Crackpots

Crackpots
Developer(s) Activision
Publisher(s) Activision
Designer(s) Dan Kitchen[1]
Platform(s) Atari 2600
Release May 16, 1983
Genre(s) Fixed shooter
Mode(s) 1-2 players alternating

Crackpots is an Atari 2600 game designed by Dan Kitchen and published by Activision in 1983. It was Kitchen's first game for Activision; he later did a number of ports to the 2600, including the arcade games Kung Fu Master and Double Dragon.[1]

In Crackpots, the player controls Potsy, a gardener. Potsy's Brooklyn building is being overrun by spiders trying to climb inside six different windows. The player moves Potsy back and forth along the roof to drop pots on the spiders before they can get close enough to enter the windows.

Gameplay

Each level consists of four waves of twelve spiders each; defeat all four waves and the player will move on to a more difficult and faster-paced level. Play then resumes until the building crumbles to the ground. If six or more spiders enter through the open windows, part of the building will be eaten away, and you will have to replay the level. The patterns vary for different colored spiders. Black spiders will move straight up the building, blue spiders wiggle from left to right, red spiders move diagonally, and green spiders zig-zag between windows.[2]

Reception

In a 2004 review The Video Game Critic concluded, "It's a shame Crackpots only has one skill level because once you get the hang of it, the game tends to run long. Still, sharp graphics and thoughtful gameplay make this one worth a look." The final grade was C.[3]

Legacy

Crackpots was included in the compilation packages Activision Classics (1998) for the PlayStation and the Activision Anthology (2002) for the PlayStation 2.[4][5]

References

  1. 1 2 Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. ↑ "AtariAge - Atari 2600 - Crackpots (Activision)". www.atariage.com. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  3. ↑ "Crackpots". The Video Game Critic. September 9, 2004.
  4. ↑ Harris, Craig (September 29, 1998). "Activision Classics". IGN. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (November 21, 2002). "Activision Anthology". IGN. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.