Combat Atari 2600 Review
Combat for the Atari 2600 is a classic two-player game that offers an exciting and competitive gaming experience. In this game, players have the objective of shooting down each other’s tanks or planes. Each successful hit pushes the enemy vehicle back and rewards the player with one point.
One of the standout features of Combat is its diverse selection of 27 levels. Each level presents unique rules and playing field layouts, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging. On the tank levels, players are provided with two different mazes to navigate or the option to play without walls altogether. On the plane levels, players can even choose to play with clouds that obscure parts of the screen, adding an extra layer of challenge.
The Atari 2600 difficulty settings allow players to customize their gaming experience. These settings can be adjusted to change the range of a player’s missiles, as well as the speed of their airplanes in levels 15-27. This flexibility provides an opportunity to tailor the gameplay to suit individual preferences and skill levels.
With a time limit of 136 seconds for each game, Combat manages to maintain a fast-paced and thrilling experience. Players must strategize and act quickly to outmanoeuvre their opponents and secure victory.
If you’re interested in experiencing the excitement of Combat for yourself, you can find it available for purchase at Escapist Gamer.
Overall, Combat for the Atari 2600 offers an enjoyable multiplayer experience with its variety of levels, customization options, and intense gameplay. It’s a game that has stood the test of time and continues to captivate gamers even today.
The levels include:
- 1-5: Tank levels. Levels 3 and 5 are “straight missile” levels where the players’ projectiles simply fly forward. On the “guided missile” levels (1, 2, 4) the projectiles can be controlled with a joystick after firing.
- 6-9: “Tank-pong” levels, where the players’ missiles bounce off walls. In the “billiard hit” levels (8 and 9), there’s an additional rule that a missile must bounce at least once before it can hit the enemy tank.
- 10 and 11: Invisible tank levels, where the tanks only become briefly visible when they shoot, bump into a wall, or are hit by a missile. Both of these give the players guided missiles.
- 12-14: Invisible “tank-pong” levels. Levels 13 and 14 use the “billiard hit” rule.
- 15-20: Biplane levels, where the players fly planes that are constantly moving forward and wrap around to the other side when they fly off the screen. Levels 15 and 19 use guided missiles; 16 and 20 use straight missiles; on 17 and 18, the players use rapid-fire machine guns. Additionally, level 19 is a “2 vs. 2” level – both players have two planes each that move and shoot together – and level 20 is “1 vs. 3”, where one player has three planes while the other has a single large plane.
- 21-27: Jet fighter levels. The jet planes move faster than biplanes, but other than that gameplay remains similar. 22, 24, and 27 are straight missile levels, the rest are guided-missile levels. Additionally, 25 and 27 are “2 vs. 2” levels, while 26 is a “1 vs. 3” level.
Available to buy at Escapist Gamer – Combat (Atari 2600