A look at Spacechase from Games By Apollo

In 1980 Atari released their home version of the Taito arcade hit Space Invaders. It was a huge smash which pushed sales of the Video Computer System (later renamed the Atari 2600) into the stratosphere, making it the dominant home video game console on the market at the time. Due to this popularity, many third-party companies emerged to develop games for the system, the first and arguably most famous being Activision. Video game sales boomed in the early 1980's, but as many who are passionate about Atari and retrogaming in general are aware, this huge influx of companies would be a factor (one among many) in leading a few years later to the great video game crash of 1983. That was the year when the market for home, console-based video games started to reach a saturation point that over the next two years caused cartridge prices to plummet, revenues to drop, and many game manufacturers to go bankrupt (while bigger companies like Atari survived but were damaged).

"The Crash" is a fascinating topic of historical significance, and one I'd highly suggest reading more about at the Wikipedia page linked above as well as on other sites. What I've always found most interesting however, is the sheer number and variety of third-party developers that emerged before that happened. Some were new divisions of established companies, such as Parker Brothers, or M Network from Mattel Electronics, while many others were brand new startups. And interestingly enough, there were also games released by companies in seemingly unrelated industries, such as the rare titles Tooth Protectors from Johnson & Johnson (the pharmaceutical company), and Chase the Chuck Wagon from Purina Mills. But what I'd like to focus on here is a cool game from the startup company Games By Apollo, another early third-party publisher in the Golden Age of the Atari 2600. This Texas-based startup only released about a dozen titles in their short existence, but Spacechase, a space shooter which was one of their earliest releases (and best-selling titles), was quite a lot of fun and worthy of a second look. 

Spacechase from Games By Apollo

The 1981 title Spacechase is a relatively simple game. In it you are, according to the instruction manual, "commanding a squadron consisting of three heavily armed Mark 16 Starcruisers." The battle takes place over the scrolling landscape of the moon in either the day or night (depending on the game variation one chooses). In the early stages there are four enemies on screen attacking your ship in waves where they fly back and forth firing "neutron missiles", as well as the occasional "Lazer-directed Heat-Seeking Proton Missile". This latter missile type can home in on its target, and more enemies are added in later waves as the action speeds up.

Like many early Atari 2600 games, the graphics here are relatively simple. Your ship looks much like a chess piece, the first-stage enemies somewhat like the tanks in the system pack-in title Combat, with little green skull-like ships appearing after 10,000 points. Visual explosions are small white clouds for enemies and a flashing screen when your own ship is destroyed. The sounds are similarly simple, with bleeps and blips when missiles are fired, an appropriate boom sound for enemy ships being destroyed, and a more pronounced boom when you lose a Mark 16 Starcruiser.

Battling the first-stage enemies in Spacechase (daytime)

I enjoy Spacechase a lot and find it is a game to continually come back to. The first reason for this is because it has a nice difficulty progression and therefore inspires repeat play. It's simple enough that you can quickly get a feel for it from the first time playing and score some points before being wiped out by the enemies. Conversely, it's challenging enough that after scoring those points you'll want to hit that reset button to try and get farther into the enemy waves. That's not something that can be said about all Atari 2600 games, as some can be frustratingly difficult too quickly and others overly easy, with neither type encouraging the gamer to want to play again.

I also like the pace of the game, particularly the way the enemy ships zip back and forth in their attack formations over the scrolling landscape background. It's another aspect of that nice difficulty progression. Because although the action is frantic, I figured out pretty quickly that the trick is to aim your missiles just ahead of the moving targets, so they run into them. When done well, it's easy to get into a groove and move through stages quickly. However, this can be easier said than done while trying to avoid enemy fire. So, I'll often fall into the frustration of firing haphazardly instead and mostly missing. Either way, all of this keeps the fast-paced game fun and exciting, while I'm sure being great for hand-eye coordination (or something similarly beneficial like that). And it's also worth noting that the flexibility in being able to move the ship around in all directions in the lower third of the screen (similar to Gorf) facilitates the action nicely.

Spacechase - second box design

Additionally, I'd like to add that the simple graphics and sounds work fine for me. As noted, the gameplay moves quickly and is very addictive, which makes the simplicity of the shapes of the ships, missiles, etc. secondary. And I actually quite like the ship explosion sounds and have found that the loud boom of my ship being destroyed, combined with the flashing screen effect, can be quite startling. And being startled means that I was really focused on the on-screen action. I highly recommend this fun little game.

To watch some gameplay, see Classic Game Room's review of Spacechase.

Robot City Games - A Totally Awesome Retro-Arcade

From what I've seen, retro-gaming started to become popular sometime in the early days of the internet. I believe this is because that time period was far enough removed from the heyday of classic video games for folks to start to look back and feel nostalgia (and perhaps also due to emerging technologies like video game emulation). And so, it didn't surprise me to learn that AtariAge was founded in 1998.

Since I began my own retro-gaming journey several years ago, I've acquired some classic Atari consoles, as well as many games from different manufacturers to go along with them. And it has been a lot of fun rediscovering these cartridges of yesteryear (as well as some of the new homebrew titles - see my Gorf Arcade column as an example). Original console games from the Atari era coincide with the golden age of the arcade, which began in the late 1970's and continued on through the mid 1980's. These were the years when arcade games, or cabinets as they are also called, were everywhere. They were in grocery stores, bars, bowling alleys, and of course dedicated arcades. And manufacturers like Atari, Bally-Midway, Williams Electronics and Stern Electonics ruled the day.

Today, as is the case with home consoles and cartridges, one can also purchase arcade cabinets to feed their retrogaming passion. These can be original machines sold by companies and individuals who acquired them from defunct arcades, or newly made cabinets (such as those from Arcade Up), which often combine multiple licensed games into one unit. Either type brings the arcade into your home. But for those of us who don't have a lot of space for a cabinet, another option is to visit a retro arcade. 

An arcade called At The Pier recently opened in my local mall. Described as "A fresh twist on the classic arcade", it features a mix of classic and modern games in a family-friendly environment. They have a cabinet called Pac-man's Pixel Bash, which is one of the aforementioned types that combines multiple licensed games, as well as a giant video screen which will put your awesome game of Galaga in the spotlight for everyone to see. They also have Skee Ball, video-game themed air hockey, Guitar Hero and other games where proficiency can win you prizes - just like at an arcade out on the pier.

While I appreciate these types of hybrid family fun centers that include some old-school retro-games, I still long to reexperience the bygone era of the classic arcade. And for that I'd like to whole-heartedly recommend Robot City Games of Binghamton, New York. They have both a dedicated arcade with original cabinets, as well as a store which sells everything to do with home consoles. Read on...

Yours Truly on a past trip to Robot City Games in Binghamton, New York.

Upon entering Robot City Games you'll find a store which carries a plethora of game systems and associated accessories, including controllers of all makes, sizes and colors. They have some very early non-cartridge units (with fixed built-in games), early consoles like the Atari 2600 Jr and Vectrex, as well as today's most popular gaming systems. The selection of cartridges is plentiful, and in the case of Atari's consoles includes complete-in-box (CIB), cartridge with instruction manual, and cartridge-only. As is always the case, common games are cheaper, while the rare titles will cost more. And Robot City certainly has a good number of not-so-common cartridges. I'm happy to report that on a recent trip I picked up Atari 2600 cartridges by US Games, 20th Century Fox Games of the Century, and my very first title from Mythicon (a company I admittedly don't remember at all). Additionally, the store stocks video game wall art, t-shirts, and many other things to decorate your favorite retro-gaming space.

I also picked up a boxed version of Galaga for the Atari 7800 (in good condition)!

As impressive as their store is, the arcade is truly a sight to behold. With well over 100 arcade cabinets and 30+ pinball machines, you can't go wrong. And these are original cabinets, some of which date back to as early as 1974. A machine outside the arcade entrance will allow you to purchase tokens (yeah!), and then it's on to retro-gaming bliss in the appropriately dimly lit room. It's just like the arcades from back in the day.

Another photo from a past trip to Robot City Games in Binghamton, New York.

They have lots of different themed pinball machines - movies, superheroes, rock bands, etc. - some of which I remember and some I never knew existed. These include Batman Forever, The Simpsons, Star Trek, Wheel of Fortune, and The Twilight Zone. But on my most recent trip I devoted the bulk of my time to arcade games, including Gorf, Arkanoid, Mr. Do and Time Pilot. And I'm happy to say I beat the high score on the latter game on the first try. That alone made my day!

Just some of the classic arcade cabinets at Robot City Games.

My high score on Time Pilot!

So, if you're a classic gaming aficionado in the Upstate New York area (or can get there), head on over to Robot City Games. You won't be disappointed.

A look at Gorf Arcade from Champ Games (Atari 2600)

As mentioned in my first post, I enjoyed many, many hours in the local arcades when I was a teenager. And as I'm sure was the case for many gamers of that era, I had what I referred to as my "go-to" games. Put simply, these were the games I was good at - very good at. Topping that list was the arcade classic Galaga, the immensely popular sequel to the classic 1979 space shooter Galaxian from Namco. And I put Galaga in the top spot for the simple reason that it was the only arcade game I ever "flipped the score on". That is, I played until the score reached the maximum possible value, then reset back to zero. In fact, I achieved that feat more than once on one quarter, and played until I was too tired to stand there anymore. I felt like the king of that game, but didn't find out until many years later (due to the internet and its various high-score lists), that I was far from unique. However, this post concerns my #2 go-to game, namely another space shooter called Gorf.

Gorf (which stands for "Galactic Orbiting Robot Force") is a space shooter released in 1981 by Midway Manufacturing. Like most space games of the era, the basic premise is that you control an armed spaceship battling evil alien forces, in this case the enemies being a race of (Gorfian) robots. The game has five different stages of battle against various Gorfian enemies, and was the first of its kind to feature these distinct game play levels. And two of these stages - Space Invaders and The Galaxians - are familiar because they feature similar gameplay to their namesake standalone arcade counterparts. The game also features quasi-military ranks, with players starting as a lowly "Space Cadet", and (after completing all five stages) being promoted up the ranks, with the ultimate goal of becoming the coveted "Space Avenger". And as you might expect, difficulty increases as both scores and ranks do. Gorf was #2 on my go-to list because I blasted my way to the "Space Avenger" level on numerous occasions.

The Gorf arcade cabinet from Bally Midway

In 1982 CBS Video Games released Gorf for the Atari 2600. Having played that version, my conclusion is that it's a serviceable port. It features the most basic elements of the game with no bells or whistles. Namely, it has four of the five arcade stages (the Galaxians are missing due to a rights issue), with the battles taking place over a black background. There are no mother ships hovering above the action, and spaceships simply disappear with a 'blip' sound and no visual explosion. But limitations notwithstanding, it does more or less look and play like Gorf. (Note: versions of the game were also released for Atari 8-bit computers, the Atari 5200, and Colecovision, among other systems).

Forty years after the CBS Video Games version came Gorf Arcade, a homebrew release for the Atari 2600 by publisher Champ Games. As also mentioned in my first post, I only fairly recently learned what a 'homebrew' game was. So, with that said, let's briefly define the term for the uninitiated. According to promotional material from the authority AtariAge, "a homebrew game is a new game for classic game systems, including the Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, and Jaguar. These games are typically created by enthusiasts and are often a collaborative effort between programmers, artists, designers and other individuals. It's not unusual for homebrew games to match or exceed the quality of games available for these systems "back in the day". 

Gorf Arcade from Champ Games for the Atari 2600

Since becoming a retro-gamer several years ago, I've purchased a handful of homebrews. Some of these have been original titles, and others new versions of classic arcade hits. And I'm happy to say that to date they've all been good, so kudos to these new programmers. And in the latter category, so far, most of my purchases have been Champ Games releases. These include Star Castle Arcade, Galagon, ZooKeeper and our current title of discussion. 

Put simply, this 32K cartridge looks and plays like the arcade version down to almost the smallest detail. Some highlights include: all five stages, a starfield background, motherships that unload the alien fighters at the beginning of stages (allowing for more possible points), free space fighter mobility in all directions, and impressive explosions when enemies are destroyed.

These last two points alone set Gorf Arcade apart from the original 2600 release. In the arcade game, players used a special pistol-grip controller with built-in fire button to move their ship all around the lower portion of the screen, which gave the game a different feel from other space shooters where the ship could only move side to side. In Gorf Arcade an Atari-style joystick is used, but the freedom of movement is retained.

The Galaxians invade in Gorf Arcade from Champ Games

Similarly, the detailed explosions in the Champ Games release are impressive to say the least. This is noticeable with all enemies, but particularly evident in the final stage where players face the Gorfian Flag Ship. As one fires on this enemy, pieces of the ship are blasted away. And after a hit to the internal power reactor, the Flag Ship is destroyed in glorious color and detail, one explosion after another until the last fragments finally fade away into space dust. Like I said, it's impressive to say the least!

I also want to note that Gorf was a unique arcade game because it featured the synthesized voice of the Gorfian leader taunting you throughout the gameplay. And through the use of a small unit called the AtariVox+ speech synthesizer (offered from AtariAge), plus some inexpensive computer speakers, this can be added to the game. So if you don't mind being relentlessly mocked and told that "Survival is impossible", go for it. (The unit also allows high scores to be saved).

My own current high score on Gorf Arcade

With many different game variations, additional rankings that weren't in the arcade game (SPACE MASTER and SPACE CHAMPION), and even a chance to earn an ISDF (Interstellar Space Defense Force) membership patch, Gorf Arcade from Champ Games can't be beat. Highly recommended...

Atari Reminiscences

My first post was originally published in the September 2020 issue of the print publication The Unauthorized Atari 2600 Throw Back Zine from Atari author and expert Michael D. Salzman. This fun Atari zine, which I highly recommend to all retro-gaming fans, ran from June 2018 until February 2022. Back issues of The Unauthorized Atari 2600 Throw Back Zine are available on Amazon. Michael also creates Atari 2600 trading cards and runs The Atari 2600 Club on Patreon (which is currently free to join). 

Issue #28 of The Unauthorized Atari 2600 Throw Back Zine from Michael D. Salzman

A friend and I were nostalgically reminiscing one day about our favorite decade the 1980's, with me lamenting how I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I could have, and her replying that it's tough to do so while you're living it day to day. That's an interesting insight, and one that perhaps can be attributed at least partially to the nostalgia many from "Generation X" have today for that bygone era. 

Several years ago while I was out shopping, a book titled Art of Atari caught my eye. This beautifully illustrated tome by Tim Lapetino tells the story of the many uncredited graphic artists responsible for the iconic Atari 2600 VCS game box artwork back in the day. It's a fascinating book I highly recommend to any history or classic gaming enthusiast, and one that opens with a foreword by Ernest Cline where he describes wonderfully how intertwined this amazing box art was with the overall experience of playing Atari. He notes how it helped bridge the gap between one's imagination and actual gameplay. Well suffice it to say those opening paragraphs immediately called to mind similar memories for me.  Read on...

The Art of Atari book by Tim Lapetino

Looking back I'm amazed just how much time I enjoyed in the arcades during the 1980's. For years on many a Saturday afternoon I could be found with friends at the local mall feeding quarters into consoles from Atari, Bally-Midway, Williams Electronics and other manufacturers in the hopes of achieving new high scores. And like many others I also enjoyed countless hours playing the home versions of these same games as they were released on the Atari 2600 console.
 
Summers in the early 1980's were the best times because school was out and my friends and I had the most free time. In good weather we'd mostly be outside, but rainy days and evenings for me were often devoted to classic Atari console games. Admittedly, Atari competed for my attention with other interests such as music, movies and professional wrestling on TV, but unlike those pop culture delights the Atari 2600 was interactive. Atari 2600 games in essence extended the arcade experience into the home, whether it be with arcade ports or original titles. I remember the anticipation and excitement reading Atari brochures, or magazines like Electronic Games, or seeing a commercial for an upcoming port of an arcade favorite, followed by the even more exciting trips to acquire them. 

The Toys R' Us video games aisles in 1983

I frequented many different places to buy games, which wasn't surprising since so many retailers from specialty electronics shops to department stores carried Atari product. My favorite place though was undoubtedly Toys R' Us due to their displays. They would have the game boxes showcased in all their artistic glory up on the wall with paper tickets below you would take to the register. After checkout the clerk would get the actual game from a locked glass case, making the whole process seem regal and important. Like I said, anticipation and excitement!

Because I generally preferred space shooters to "cutesy" games, home ports that immediately come to mind include Space Invaders and Asteroids. These games gobbled my coins at the mall and so were must-haves at home. (And as most know, Space Invaders was Atari's first "killer app", and a big reason for the success of the 2600 console). But even games I didn't play as often in the arcade like Pac-Man were exciting releases just because they were coming home. I distinctly remember my mom rushing me to the mall where we got the last of a 50-lot batch of these (Tele-Games) cartridges at Sears soon after the game was released, and then being able to happily tell my friends I had it! Sometimes bragging rights could be as satisfying as playing the game itself!

Although I didn't fully understand it at the time, Atari 2600 cartridges really were package deals. The lavishly illustrated boxes, manuals and cartridge labels were as much a part of the overall experience as the games themselves. This was Atari's marketing genius, which is why it is said the artwork was like the "bridge of imagination" between what one imagined a game to be like and the actual gameplay experience. I agree because with each new game purchase there was a period where I would mostly just admire the box, manual and cartridge art before really getting into playing. Today I hear some folks (mostly younger people and modern gamers) criticize early video games for the blocky graphics and / or simplistic gameplay. It's understandable to a degree given the complexity and connectivity of modern gaming, but nonetheless I know I always thoroughly enjoyed Atari 2600 games and never even thought about graphics being crude or unsophisticated. I was just too captivated by the magic and fun of Atari to contemplate such technical considerations. For example I remember when a friend got Imagic's space shooter Demon Attack (which actually had fairly good graphics for the time), I was immediately addicted to that game and didn't want to leave his house after hours of playing! Of course this simple, incredibly fun title was added to my own collection soon after.

    

The Demon Attack video game cartridge from Imagic

I continued playing Atari throughout the 1980's, even choosing to upgrade to the 5200 Supersystem (with VCS cartridge adapter of course) over the suddenly more-popular Colecovision console. This made sense considering my fondness for Atari, and indeed the 5200 was a great-looking system which brought gameplay even closer to the arcade experience. Then somewhere towards the end of the decade or possibly the early 90's things changed and Atari just kind of went away. This is something I've also heard other classic gamers allude to. That is, people talk about how Atari was such a big part of their childhoods for so long and then one day it was gone. (I guess this could be said of many elements of eighties pop culture as well). Of course this isn't to say the games just evaporated into thin air suddenly, but rather that the once dominant Atari 2600 began to be replaced as the whole industry started to change. Much has been written about the great video game crash of the 1980's and how other companies eventually emerged from the ashes to take over, and I will not discuss that here. But in my own case it was more a matter of life changes like beginning college that caused me to stop gaming. For so many years the famous Atari 2600 wood-grained cabinet was a fixture in my room, then one day my 5200 was boxed up in the basement out of sight, out of mind as I began to focus on other things. Perhaps sometimes significant life changes happen right in front of our eyes, but we don't fully comprehend them until much later.

The Atari 5200 SuperSystem

This brings me back to the Art of Atari book. Reading it reminded me of those long-ago days when Atari was such a part of my world. And that is saying something, because besides being vaguely aware the company had released a couple other systems after the 5200, I hadn't thought about gaming at all in years. Around the same time I read the book, I also learned that others had apparently become interested in Atari again too when I discovered Atari Age and many other retrogaming resources (such as an awesome new print zine called The Unauthorized Atari 2600 Throw Back Zine). And I was really quite shocked that Atari Age was not just a historic nostalgia site, but rather a thriving community with a store full of NEW games being produced for the 2600 and other classic systems. The term "homebrew" quickly became part of my vocabulary, and I'm delighted to see that people have taken it upon themselves to extend the life of this system introduced in the 1970's. Even just casually perusing the site one can see the affection folks have for the 2600 and all things Atari in general. 

Issue #1 of The Unauthorized Atari 2600 Throw Back Zine from Michael D. Salzman

Today it appears that, rather than being thrown onto the scrap heap of history, the Atari 2600 VCS is continuing to thrive with a bright future. And the iconic Atari logo seems to be everywhere from t-shirts to posters, riding a wave of retrogaming nostalgia. My own rediscovery of Atari compelled me to dig my 5200 system and remaining cartridges out of the basement. (The unit didn't work, but after buying another on eBay I was happy the cartridges and VCS adapter did)! And since then I've begun slowly collecting Atari 2600 games again, along with their amazing boxes and manuals whenever possible of course. (As it was then, it's still a package deal that goes way beyond electronic programming). Even being a relative novice collector, I can fully appreciate the appeal of this wonderful hobby. And although I sometimes lament the fact that I never seem to have enough time to fully indulge in my (retro) gaming passion like I did way back when, I'm truly grateful to have rediscovered a memorable, happy part of my childhood.