5 minutes then I got bored, only when I replayed it to check out everything did I play for ten or so minutes. There are some surprises along the way such as pitfalls suddenly opening... lakes also do this.... don't ask me how, this adds some reason to play again, but after a few play-throughs the game gets boring and really not that fun to replay. I wouldn't necessarily say play it once, but if you do intend to play this try playing it two of three times, just to get the most out of it.
Depth : 5/10 and Story : 2/10 As per with my last review, due to the real lack of story I've grouped it with depth. Starting of with depth, the game is of a short but still decent length, if you have like 20 minutes to kill then it will do the job. It seems to be a so-so when it comes to length as for stuff like choices there is two or so choices. When starting you can either go right as you would probably do first, or left, if you want to play the game like intended then go right, this means logs will come towards you, if you go left however the game is made quite a bit more easier. Logs will go the same direction as you and are the same speed as you, meaning they are no longer threats, this also touches onto a bit of difficulty. As per the other choice, you can occasionally choose to go underground into the caves, these are generally empty besides the occasional scorpion. My experience with the game was kind of bland and a short affair, I don't really think I'll be playing it again. As per story, the only story is that off the box's which goes around something like this, the main protagonist, Harry, introduces himself as a veteran when it comes to jungle exploration. He's off to hunt for treasure and fortune to find untold riches at your control. Against extreme dangers, swinging across vines above the bottomless tar-pits, across swamps and using crocs as stepping stones. So in all the only story is Harry wants to be rich and is off to hunt around jungles and swamps for treasure... exciting? Nah not even a single temple, he just runs around swamps and jungles and really that's it, hence why there really is no story. But from the box we can tell somewhat about Harry's character, he seems cocky and is somewhat greedy, going out of his way to achieve wealth. It also tells us he is somewhat courageous and is adventurous, this adds to the story how you ask? Well anything is better than nothing.
Difficulty : 5/10 The difficulty really can be changed depending on which way you go, right will be the normal way, going left would be the easy way. As per stated above in depth, the rolling logs always head left and thus going left will stop them being so much of an annoyance to you. The only real part of difficulty is that of the opening and closing water and tar pits. I myself have found that I get caught out by these as they are not present when you just enter the "screen". Besides this all the other things are easy to dodge, besides of course the crocs, these require quite well timed jumps and some precise movement, they open and close and if your standing on there mouth when they open you fall and lose a life, only when on the "eye" will you be safe. This adds quite a bit of difficulty and need difficulty at that. If your going for a harder but not to hard Atari 2600 game then this will be the one for you.
Overall : 4.3/10 The game has it's flaws, there is no denying, however it does have it's successful moments, for example I really like the graphics in this game, they are slightly plain, but aren't all in the Atari 2600 library? The game is fun enough to play when you have that time to kill before something, but as a casual game there are much better choices, I've rated it a 4.3, the average of the other 6 scores, but if you ask me the game is a solid 7 when it comes down to it since most of the Atari games lack a significant story and sounds really are quite bad for the system. If I were a kid growing up in 1983 I would probably asked for this game of the box-art alone. Times go by and the standards of games increase, this game has aged like so many others yet is still good enough to burn time with. So what would I say? Well, if you've got 20 minutes to burn whilst you wait for something then go ahead give it a go. You may even enjoy it... just turn your sounds off and have some fun. Also I have to admit, my uncle came in and saw that I was about to write a review of a game that you'll probably see a review for later, and recommended I'd review it since he had it as a kid and I'm glad he did, I've found a great time killer.
References : GameFAQs : Box description. My Uncle : "growing up in 1983... asked for this game... box-art alone" Edits : 08/04/2013 (Server date) : Fixed formatting.
Graphics 9 Sound 1 Addictive 4 Story 2 Depth 5 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 08-04-13
Updated: 08-04-13
Review Replies: 3
9
Pitfall review G@mehe@d
Often regarded as one of the best Atari 2600 titles ever made, Pitfall is a masterpiece created by Activision. It was groundbreaking in 1982, for its great gameplay and innovative design. The platformer genre wasn't exactly a full on genre, after all there were not a whole lot of platformers Donkey Kong is the only one I can easily recall I'm sure there were a few others. Gameplay B+: This game has aged very well. Most of the elements, from control, to design. Have aged well. Pitfalls control is excellent, but I wouldn't recommend a joystick for this game. If your using a real Atari I recommend the Sega Genesis controller for this game. The style of gameplay was a relatively new thing in 1982, and it was done well in this game. The obstacles come in a large variety. However, the design of the game, does feel repetitive. I know this game was released 31 years ago, but a flaw is a flaw and there is no changing that. The screens all look similar over time, but the game is still fun. If you go through enough of the game you'll eventually encounter treasures like gold, diamond rings, iron (I think,) and MONEY. These treasures will give a ton of points and they are satisfying to pick up.Graphics A: This game surprised the crap out of me. Many Atari games only had a few colors with few sprites and little detail, but this game is freaking beautiful for an Atari 2600 game. Pitfall Harry is fluidly animated, and the playfield is packed with color and detail, along with that, the sprites are high in detail, and resolution. Also the background is filled with detail, I really felt like I was in a jungle. Pitfall pushes the Atari 2600 to its limits, but it only gets better in the sequel which was released in 1984, on the Atari 2600, just like this game.Sound B+: The sound is pretty good, there are a wide variety of sound effects, that have charm, and sound pretty good. Other then that, I really don't have a whole lot to say about this section.Addictivness A: This game will keep you hooked. You can play for high score, but that's only the beginning. Experts will want to see how far they can go, before the time runs out, and this is what makes the game addicting. Depth B: The game has 255 screens but most of them look similar, its still fairly big for an Atari game. There are no different variations, but the game itself is large.Difficulty Medium: The game might seem difficult at first but once you have the hang of it, its pretty easy. Overall rating B+
Graphics 9 Sound 8 Addictive 9 Depth 8 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 3.6/5
Submitted: 04-29-13
Review Replies: 3
9
Pit fall for Atari 2600! A review. jlh
Pitfall for the Atari 2600 is a good game for it's time. Definitely worth checking out if you get bored from new games or if you want to see how far video games have progressed. For being an old game the play controls are good, the music is okay, and the replay value is high if you like Atari games.
Overall: I gave this game a high score of a 9 overall because it was a popular game in it's time. It is definitely one of my favorites from the Atari system.
Graphics: The graphics get a really high score of an 8 from me just because of the good looking boards and all the obstacle's and enemies in the game. While the graphics cannot compare to the newer systems, Pitfall looked better then some of the other games from this system. Nice colors and different boards make it enjoyable to play considering it's an Atari game.
Sound: I rated the sound as a 7. I actually should have rated it higher since it had a lot of sound effects especially when you start swinging on a vine the Tarzan music theme kicks in, very nice. Some Atari games didn't have any music at all so compared to the other games I gave it a high score.
Addictiveness: Another high score of an 8! While a lot of Atari games are fairly simple, Pitfall can be a hard game and if you like Atari games this one can take a while to figure out the maze ( I still haven't finished it). To me this game can get addicting if you are extremely bored.
Story: I gave the story a 5 because You are playing as pitfall Harry trying to make it through the jungle maze avoiding pitfalls, enemies and traps. The end. Not a great story line but okay for it's time.
Depth: I gave the depth a score of a 7. Pitfall has a lot of different enemies and traps, plus figuring out the maze can be pretty hard. There are lots of ways to go. That's why I gave it a high score.
Difficulty: To me this game is pretty hard. The alligators and the scorpions are the worst. If you don't jump just right you will fall right through the gators and when you jump over the scorpions they will turn around and nail you if you don't time your jump just right. Just figuring out which path to take and the increasing difficulty of the boards can make this game extremely hard to beat. This game gets a rating of an 8 in the difficulty department.
Reviewers note: Reply if you want but I frown on negative replies, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can accept constructed criticism but if you don't like the game, why reply? I just stated that because some people disagreed with a review from me which is fine but my opinion about a game is what I think about it. So I hope any one who reads this enjoys it.
Graphics 8 Sound 7 Addictive 8 Story 5 Depth 7 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 3.6/5
Submitted: 05-15-12
Review Replies: 5
10
The first of it's kind. RetroGameNinja
Overall:
This is (overall) one of the best Atari 2600 games. Pitfall, though, was also released for many other systems, but today we're focusing on the Atari 2600 version of the game.
Graphics:
The graphics are another special thing in this game. The snakes and the fire have great animation. There aren't many better graphics for the Atari 2600, because these graphics were just plain great!
Sound:
The game's sound deserves a 10, only because it wasn't as repetitive as it's sequel's music. Hearing this game's music is happy and joyful. I got the biggest kick out of the Tarzan music that plays when you grab onto the rope.
Addictiveness:
As I said before with Pitfall II, I will be playing this game later on, but not on Vizzed. Hopefully I will be getting Activision Anthology soon. On that, I will try to beat it, avoiding the one pain in that game: The crocodiles. As I get better at that, I will start playing other games on the cartridge.
Depth:
This game has 32 moneybags, scattered around in different screens with similar elements (eg. Tar-pits, barrels, ropes, lakes). Watching a video, I heard that there are 255 scenes. Wow. This game is almost as big as Super Mario Brothers, which is a great achievement for a system less advanced than the other one I mentioned (NES).
Difficulty:
As I said before, the only thing that really holds me back in this game is the crocodiles. They are really hard to overcome, even if I do know how to get past them.
Wrap up:
To finish my review, let me just say that this is my favorite 2600 games, and this is my favorite version of Pitfall. Until my next review, bye.
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Depth 9 Difficulty 10
Review Rating: 3/5
Submitted: 10-18-12
Updated: 11-27-12
Review Replies: 0
9.6
pit fall fall pit shanezer
pitfall was a game created by activision that brings you many great games today Story there is no story but if there is I will learn it and edit out this partDifficulty for Atari if your hardcore this is your game it has delay what makes it challenging for timing your jumpsAddictiveness many games start out with a mystery will it be fun or bad back in the day there were no such thing as reviews you would pick up a game and hope for the best and this standing time in the golden years I think this is a great idea for a Atari game if you have not played it I think you should space out your time and try it outSound there is not much sound except for pitfall Harry jumping I will not put much detail in thisGraphics the graphics are big and blocky it just makes the game more classic as you play it on Depth depth is not much to offer for Atari 2600 but they did make a green backround and some obstacles like crocodiles so you could like it a little bitOVERALL RATING A-
Graphics 10 Sound 1 Addictive 8 Story 1 Depth 5 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 1.8/5
Submitted: 05-15-13
Review Replies: 3
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