In the history of classic video game consoles and what is today called retrogaming, there are certain things that have become the stuff of lore and legends. And of course, because of the internet and modern instant communication, this lore can now be read and learned about very easily. For example, the religious-themed video game Red Sea Crossing, which was sold only via mail order in 1983, is widely regarded as one of the rarest Atari 2600 games. Another rarity from 1983 is Pepsi Invaders, a modified version of Atari 2600 Space Invaders, which the company made exclusively for Coca-Cola to give out to their salespeople at a yearly convention. And a third example, also involving extremely limited production of a game cartridge, was a contest Imagic held in 1982 where top players competed in Bermuda on a modified version of their hit game Atlantis (on specially made "Atlantis II" cartridges).
Another contest, this one planned by Atari 2600 third-party publisher U.S. Games (a subsidiary of the Quaker Oats Company, no less), would have awarded a cash prize to the person who came up with the best name for their title Name This Game and Win $10,000. However, that never happened because the company went out of business first. Compared to the previous examples, this nixed competition probably isn't as legendary in retrogaming history. But the game in question, usually titled Name This Game, is a heck of a lot of fun and what I'll be discussing here.
In Name This Game you are an intrepid diver who has discovered sunken treasure in the ocean. But instead of celebrating, you find yourself having to fight off a hungry shark and a curious octopus, while at the same time making sure to keep an eye on your air supply. Fortunately, your buddy in a boat on the surface assists with that breathing challenge by dropping you a line to fill up. That is if you can catch it!
First, the graphics in Name This Game look pretty good. Your diver in green with his little spear gun, a toothy gray shark, smiling black octopus, and your buddy in the boat with his hair blowing in the wind are all well-defined. The blips and bleeps sounds are what you'd expect from an Atari 2600 title of this era, but it's the gameplay that really shines. On the average skill level, the challenge starts out manageable enough, allowing new players to ease into the action and get a feel for the game while keeping the dangers at bay. And as the manual hints, a good strategy for racking up points on the early levels is to let the shark get down the screen close to your diver before blasting him. This makes the toothy menace worth more points, as well as allowing you to start to anticipate the increase in speed as it gets nearer.
As the speed of the game picks up, so does the fun. It's satisfying to work at the strategy of staying under your pal's boat as much as possible (for air), while fighting off the undersea menaces. This involves picking off the shark high up on the screen, while constantly blasting back the octopus tentacles. This latter point may well be where the real challenge lies, because as the tentacles start both wiggling around and descending faster, they're harder to hit. I've found myself losing lives quite frequently when the octopus tentacles reach the bottom of the screen and everything goes black.
Name This Game is a simple title with a low learning curve which makes it fun and engaging on the first play. It's also a game that encourages players to focus on strategy (for example, the aforementioned staying under the boat) in order to increase high scores. It will prompt you to hit that reset button often and is therefore highly recommended.
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