| Hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Gamma Software |
| Publisher(s) | Gamma Software |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit |
| Release | 1981 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
Hockey is a ice hockey video game published by Gamma Software for Atari 8-bit computers in 1981. [1] Gamma released the Atari 8-bit game Soccer the following year. [2]
Hockey is a sports game in which 2-4 players compete in an arcade-style game. [3]
Bill Willett, writing for his "Atari Arcade" column in the June 1982 issue of Computer Gaming World , called Hockey "a delight to play". [4] Later that year, also in CGW, Allen Doum stated:
The graphics are of the kind that leave George Plimpton flat. For those who like the arcade style sports games, these games fall short of what the computer is capable of. However, as two-player sports games, they can be exciting. [3]
The reviewers in the 1983 book The Creative Atari called the game, "almost fast, never furious, and generally fun". [5] The primary complaint was the slow movement speed of the players.
In Electronic Games , Bill Kunkel wrote:
In any case, Gamma's version misses the level of realism attained in Activision's programmable version for the VCS, by quite a bit. The players are drawn much too large for the cramped, on-screen rink. Due to the lack of space, the sport's primary characteristic, speed, is obliterated. [6]
He also disliked the minimal feedback when a goal is scored. [6]
Kaboom! is an action video game published in 1981 by Activision for the Atari 2600. The game involves a Mad Bomber dropping bombs at increasing speeds as a player controls a set of water buckets to catch them. The gameplay was based on the Atari arcade video game Avalanche (1978). Kaboom! was programmed by Larry Kaplan with David Crane coding the graphics for the buckets and Mad Bomber. It was the last game designed by Kaplan for Activision, who left the company shortly after the release of the game. The game was later ported by Paul Wilson for the Atari 5200 system.
Shamus is a shooter with light action-adventure game elements written by Cathryn Mataga and published by Synapse Software. The original Atari 8-bit computer version was released on disk and tape in 1982. According to Synapse co-founder Ihor Wolosenko, Shamus made the company famous by giving it a reputation for quality. "Funeral March of a Marionette", the theme song from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plays on the title screen.
Caverns of Mars is a vertically scrolling shooter for Atari 8-bit computers. It was written by Greg Christensen, with some features later added by Richard Watts, and published by the Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. Caverns of Mars became the best selling APX software of all-time and was moved into Atari, Inc.'s official product line, first on diskette, then on cartridge.
Ice Hockey is an ice hockey video game designed by Alan Miller for the Atari VCS, and published by Activision in 1981. Actor and comedian Phil Hartman starred in the commercial for the game.
Video Olympics is a video game programmed by Joe Decuir for the Atari 2600. It is one of the nine 2600 launch titles Atari, Inc. published when the 2600 system was released in September 1977. The cartridge is a collection of games from Atari's popular arcade Pong series. A similar collection in arcade machine form called Tournament Table was published by Atari in 1978.
Astro Chase is a multidirectional shooter written by Fernando Herrera for Atari 8-bit computers. It was published by First Star Software in 1982 as the company's first game. Parker Brothers licensed it, releasing cartridge versions for the Atari 8-bit family and Atari 5200 console in 1983 and a Commodore 64 version in 1984. Exidy licensed it for arcade use with its Max-A-Flex cabinet.
Jawbreaker is a Pac-Man clone programmed by John Harris for Atari 8-bit computers and published by On-Line Systems. Released in 1981 before an official version of Pac-Man was available, it was widely lauded by reviewers and became a major seller. The story of its creation and Harris's Atari 8-bit implementation of Frogger form a portion of Steven Levy's 1984 book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.
Worms? is a puzzle video game written by David Maynard for Atari 8-bit computers and ported to the Commodore 64. It was released in 1983 as one of the first publications from Electronic Arts. Worms? is an interactive version of Paterson's Worms.
Monster Maze is a first-person maze video game written by Robert Schilling and published in 1982 by Epyx for the Atari 8-bit computers and VIC-20.
Surround is a video game programmed by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System. The game has players 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.
Transylvania is an adventure video game published by Penguin Software. It was released for the Apple II in 1982 followed by ports to the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. A Mac conversion was published in 1984, then versions for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1985.
K-Razy Shoot-Out is a clone of the arcade video game Berzerk developed by K-Byte, a division of Kay Enterprises, and released for Atari 8-bit computers in 1981. The game was written by Torre Meeder and Keith Dreyer, and was the first Atari 8-bit cartridge from a third-party developer. An Atari 5200 version followed in 1983. The team of Dreyer and Meeder also wrote the 1983 Atari 8-bit game Boulders and Bombs.
Preppie! is an action video game for Atari 8-bit computers published by Adventure International in 1982. It was programmed by Russ Wetmore of Star Systems Software, whose name is prominently displayed on the box cover. Leaning on the preppy trend of the early 1980s, the game follows prep schooler Wadsworth Overcash as he navigates the hazards of a country club to retrieve golf balls. Preppie! borrows heavily from Konami's Frogger, with lanes of traffic in the bottom half of the screen and a river crossing the top portion. Alligators are an element from both Frogger and preppy fashion; an open-mouthed gator is the icon of shirt brand Izod. Reviewers recognized the game as derivative, but called the music and visuals some of the best for Atari 8-bit computers.
Airstrike is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Steven A. Riding for Atari 8-bit computers. Having strong similarities to Konami's 1981 Scramble arcade game, it was published in 1982 as the first release from UK-based English Software. In Airstrike, the player flies through caverns while shooting and bombing targets, avoiding terrain, and managing fuel and ammunition. The company described the game as "Very, very, difficult!" in magazine advertisements, and reviewers agreed with that assessment.
Soccer is a sports video game for Atari 8-bit computers published in 1982 by Gamma Software.
Claim Jumper is a video game written by Gray Chang for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1982. It is primarily designed as a two-player competitive game, but includes a separate shoot 'em up mode for either one or two players.
Baja Buggies is a desert-themed racing video game written by Dan Ugrin for Atari 8-bit computers. It uses a third-person, 2.5D perspective. The game was originally developed and sold as Night Rally by Arcade Plus before the company folded, then it was revamped and became the first release from Gamestar. Gamestar went on to publish a series of sports games for the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 before becoming a label of Activision.
PlatterMania is a video game written by Michael Farren for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Epyx in 1982.
Threshold is a space-themed fixed shooter written by Warren Schwader and Ken Williams for the Apple II and published by On-Line Systems in 1981. Inspired by Sega's Astro Blaster arcade video game, Threshold introduces many enemy ship types and wave formations as the game progresses. Reviewers found the variety distinguished the game from the many similar shoot 'em ups.
Dodge Racer is a maze video game programmed by Rob Re for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1981. It is a clone of the 1979 arcade video game Head On, where the player drives around a rectangular track, divided into lanes, collecting dots and avoiding collisions. Dodge Racer was the second release from Synapse and the company's first game.