Pitfall!

"A great arcade game, a great 2600 game."

Pitfall is a game that had great graphics, one of the first platformers ever. It's also revolutionary. Almost all Activision games for the Atari 2600 were great. In this game you are Pitfall Harry and are trying to get as many tresures as you can with 20 minutes and only 3 lives. There are 256 different screens. It's the Mario of Atari. In the game you run and jump over many different obsicals (the may be semi-repedative, but it's still fun) while collecting treasures... I think if you collect all 20 treasures you win, but don't quote me on this.

Graphics: 10
The graphics with all the limitations of the 2600, It's uses almost every color the Atari could use. There is bottomless holes, alligator infested ponds. Rolling logs. A ton of great special effects.. The game never really gets old graphics wise, seeing that there are 256 different screens, that are all different. If it were not for Pitfall 2, this may have been the best graphiced (is that a word?) 2600 game.

Sound: 9
The sound is very limited (i guess it all went to the graphics), there is a wierd ''brr'' noise when you get hurt. When you swing on vines you here a catchy tune... Tarzan type of yell. The sounds are good but very limited.

Gameplay: 9.5
In the game there is a lot to do, swing from vines, jump over expanding and shrinking bottomless pits and also ponds. You have to jump over snakes, fire, scorpions, and ditches. All this while trying to collect tresures before time runs out also your lives. This game, in my opinion, was very revolutionary for the platform genre.

Replay Value: 8.5
I really like this game, it's almost impossibe to beat but the game is just very much of the same after you play it for awhile. The game is fun but I guess it's just the fact it's so hard to win or get further than 20 screens. The game is a very fun solo game, but it's not that great of a multiplayer, seeing that the game is more on the fun factor then score beating type of game. So for two player there would be no real excitment... the fun factor would be split in half.. boo! oh well. rainy days are pretty often...

OVERALL: 9.3
A great platform genre game for the atari 2600! No Atari collection should miss out on this easy to find title.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/01, Updated 04/23/03