| Fireball | |
|---|---|
 front cover of the Fireball cassette | |
| Developer(s) | Arcadia/Starpath |
| Publisher(s) | Arcadia/Starpath |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, two-player |
Fireball is a Breakout clone video game developed by Arcadia (whose name changed to "Starpath" during development) for the Atari 2600. The game was released on cassette tape and required the Starpath Supercharger add-on to play. [1]
The game is similar to breakout in that the player uses a ball (a fireball, hence the name) to break-up walls made of bricks by hitting the bricks with the ball, with the shape of the walls changing as the player progresses. The game differs from breakout, however, in that rather than just being a bat, the player controls an animated juggler who can catch and throw the ball at the bricks. The game also differs from the traditional Breakout format in that six fireballs may be kept in the air at any one time, and the brick that are to be destroyed in each level are arranged in varying shapes/patterns. [2] Five different modes of play are provided, including "Firetrap", "Knock-a-block", "Marching Blocks", "Migrating Blocks", and "Cascade", and as many as six balls may be on-screen at any given time. [3]
The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where each player takes turns. [1]
The contemporary reception to the game was broadly positive. The British TV Gamer magazine described it as "very similar to other Breakout games" though they also noted that the game was "challenging and entertaining". [3] The German TeleMatch magazine gave it a positive review, praising its gameplay and graphics, and criticising only its "monotone" sound. [4] Vidiot magazine described it as "the best variation on the Breakout theme yet". [5] The 1984 Software Encyclopedia was broadly positive about the game, giving it 7/10. [2]
Later reviewers have been more positive about Fireball. In Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide, Brett Weiss described in in-game action as "fun, hectic, and more than a little challenging". [1] Writing for Atari HQ, Iida Keita also gave the game a positive review, describing the game as "very derivative and familiar to most classic videogame enthusiasts" whilst also saying that "the design does provide for some challenging and exciting play". [6]
Starpath was a U.S. company known for creating the Starpath Supercharger in August 1982. The company was founded under the name Arcadia Corporation in 1981 by Alan Bayley, Robert Brown, and Craig Nelson. It changed its name to Starpath shortly after for trademark reasons because Emerson Radio Corporation had released a video game console named the Emerson Arcadia 2001.
The Starpath Supercharger is an expansion peripheral cartridge created by Starpath, for playing cassette-based proprietary games on the Atari 2600 video game console.
Breakout is an arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and released on May 13, 1976. It was designed by Steve Wozniak, based on conceptualization from Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow, who were influenced by the seminal 1972 Atari arcade game Pong. In Breakout, a layer of bricks lines the top third of the screen and the goal is to destroy them all by repeatedly bouncing a ball off a paddle into them. The arcade game was released in Japan by Namco. Breakout was a worldwide commercial success, among the top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1976 in both the United States and Japan and then among the top three highest-grossing arcade video games of 1977 in the US and Japan. The 1978 Atari VCS port uses color graphics instead of a monochrome screen with colored overlay.
Dragonstomper is a video game developed by Stephen Landrum for the Atari Video Computer System and released by Starpath. The game follows the adventures of a dragon hunter who is given a quest by the king to defeat a dragon and reclaim a magical amulet that was stolen. The player makes their way over the countryside, vanquishing various adversaries and gaining gold and experience. After achieving enough strength, the player can enter a shop in an oppressed village where equipment can be purchased, soldiers hired, and special scrolls obtained to defeat the dragon in its lair.
Summer Games is a sports video game developed and published by Epyx based on sports from the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit computers, and Master System.
Escape from the MindMaster was a video game for the Starpath Supercharger addon for the Atari 2600 published in 1982 by Starpath.
Airlock is a platform video game for the Atari 2600 published by Data Age in 1982. The player runs and jumps through the interior of a crippled submarine with only ten seconds to complete each level.
Assault is a 1983 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Bomb for the Atari 2600. Controlling a spaceship fixated at the bottom of the screen, gameplay involves the player shooting projectiles towards an enemy mothership that deploys smaller ships to attack the player. The player must also prevent enough projectiles from touching the bottom of the screen.
Surround is a video game programmed by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System. The game plays similarly to the arcade game Blockade (1976), which allows players to navigate a continuously moving block around an enclosed space as a wall trails behind it. Every time the opposite player has their brick hit a wall, the opposing player earns a single point, with the winner being the first to collect ten points.
Lost Luggage is a 1982 action video game developed and published by Games by Apollo for the Atari 2600. The player controls skycaps working at an airport and tries to collect pieces of luggage that fall overhead from a frantic luggage carousel. A two-player mode, in which the second player controls the direction the luggage falls, is also available.
Dolphin is a side-scrolling video game created by Matthew Hubbard for the Atari 2600 and released by Activision in 1983. Dolphin requires the player to use audio cues in order to survive.
Breakout 2000 is a 1996 action video game developed by MP Games and published by Telegames for the Atari Jaguar. Part of the 2000 series by Atari Corporation, it is a remake of the arcade game Breakout (1976), and one of the last officially licensed releases for the platform. Featuring a similar premise to Breakout, the player must destroy a layer of brick lines by repeatedly bouncing a ball spawned off a paddle into them and keep it in play. Gameplay modifications to the original game include a third-person perspective behind the paddle in a pseudo-3D playfield, power-ups, bonus levels, enemies, varying level designs, and multiplayer features.
Fire Fighter is a video game written by Brad Stewart for the Atari 2600 published by Imagic in 1982. The player uses fire fighting equipment in an attempt to extinguish the fire in a tall building and rescue the occupants.
Human Cannonball is a non-military variant of an artillery video game released in 1979 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari VCS. The goal is to launch a performer from a cannon so they land in container of water supported by a tower. The game was in the first wave of Atari VCS games after the original nine launch titles. It was also among the first games for the console to be discontinued by Atari.
Backgammon is a video game adaptation of the board-game backgammon developed by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System and released in 1979. The game was one of the earliest electronic versions of Backgammon.
Hangman is a video game based on the pen-and-paper game of the same name released in 1978 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari VCS.
Fatal Run is a 1990 post-apocalyptic-themed vehicular combat game developed by Sculptured Software for the Atari 2600 and Atari 7800. It was published by Atari Corporation simultaneous by Atari for both platforms. Along with Klax, this was the last game Atari officially released for the Atari 2600. At 32kB of data, the game was also the biggest ever released for the Atari 2600. The game was only released in Europe.
Pigs in Space is a three-in-one 1983 video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600. It is based on the "Pigs in Space" sketch series on the then-popular television series The Muppet Show. The game is the last in a series of children-friendly games developed by Atari for the Atari 2600. Atari marketed the games as being good for the development of hand-to-eye coordination.
RealSports Baseball is a 1982 sports video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. originally for the Atari 2600. It was also launched on the Atari 5200 and 7800 machines. A version for the Atari 8-bit computers was in development, but cancelled.
Beany Bopper is a shoot 'em up for the Atari 2600 from California-based developer Sirius Software and published by 20th Century Fox Games in 1982.