Centipede

"Centiplus"

Intro
Centipede is an all time classic video game from the early 80’s. No one can deny the impact that this arcade game made on the industry. Although its successor Millipede was a better experience, “Centipede” is the name that most gamers speak of when recalling classic frenetic, high intensity classic 80’s arcade game titles. The Atari 7800 version is not only a worthy conversion, but actually a step beyond what would be expected.

Story
The story of Centipede is not worth saying much about, considering the storylines of most older arcade games. The garden has been invaded by insects and spiders and it is your goal to red the garden of the pests by shooting at them. That’s it, very simple.

Game Play 10
The fast paced action of the arcade game (and present to a lesser extent in the worthy Atari 2600 version) is intact here. Although the main character (the odd shaped object that is supposed to be a boy) is maneuvered with the joystick, the accelerating motion of a track ball is mimicked quite well. A person who is a fanatic of the arcade game will not need much time to get used to using a joystick. The beauty and ingenuity of games like this (e.g. Millipede, Robotron 2084, Stargate, etc.) is that although the play is repetitious, it never become dull because of the high intensity of the action. The speed and overall feeling of this version is strikingly close to the arcade version. What really makes this game excel even past the arcade version (and modern versions on the 16 bit and 32 bit systems) is the inclusion of a two player cooperative mode. One would expect the game to run slower or the game mechanics to be compromised (see my Asteroids Deluxe review), but surprisingly, the game plays as crisp as the one player mode. Even if one masters this game, playing along side with a good buddy makes the game take on a whole new dimension. With that said, the two player competitive mode is just short of being O.K.

Graphics/Sound 10
Everything animates well and all the sounds while taking on a slightly different tones are in tact. Keep in mind, the graphics rating is referring to the graphics quality found in the arcade version which was an early 80’s game. It is very difficult to believe that the peg that is manipulated by the controller is supposed to be a boy! Nevertheless, all the sprites are nearly arcade perfect.

Replay Value 10
This game is an exceptional one player (or alternate 2 player) affair. But what makes this game even more compelling is the two player cooperative mode.

Recommendation
Anyone who is a fan of the arcade game, needs buy this version! If they don’t own an Atari 7800 system, the price of the hardware and the game (which is still relatively cheap) is worth the experience of having the cooperative mode.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/02, Updated 12/15/02