Page 42 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #4

hair out in no time. The addictive puzzle-
ack when our favorite consoles were solving gameplay will have you looking for
B young (and so were we), many of us patterns to speed up the screen's blackout.
dreamed of creating our own games for these Although you can just keep pushing buttons
beloved systems. Now, many years later, a few and eventually stumble upon a screen's solu-
stalwart individuals are following through on tion, the game challenges you to keep your
those dreams. Homebrewed games are being moves to a minimum. A running tally of how
released on a variety of classic systems: Cole- many button presses you've taken appears at
covision, Vectrex, and the Atari 2600 to name a the bottom of the screen.
few. Okie Dokie has 31 built in levels. The first
For the first Homebrew Review, I thought it'd several are easier, being mirror images of
be a good idea to re-visit the homebrews that itself. All you need to do is duplicate your ef-
jumpstarted the Atari 2600 homebrew explosion forts on either side. Later levels are chaotic
of recent years. As an added bonus, I've in- patterns with no rhyme nor reason to them.
cluded a review of a new homebrew that was You'd be lucky to stumble upon a solution in
released shortly before presstime. the later rounds.
Okie Dokie is one of those games that
SoundX by Ed Federmeyer makes you want to play "just one more time."
Platform: Atari 2600 Sure you solved a screen in 10 moves...now
Released in 1994 can you do it in 9?
The first 2600 cart released in more than a Bob Colbert has a website at:
decade, SoundX is a sound-generating cart that http://members.home.com/rcolbert1/
displays all of the Atari 2600 sound parameters
on the screen, allowing the user to modify Atari Video Simon by Mark De Smet
voices. SoundX allows you to create any sound stick shifts the falling piece from side-to-side Platform: Atari 2600
the 2600 and pulling down makes it plummet into Released in 2000
is capa- place. Pushing the fire button rotates the At press-time, Video Simon is the newest
ble of piece 90 degrees. homebrewed Atari cart released, based on the
and is As a nice addition, Federmeyer has pro- incredibly
useful for grammed a great hummable theme that popular Mil-
figuring plays as the game goes on. As the game ton Bradley
out the gets faster, the song gets faster adding to electronic
type, the tension of the game. This is a great "Follow the
pitch, piece of additional work that adds to the Leader"
and vol- flavor of Edtris 2600. game from
ume of With nine levels of increasingly faster the '70s and
sounds gameplay, Edtris 2600 is a must-have in '80s.
when your 2600 collection. (Although the
programming your own Atari games. Ed Federmeyer has a web site at: game's name
SoundX, more of a utility than a game, http://www.iit.edu/~fedeedw/ is based on
proved that the Atari still had new life in it years "Simon
after the last company-produced cart. SoundX Okie Dokie by Bob Colbert Says.")
also prompted others to create their own Atari Platform: Atari 2600 When you first pop in Video Simon, you'll
games and many used SoundX as a spring- Released in 1996 be treated to the image of the familiar saucer-
board for the sound effects of their own home- In 1996, Bob Colbert programmed, pro- shaped console. There are four colored
brewed efforts. SoundX can safely be called the duced, created, and released his own 2600 lenses that flash and beep with a distinctive
Father of the Modern Atari Homebrew. game, Okie Dokie, in a limited 100-cart run. tone. Repeat the sequence. Everytime you're
(These original releases are highly sought- correct, Simon will repeat the sequence and
Edtris 2600 by Ed Federmeyer add one more flash/tone. The longer you last,
Platform: Atari 2600 the longer the sequence to remember. And,
Released in 1995 as you go on, the game gets faster and faster.
Edtris 2600, Ed Federmeyer's second Atari Soon, remembering the sequence becomes a
programming effort, is one of the best home- challenge to your already taxed memory.
brews created Video Simon has four levels of gameplay,
for the Atari including one where you challenge the com-
2600 and is the puter to keep up with YOU. The game’s
first GAME re- graphics are outstanding, if only because it's
leased for the great to see a classic electronic game from
system in the the '80s ported over to the classic video game
modern era. console of the '80s. The tones of the game are
Based on a dead-on reproduction of the tones of the
Alexei Pazhit- original.
nov's classic I suggest gathering a few friends around
brick-stacking the Atari at the next party and breaking out
game Tetris, this little number. Who in your group can do
Edtris 2600 is a as Video Simon says?
virtual transla- after collectibles and, if you get a hold of Mark De Smet has a web site at:
tion of the original. As in the original, you must one, it means you've actually had to kill a http://www.upl.cs.wisc.edu/~de-smet/
guide oddly shaped pieces into a "well," rotating collector for it.) The game, still in production
and maneuvering the pieces to form solid lines through Hozer Video, plays similar to Lights These homebrews are currently available on
across the playfield. Filled lines disappear. If the Out or Magic Square. A random pattern of cartridge from Randy Critchfield at Hozer
stack reaches the top of the well, the game "buttons" appears on-screen. When you Video Games, P.O. Box 1332, Pepperell, MA
ends. As the game goes on, the pieces drop push a button, it (and all buttons adjoining it) 01463. Check out http://www.netway.com/
faster, making maneuvering nearly impossible. reverse their on/off sequence. The object of ~hozervideo/index.html for catalog and further
Graphics for Edtris 2600 are very simple, but the game is to get the screen cleared of details.
how complicated must the screen be? This is a buttons.
block-falling puzzle game, for Pete's sake! How- For those game players who like puzzle
ever, the gameplay is flawless. Moving the joy- games, this one will have you pulling your
Classic Gamer Magazine Summer 2000 42