Played as part of Atari 50.
Feel like I can't really assess this without the rotary controller so I'm not going to try. Most of these games you can mostly approximate with a controller or mouse but this one doesn't really work well with either, I guess it makes sense that some stuff would've slipped through the cracks. Looks really cool though!!
Feel like I can't really assess this without the rotary controller so I'm not going to try. Most of these games you can mostly approximate with a controller or mouse but this one doesn't really work well with either, I guess it makes sense that some stuff would've slipped through the cracks. Looks really cool though!!
Really neat visuals and oddly satisfying sound effects keep the simple gameplay engaging.
now you might be asking "why the fuck are you playing an atari game in 2023?". My answer to that is because i find it interesting how far we evolved. This game is 40+ years old. With all that being said, this game is dogshit to play now. Back then it might have been cool but now its not. There is a charm to be had with these old titles though. The fact that you never know wtf is ever happening is fun in its own way. This is probably the best game on the atari though. There is no reason to ever go back to play these games except for the history factor. This is the beginning.
The early 80s were experimental when it comes to arcade games, and Tempest is no exception. It's a normal shoot 'em up game, but it’s impressive how the 3D visuals give off a unique experience unlike any other at the time. Out of the Atari arcades game I've played so far, I don't mind replaying this one from time to time.
(Atari 50)
This game's simplistic style works nicely. Still a lot of fun, complex enough to actually want to come back to, good foundation laid for Tempest 2000.
This game's simplistic style works nicely. Still a lot of fun, complex enough to actually want to come back to, good foundation laid for Tempest 2000.
Even if this game didn't eventually end up giving us Jeff Minter's whole career, it's still great.
Starting to see a personal trend playing these titles and being reminded of when other games did it like the hacking mini game in Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal being a different spin on it. A really cool fast paced shooter with some cool concepts like choosing your difficulty right over the bat, gorgeous colorful vector graphics and unique shaped levels that keep you from being complacent.
Masterpiece of arcade gaming
My mom owns the arcade cabinet of this. I played it so much growing up and even managed to get a high score at a local barcade on it.
Cool as hell Arcade game, wish I spent more time playing this cabinet to try and really learn it.
very hectic arcade shooter, it still looks and feels very fun to play even today. playing it with an actual arcade set up really makes this game great for me.
Very hypnotic, fast-paced, quite intense, just the way I like it. One of the most stunning vector-graphical titles to this date, using color and pseudo-3D playfield to add depth; a great fit for a shooter involving enemies crawling up a corridor. The SkillStep system is also a neat way of rewarding returning and skilled players heading back into the game.
Definitely best to play with a rotary knob though, as originally intended, for the best accuracy.
Definitely best to play with a rotary knob though, as originally intended, for the best accuracy.
It’s almost shocking how expressive and pure this game is really. From the way your abstract pinchy yellow avatar slightly leans in the direction of your slight knob twist to even the act of transitioning between stages allowing for movement and danger. Tempest is a game that feels like it was just ahead of the curve in respect to having clean vector graphics (that very literally will always just be a bunch of direct shapes no matter how nice your screen looks) with pure colors for every entity in the game and a control scheme that only works with this kind of game.
I didn’t know anything about this game besides it being a big deal vector game but it’s almost shocking how fun a game that looks like it’d be Pong’s weird roommate is
I didn’t know anything about this game besides it being a big deal vector game but it’s almost shocking how fun a game that looks like it’d be Pong’s weird roommate is
OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS SO GOOD when I'm not playing this on a keyboard.
(Atari 50)
Tempest is probably my favorite vector based game - playing this for the first time at Galloping Ghost on bright original hardware was a mind-blowing experience - it's amazing how sharp and readable it is on a tube tv - something that's really hard to emulate even with modern 4k. With that said, emulation is very good and the tube shmup concept is really awesome.
Tempest is probably my favorite vector based game - playing this for the first time at Galloping Ghost on bright original hardware was a mind-blowing experience - it's amazing how sharp and readable it is on a tube tv - something that's really hard to emulate even with modern 4k. With that said, emulation is very good and the tube shmup concept is really awesome.
This one was pretty cool, not gonna lie. It may be just another shoot-'em-up of the 80s, but given how it is 3D, but also provides a unique perspective and movement method to taking out the enemies is pretty solid. I'm glad that I finally played it.
Game #128
Game #128
The "3D" visuals are certainly impressive for the time but the enemy design leaves a lot to be desired. Still, definitely a big leap.
(played as part of ATARI 50)
I feel like vector graphics were essentially cheating, for arcade games. A shortcut straight to the cold, mysterious, cool, vaguely eerie and unnerving vibe that can create such a memorable arcade experience. This particular game was apparently born from the designer's nightmares of creatures crawling up after him out of a hole in the ground, and uh, yeah that's a pretty fuckin' evocative starting point! Put that together with the vector sheen and some extremely solid and well thought-through shooter gameplay and you've got a winner, and one that has appropriately outlived most of its contemporaries.
Some SPACE INVADER-likes from this era overdo it with way too many enemy types or effects or whatever, and on paper this seems to do that, but all of the visuals and enemy behaviors have been carefully designed to be visually distinct and legible, even (crucially) when they're far down the tube away from you. Halfway through a single run, you'll have a handle on things, and be able to play reactively. You'll need to overcome a bit of a learning curve with the rotary nature of the controls, and some continuing frustration of not -quite- being able to always land on the segment you want, but this is one of the good types of arcade games where you feel like you're always improving the more you play.
Most of all I love the look. The dizzying little zooms between levels, ever downward. The simple but strangely unforgettable level shapes. The uncanny way the player ship(?) wiggles and jiggles around the outside of the tube, itself seeming like some kind unknowable creature. The hellish cabinet art!
I can't remember seeing it mentioned in any interviews off the top of my head, but I feel like this must have been an influential one on some later game designers.
I feel like vector graphics were essentially cheating, for arcade games. A shortcut straight to the cold, mysterious, cool, vaguely eerie and unnerving vibe that can create such a memorable arcade experience. This particular game was apparently born from the designer's nightmares of creatures crawling up after him out of a hole in the ground, and uh, yeah that's a pretty fuckin' evocative starting point! Put that together with the vector sheen and some extremely solid and well thought-through shooter gameplay and you've got a winner, and one that has appropriately outlived most of its contemporaries.
Some SPACE INVADER-likes from this era overdo it with way too many enemy types or effects or whatever, and on paper this seems to do that, but all of the visuals and enemy behaviors have been carefully designed to be visually distinct and legible, even (crucially) when they're far down the tube away from you. Halfway through a single run, you'll have a handle on things, and be able to play reactively. You'll need to overcome a bit of a learning curve with the rotary nature of the controls, and some continuing frustration of not -quite- being able to always land on the segment you want, but this is one of the good types of arcade games where you feel like you're always improving the more you play.
Most of all I love the look. The dizzying little zooms between levels, ever downward. The simple but strangely unforgettable level shapes. The uncanny way the player ship(?) wiggles and jiggles around the outside of the tube, itself seeming like some kind unknowable creature. The hellish cabinet art!
I can't remember seeing it mentioned in any interviews off the top of my head, but I feel like this must have been an influential one on some later game designers.
walked out of the place extremely knobpilled
Playing this on an actual cabinet is fun as hell and almost singlehandedly has me wanting to go back to the arcade I found it in. Great controls and stunning to look at for its age! Just wish there was more to it, but for an arcade game - an old one at that - I can't ask for too much.
honestly totally baller, the roller controller pretty epic