Pitfall!

"Before Mario, there was a man named Harry"

Well, it all started right here with Pitfall!. This is one of the few games that started the video game craze. Mario, Zelda, and the Nintendo crew weren’t very lively back then and probably got a lot of idea’s from this game. In my opinion this game set the bar high for all the other games that came out after it. Sure it looks, sounds, and feels very out-dated but back in the day, people were amazed by it. This game has some history to go along with it, Activision made this game for the good old Atari 2600, and this game is basically what started Activision's fame. This series has been followed by some, bad, mediocre, and good sequels. But sadly nothing in my opinion has lived up to the original.

The story is a HUGE drag (but that's to be expected)! You, Pitfall Harry, somehow got stranded in the middle of the jungle, and has to find his way out. This didn’t come to me as a big shock either, don’t expect a RPG type story for a game on the Atari 2600. Even though there is hardly any story the solid gameplay makes up for that!

The graphics look very out-dated today but back in the 80’s nobody complained because these were pretty much the best that they had. You can still easily make out the backgrounds, obstacles, and other various objects without having to strain your eyes. Your main character, Pitfall Harry, is kind of an eyesore to look at though, he just kind of looks like a green blob running across the screen.

Something that isn't a big shock to me is that the music is terrible. All that you hear during the course of the game is Harry jumping (which is a “ping” noise) and other little stuff. This was common though because hardly any Atari 2600 games had even mediocre sound.

The gameplay is really fun and gives you a huge blast of nostalgia. So, here you are in the middle of the jungle trying to get out. To get out though you must swing across vines, dodge brutal, man-eating scorpions (not really), running across holes in the ground that mysteriously open and close, and you have to jump across alligator's heads. These basic gameplay elements are the roots of most side scrollers or platformers even to this day!

The challenge is pretty hard (at least for me). Some parts of this game are easy and some aren't. Everyone has their own skill level though and should be able to enjoy this game regardless.

My Rundown
Story - 3/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 2/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Challenge - 6/10
Overall - 8/10 (not an average)

Last Word
This is a great game and it should be played through at least once by every gamer out there. It deserves to be in every gamer’s collection even if they don't have Atari 2600. It's great just to have around and admire that it is one of the oldest but, one of the best games out for the Atari 2600, and it will probably be a collector’s item someday!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/01/03, Updated 03/15/04