Granny Vinnie Reviews

7800 Rank: 16th Genre Rank: (Classic Arcade) 6th Awards: 4th Best Sound Get Off of Me! Pros: No Flicker/ Several Ways to Play/ Dual Joystick Compatible Cons: Acquiring a Way to Play With 2 Joysticks May Be Tough Boy, This Club is Crowded Tonight

Overview: Robotron is probably the last playable game I have left to review for the 7800, so let's take a few moments to reflect on the other good games for the system........... OK ........good enough. Robotron is famous for being the first game to enable you to run one way and shoot another. It is totally feasible to run away from a robot and shoot at it at the same time, making this the great-grandfather in cowardly video games. Games like Smash TV and Ikari Warriors borrowed from this concept, immortalizing the game Robotron: 2084. The Atari version, I'm glad to report, is a stellar version of the game.

Graphics: The main differences between the arcade and the Prosystem version is the fact that the robots, objects, and humans are all larger in the 7800 version. The main drone robots are much bigger, making them easier to kill. Truth be told, I much prefer the 7800's presentation of the game. The playing field is smaller, but in turn the robots are slower. Some say there is slowdown and flicker in this version, but I believe those people are smokin' the funny cigarettes. This is a great looking game with none of that nonsense.

Sound: This game features great audio, and it is in fact very similar to the arcade version. Nothing is very shrill, unlike most 7800 games. Since this game features continuous shooting, it is important that this game not suffer from what I call "Planetsmasherlamegunsounditis". Thankfully, it does not suffer from that. Hordes of robots being mowed down have a real satisfactory "ftttzzz" noise that makes the 12 year old inside smile from ear to ear. Great job Atari!

Gameplay: It doesn't take a robot engineer to figure out this game. It is simple: kill or be killed. Very little strategy, just tons of butt kicking on both sides of the argument. The only wrench thrown into all of this is the fact that there are men, women, and children running about, and it is up to you to save them. If the bonuses were not worth it, these fools would be on their own, because the game is fast and furious, and you are seriously outnumbered. The main problem that many people have with this game is the fact that you cannot play the game like it should be played easily: with two joysticks. With only one joystick, you are forced to play the game where you walk and shoot in the same direction. This is actually not a bad way to play the game at all, but purists of the arcade version grumble at this idea. It is possible to play with two joysticks, with one controlling our hero and the other controlling the laser fire, but with the Proline sticks, you have to slide these under your butt, or your feet, or under the sleeping family dog for this to work right. I have seen people construct devices to lock the 2 joysticks in one place, but really...when I have to whip out the jigsaw to play a 20 year old game, something is wrong. Two easy solutions to the problem are this: two people can play at the same time, one shooting, one running. This is a fun variation on the game, but if no 2nd player is to be found, you can do what I did 15 years ago. I actually had two 2600 joysticks with suction cups on the bottom and a flat bedroom floor. Yep, a wee bit of spit and linoleum baby, you are set.

Interpretation: Man, this game is a very good translation of the arcade game. Atari did what they could to make this port as close to the original as possible. But many people with snub their noses at constructing elaborate boxes, suction cups and spit, and abusing the family dog. Every robot in the arcade is featured here behaving the proper way: The big blockers, the drones, the flying blue fire hydrants, the brain monsters, and those rolling tanks robots...all here!

Value: This game's standard difficulty is also quite a bit easier than the arcade. The first time I played the arcade version, I made it to level 4. The first time I played this version, I made it to level 14. The arcade version can go straight to H-E-Double Hockey sticks, by the way. That game is a quarter EATER. This game has bag for your buck: There are four difficulty levels, the ability to play with two joysticks, two people can take turns going head to head in a two player game, or two people can control one man. There is even a Challenge mode that let's you start the game with only one man. This game is loaded with options, and if you like the arcade version, this is a great game to save your quarters by!

Overall: The 7800 did it again. Another stellar port for the ill-fated Prosystem. Robotron is a simple game, perhaps too simple for some, but it offers non-stop robot butt kicking action for those looking to do so. For those with the equipment, the game can make you feel like you are right in the arcade, wearing your Vans, with your big curly 80's hairdo, listening to Journey over the jukebox. Ohhhhh-yeah! Purists without the aforementioned equipment will do better with a modern compilation for those fancy-schmancy systems.



Other Reviews:
Tomorrow’s Heroes B+
The Atari Times (Joey Kay): 85%
CV's Atari 7800 Panoramic Froo-Froo: 4.0 out of 5.0 (Very Good)
Video Game Critic: C-


Additional Info: I would like to take this time to thank Mitch Orman, owner of The Atari 7800 Page for allowing the use of his screenshots for this review.

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