Asteroids

"I can't...stop...playing..."

The classic addiction, Asteroids, has come over me. I've never been fortunate enough to play the game in the arcades, so I was excited to own it on the old, wooden 2600. It didn't disappoint, either. Let me tell you about it....

THE PLOT
According the instruction manual, you are part of the Cosmic Space Patrol, which pilots the Cosmic Spacecraft in the galaxy of Redundant. Okay, I made up the galaxy part, but you are apparently out on your beat, which is normally calm, when your ship is bombarded by asteroids. Your only choice is to vaporize them or dodge them. Atari even added a strange word in their guide: "Throught".

Well, if you didn't have the instruction manual, you can make up your own story. In any case, you are a triangle that can fire an unlimited amount of dots at colored blobs that float across the screen. That's right, this game has color. Take that, arcade classic!

THERE'S MORE TO IT
Now I'm not going to say that Asteroids is complex by any means, but studying the gameplay, I find that there's more to it than meets the eye. First of all, there are over 60 modes of gameplay. Back then, Atari thought that charging $50 for a game warranted more replay value, so they made adjustable difficulty settings that the player could tweak to their skill level. The variables you can adjust include your ships' secondary function, the amount of points you need to get an extra life, and if the game is fast or slow. Every possible combination of these variables are included so that you can customize your gaming experience. There's also a two player mode for each of these settings. Also, as is common with Atari games, there is a "Children" setting, which is basically the easiest way to play the game. The asteroids break apart in larger chunks and there are a lot fewer of them in general.

The sound is classic. The gun, the destruction, moving the space ship...brilliant. The music is awful. It's basically an Atari version of the Jaws theme. Two notes, over and over again. I think I would have prefered silence. Anyway, just turn on some music and you're set.

CONTROLS
The button fires your gun. The joystick turns you clockwise or counterclockwise. Pressing "up" moves your ship forward and pressing "down" activates your secondary function, which can either be Hyperspace (appear in a random spot on the screen), Shields, or 180 degree flip. These controls take time to get used to, as it's natural to want to go up the screen by pressing 'up' and so forth. Even still, the best strategy is to stay put anyway. Hanging out in the center of the screen means that you don't have to think about all the objects on the screen, leaving your consciousness available for the gunning down of deadly asteroids.

HOW IS THIS GOOD?
Ignoring the fact that this game is a bonified classic, I think it's a fine game. Finding your skill level is the key, I think. If it's too easy, you'll get bored with it too quickly. Without the option of difficulty adjustments, this game would have been too hard or too easy. But it all comes down to blasting asteroids, which is quite satisfying. Once you're done with all the asteroids on the screen, a bunch more instantly appear. Aim in one direction and rapid-fire those foolish rocks. I just can't seem to get enough of that.

As for points, the record for the arcade version was set in 1982 at over 41 million points. The Atari version, on the hardest difficulty, is a mere 79,660, set in 2005. For reference, I can make about 10,000 points on that difficulty before I meet my doom.

To finalize, if you own an Atari 2600, then you probably own Asteroids and you know what I'm talking about. It's terrific.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/09

Game Release: Asteroids (US, 1981)