Maze Craze: A Game of Cops And Robbers

"THE reason to go back in time and get a 2600. (If you really want to.)"

And yes, I am most serious, yes. The Atari was a really, really old gaming system that more or less can't compare with newer technology, but it doesn't stop it from being fun. I got an Atari Flashback for Christmas 1-2 years ago, and this game came along with it. Needless to say, even though I shelved it long ago, this was by far one of the best games in the package. So, let's just go on and see what there is to see, shall we?

So anyway, this is apparently a game involving cops and robbers, like that little kiddie game that you and your friend would do sometimes. Except this one's different. You see, you have to go through this maze to get through a bunch of allies to escape from the robbers who will try to stun you. Needless to say, it doesn't make really any sense that the robbers are stronger than the police, but hey, we'll just go with the flow.

Now this game has a variety of different modes to it, with seemingly endless possibilities. You could turn the make invisible, you could have more robbers/evil squares try to stun you. Heck, you could even bring a friend and engage in the hot 2 player action.

So, now that we have a little bit of description under our belt, let's go see how this'll go.

Graphics: 8.5/10. Sure, this game was released in Nineteen-Seventy-something, but you still have to give them some credit. The colours are nice and primary, and make me smile when I look at them. They also have a nice... blocky... look... to them. Sure, these things may look pathetic today, but this was considered high-tech back then, so, get used to it. Oh, and one more thing. If you're epileptic, be very careful when you finish the maze. It's all flashy and dizzy like one of those Japanese robot cartoons.

Music/Sound: 9/10. The same things are here, not too much, but it's still high tech in the olden days. It's more or less simplistic, though, as there's only about 3 sounds, which are the walking sound (Which is surprisingly accurate to the real sound of walking) the 'stun' sound, and a small toneless victory jingle while the maze's finish gives you epileptic seizures.

Gameplay: 20/20. This is the meat of the game, and with pretty much every other game in existance. You go through a maze, avoid bad guys, and try to finish before your friend or just try to finish. It's extremely simple, but extremely fun. There wasn't any complicated maneuvers to learn back then. There wasn't any real trick to the game. You just played it, and had fun while you were doing it. This game carries on that promise, and is fun to play no matter your preference of system, genre, or other aspects. It's simple, but it's good that way.

Control: 7.5/10. It's a little wonky at parts, but nothing too serious.

Judgement: 8.5 + 9 + 20 + 7.5 = 45/50 = 9/10.

Buy or Bust?: Buy it. Now.

Final Words: So here we have it, folks. I have weighted Maze Craze, and have found it to be sufficient to my tastes. In fact, I'm pretty sure this will go good with anyone's taste, because a game's main goal is to make the player have fun. And this game does more than accomplishes that goal. As an early Atari title, it also paved the way for other simple games where their only goal was entertainment. Bless you, Maze Craze. You will live in the hearts of satisfied gamers everywhere.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/07