Atari Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | "The Latest Icon of the Imbecile Industry?"
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a scrolling shooter video game programmed by Rex Bradford for the Atari 2600 and published by Parker Brothers in 1982. It was the first licensed Star Wars video game.
The player must control Luke Skywalker in a snowspeeder to battle against Imperial AT-AT walkers on the planet Hoth. The objective is to hold off the walkers as long as possible before they blow up the power generator at the Rebels' Echo Base. The difficulty levels included several variables, including the initial speed of the walkers, whether or not the walkers were solid, and whether or not the walkers included a "smart bomb".
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As a kid "Empire Strikes Back" was one of those games that put my brain in a calm, meditative state while playing it. Still is a classic!
passive, calm, the light side of the force is...concentrate on force shots you must.
~Master Yoda...probably
One of my favorite games of all time! I played this SO much as a kid and now at 42 yrs old, I still pop in this cartridge quite often.
The Parker Bros boxes were what were great, came in boxes just like their board games, such a nice touch!
That's one of my favorite games for the Atari 2600. Grew up playing that and still play it. Lots of nostalgia for that one.
Empire Strikes Back was my favorite of the Defender type games. ✌
That game sure had some responsive controls for its time! I was always obsessed with hitting the weak spots on those walkers.
I honestly thought that was the only way to destroy them. Guess I should have read the manual better.
@@tjolsonmcsesame here, but I didn't have the instruction manual since my parents threw all that stuff away.
I played this one a bunch as a kid. It was the only Star Wars game I had back then.
As a 7-year old who had just recently seen TESB in its 1982 re-release, i was OB-SESSED with this game! This was the first SW movie i had seen and i was an instant fan. The AT-AT walkers on Hoth was absoluty my favorite part of the movie, so this game totally nailed every beat. I'm pretty sure i was the target demographic here. This game was the reason i wanted an Atari, and not only did i get one for Christmas of '82,, but i also got thos game AND an AT-AT toy! I have been chasing the high of that morning for 41 years.
The Empire Strikes Back is one of my favorite 2600 games. What I like about the 2600 is that the games are simple enough to play.
“Rocket Surgeon” FTW!
I remember sneaking away from my mother, while shopping for shoes for my sister at Debenhams (a department store in the UK, that had computers/video games in the "basement") and playing this so long on the demo setup that they wound up calling me out on the store PA ...
The hopscotching method is very smart! A great video as always!!!
I remember Harlan Ellison on the fledgling Science FIction Channel (SyFy). His half hour editorial series showed him just lambasting ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he did not like. That also included anyone he didn't like, too. Sometimes he made sense, sometimes he just showed his age shaking his fist and yelling at clouds.
He made being a cantankerous jerk his whole personality
Sounds like a real jpy to be around. *rollseyes,*
Still to this day it is a game that can be picked up and enjoyed for a little while.
Fun story. I went out thrifting to find this game. I found a 7800 in the box, all the cables, manuals, warranty card, catalog poster and controllers. It also came with 3 games: Pole Position, Star Trek and Emipre. Mybbest Goodwill find ever.
Great score!
Parker Bros games were top notch! I remember playing this one, Christmas 1982!
One of my favorite games on the 2600. I never got it as a child and with the 2600+ I finally fulfilled my childhood dream of owning this game. I'm from Germany and unfortunately the SW theme is missing in the European PAL version. Luckily the NTSC version also runs on the 2600+ 😊
Who didn't love destroying At-At walkers? Like everyone loved destroying Robots in BERZERK. Something about man vs machine always strikes a chord.
Nice to see you play a round. It is a magnificent example of a 2600 game, but I was always in the "too repetitive" camp to play it for long.
I LOVE this game. I still have my 2600 and the cartridge along with about 300 other games, I used to and still do make a day of playing it
This is one of my all time favs for the 2600 countless hours playing this game!!!!!!!
I used to love playing bird vs camel on the 2600 when I was kid! Couldn't put it down, lol!
I had this one. I remember once getting the score 2187 and being very excited because it was the same number as Princess Leia's cell on the Death Star.
I was 10 years old when I got this game on my 2600 and I love, love, loved it. As a life-long Star Wars fan, I still enjoy playing it. There's also a modern remake on the Commodore 64 with enhanced graphics, lovely SID music and more varied enemies. It is an absolutely stunning technical achievement, so I've had to buy that for my Ultimate C64, as well.
I hadn't seen that C64 re-write until a viewer like you in this very comments section mentioned it. I haven't played it yet, but it looks remarkable! 😁
Awesome choice for a game review! Congratulations your channel is doing great love to see all the views, comments, and subscribers. Keep it up!
this awesome got my attention for quite a while once i worked out how to play, we didn’t read the manuals much and just dived in, it’s lots of fun once you know what to do :)
This is my all-time favourite Atari 2600 game, I can play it for hours and hours. It's fun, challenging and is downright relentless. It's the most fast-paced intense game ever made for the machine, and pretty much the only good game Parker Bros put out for the Atari 2600. (Star Wars Arcade isn't terrible but not great either) Excellent choice to feature! I don't need a higher difficulty either, it's damn hard enough! Oh, and Harlan Ellison can go pound sand. ;-)
Awesome game-play, Jon!!!
Such a simple game, but at the time, this was the closest game that made you feel part of the Star Wars universe. I remember playing this at my friend's house and his dad was watching us play, he tells my friend if he doesn't win, he's grounded. I beat him and his dad grounded him! Lol😅
lmao, that's cold!
I had "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" when I was a kid. It was one of the few game I had for my Coleco Vision expansion unit. Good memories! 👍
It was fun. I can remember spending hours fighting walkers with my family. It wasn't easy but definitely one of our favorites
This game is so good that programming legend Jeff Minter made the ultimate homage to "Empire" with Attack of the Mutant Camels, not to be confused with the US release of AMC which was actually Gridrunner. Great video as always Jon :-) Keep up the awesome work!
This is the first Star Wars game I ever played. I love this game.
“That Armor's too strong for blasters!”
―Luke Skywalker
Great video!
Thanks!
Great video Jon! Definitely in my top 10 2600 list. My suggestion for next game play is my all time fave 2600 game...... Pitfall! That is really one game that will forever stand the test of time. Just think of all the games that came out since then that pay homage to Pitfall! Thanks again for all your videos, including the daily vlogs.
I played this a lot, but didn't own the box or instruction book, so I never realized the walkers slowed down when severely damaged...or that you could land to repair twice. 💀 I usually was good at getting in those "force shots" on the weak spots though.
thanks for the vid, this makes me really want to get my 7800 or one of my 2600's cleaned up and ready to run again.(i wanna take em apart and use keyboard duster in case spiders laid eggs on the board inside, that can fry your console)...also i have no idea where i put the proper AC adapters. 😭
Love this game. Played it a bunch as a kid.
This cartridge was my main present of Christmas the year it came out! It was $59.99 in 1982 money! Best game I owned at the time and my parents got their moneys worth
I had a C64 instead of a 2600 and played Attack of the Mutant Camels; which is very similar
Loved the cruise missile/smart bomb the AT-ATs shot at my speeder.
They sounded cool, too!
This is my favorite Star Wars game from Atari 2600 I hope this gets ported to the Nintendo Switch.
I love this game. I am lucky enough to own a full set with the box, cartridge, cartridge holder insert, and most importantly the instructions! I had it as a kid but never knew exactly how to play until I got the full set. 😂
I don't like any games related to Star Wars but this game was ahead of its time!
Played this a lot, preferred the hardest settings. Epic no win scenario that captures the spirit of the battle of Hoth.
Man i had this game too. I feel awesome and old at the same time. Btw, love the original 2XL in the back. Had it as a kid and bought one on ebay for my son when he was 8. Im convinced its why hes in retro tech now.
I received this game for Christmas and played the heck out of it. It’s one of the games I still pull out and play from time to time. I also received E.T. that year… 😁
Loved the empire strikes back. Just very simple and quite fun. Had a great sound design too.
Awesome thanks
great video, thanks
For sure! Thanks for your membership, London!
I loved playing this.. 🤘🏻🤘🏻
It was incredibly smart to focus the game on one aspect of the film, and for me, it was the best game for the 2600. I never owned a 2600, opting for an Intellivision system. But I have to say that the gameplay and graphics on the 2600 version was much better and enjoyed playing it on my brother's 2600.
This game is so fun! Thanks for covering it!
Glad you enjoy it!
This game has recently grown on me. At first I thought it would be boring as hell, but no, it can be very addictive. I always play variations that have everything (both smart bombs and solid walkers), now I'm playing variation 16, the hardest one
16 is the big leagues!
Loved this game! First time I had heard of Parker Bros
Had this one and the arcade game which was my favorite of the 2. It was always special when you can play an arcade game at home even though you knew it was subpar. I always thought ESB was basically a rip off of Defender. It didn't prevent me from playing but I'm surprised you didn't mention. Fun vlog!!
Your game chatter is the best. 😄
I still go back to this game every now and then. I don't know why some would rail on it. It's just a classic arcade shooter. And yes, it does take concentration, as the walker's laser shots are just the right speed, not too fast or slow but can catch you off guard!
You nailed it on their shots. Every time I get shot it feels like a sucker punch, but it was fair! If only I'd been paying closer attention to the timing. 😁
Absolutely love this game!
Man, I used to play this game for HOURS with my little brother! A perfect mix of gameplay and fun. Parker Brothers was one of the best Atari 2600 game companies. Their Frogger is quite good (though I'd have to give the edge on that game to the one from Starpath [Supercharger]). You should do a video on that device. It came too late in the VCS's lifespan, but I had one and the games were really good and had surprising depth (thanks to the multi-load capability of the cassette system).
Jon, would be cool if you showed off one of John Champeau's Champ Games homebrews, like Elevator Agent! It's supposed to be very close to the Elevator Action arcade version!
I have! ua-cam.com/video/l83mJtcyAIs/v-deo.html
@GenXGrownUp ah yes I forgot you did Zookeeper. Would love for you to do Elevator Agent as well.
A Classic VCS Game.
As a Kid I would play this at my local K-Mart ATARI VCS kiosk.
We were lucky enough that the store would allow you to play whatever game you asked them to put in it.
It really got me focused when the music kicked in.
I believe that this was the first VCS game to have parallax scrolling, and likely the first on any console to have it.
Parker Brothers had such an incredible start, it's too bad later titles got progressively worse... Otherwise we'd be talking about them in the same regard as Activision and Imagic. PB did it without sniping former Atari programmers, everything they did in the beginning was by backwards engineering.
Frogger was the first game I bought with my own money, and this was the second. I think those two titles were amazing and the only thing I wish they had added was a better kernal to avoid flicker.
One of my favourite 2600 games, got it as a Christmas gift when I was a kid, and I still play it from time to time. Didn’t know the strategy of making at-ats slow, though. But I use the trick of landing and then moving in vertical only, quite effective for destroying them as quick as possible. Being fair, I have to say that all the 2600 cartridges I got in my childhood were great: this very same one, but also Frogger, Indy500, Pole Position, Pele’s Soccer, Space Invaders, Phoenix, SuperCobra, RS Tennis, Tutankham, Smurf, and even Pacman, which I loved despite the criticism. One I regret not having was Berzerk, but got it now with the 2600+ release (and I confirm I would have loved it as a kid)
Awesome. Thanks for sharing your memories! 😁
I was 11. Loved this game
That sounded like Harlan for sure. Always at his best when skewering someone.
I played this game a lot. But, I don’t think I remember the landing pad thing!!! Omg!! Now I gotta play again and try it. 😎👍🏻
I had this for my 2600 when I was six and it's actually one of the games I enjoyed the most. I had quite a few games and even being so young I knew most of the games on the 2600 were pretty bad and pointless, as they just went on forever, save for outliers such as Pitfall. You had to use your imagination and make up your own story with these games since they didn't come with any. Being a huge Star Wars fan this game really got my creativity fired up as I could make up stories of being a lone pilot defending an attack on Hoth that came from the other side of the base than what took place in the film.
In the Atari library's defense, even Empire "just went on forever." That was the case with the majority of video games in the early days.
Great game, thanks for the video. I would love being able to use the grappling hook around the ATAT's legs in this game. I think that's the only thing that's missing.
Little Andy never owned this game back in the day, but he had friend who did. So every time he went to the friend's house for a sleepover, he got to play this game. Even though it's repetitive, it's a LOT of fun.
I played all the star wars games as tho I was watching the trilogy with Jedi arena being end of empire lightsaber duel. When I was young I used to chain a lot of my Atari games into a larger story going across multiple games making up my own story as I didn't know a lot of games had their own since all my games were loose lol
This was one of th3 first carts I picked up for my 2600+
Wow, was this in the manual? When I was a kid we had no idea 48 shots would kill it, we always went for the bomb port.
This only had to be good enough, given the craze for the movie, but it's one of the best and most enduring 2600 titles; it's one of the few 2600 games I can play an entire game through now without getting bored.
You're missing out unique gameplay if you don't play with the smart bombs. Smart bombs sound really cool too especially with the alert horn blaring at the same time!
They do sound cool! I get shot often enough without those smart bombs after me! 🤣
Dang Empire is a fun game. Endless shooting fun.
Just going through my totes and i found this game in one. It really is a decent game to play.
So I learned something new. Didn't know about the repair feature. Guess I should have read the instructions 40 years ago.
I'm doing a public service. 😉
Such a great game!
Damn near flawless for those with a modicum of imagination...
This was THE Star Wars game growing up. If I remember correctly, wasn't there a cheat in the game? If your speeder shot the back foot of the Walker, I want to say it took them out immediately. Still, its fun looking back at these games now.
I wish there was tow cables implemented. Regardless, seems like a fun game. Thanks for another playthrough.
That would be cool!
Wow! I had NO IDEA this game was so good! Manuals FTW! I'm going to give this game some love!
Hope you enjoy it!
That sentiment definitely sounds on brand for Harlan Ellison.
I got this from an Eckerds Pharmacy after the 83 video games crash for a couple of bucks. An enjoyable game though that I still think about from time to time. I am a huge Star Wars fan though. Episodes 4-6 without the digital "improvements" Solo shot Greedo first!!!
Wow haven't played this game in a long time 😅😅😅
Overall, my favourite Defender type game for the 2600 was Chopper Command by Activision. This one was a good blast in small doses, though, but (imho) it really needed something extra to shake up the one-note gameplay; some Probe Droids maybe.
To this day, absolutely in my Top 5 VCS games ever.
Harlan... he's not a guy you hear happy stories about. If Harlan were to have an emoji just for him, it would be a frowny face.
I vaguely remember hitting that kill spot on the walker but it chased me, when I played this as a kid. Unless that's only on one of the numbers.
Indeed. On the more difficult settings, there's a heat-seeking missile that launches from that bomb hatch and chases you.
@@GenXGrownUp I'll check it out. If not, another game got mixed up in my memory.
You mentioned “it doesn’t take a Rocket Surgeon” at the beginning of the video. I was actually thinking more “it doesn’t take a Brain Scientist” lol.........
I've just realised the PAL version (which I have) is missing the music 😭
I Loved this game on my7800, Still have my copy.
I could never figure out what to do after I Fragged at the Walkers, I probably needed to do something with the select button, but I didn't have a Manual, My dad grabbed it outta a Used bin
I designed the Parker Bros. Empire Strikes Back in 1980. I sent the idea directly to Atari's Sunnyvale CA address. I built it off of the Defender Arcade cabinets layout. Its rather obvious if you compare. Anyway, Atari wrote me and said they do not honor submissions from the public domain but that it was a good idea and I should pursue game design. I assume they handed the idea off to Parker Bros to avoid any conflict. I was happy to see my idea made real but I always wondered if there was something I could do about my concept being stolen. I was just a kid when this happened but still, I claim originator of the game. Emphatically!😊
That's fascinating. I imagine the statute of limitations on that has expired after forty years! 😀
@@GenXGrownUp I know it seems fantastical but its true. I am 54 years old. A lifelong gamer with the Radio Shack TandyVision being my first console. A day 1 Star Wars enthusiast with a deep love for George's vision. And lastly but not least, I have always had the ability to express myself artistically from a very young age. I know it is impossible to prove but I am confident in the results of any polygraph test I could ever be put through. This is my personal "Fish that got away..." story. Lol.😉
@@SilvaFoxMC I surely wasn't questioning the veracity of your story!
@@SilvaFoxMC I feel for you, man. For a programming contest back in 2020, I created a web based online word guessing game. While it played just like Wordle, it predated Wordle by thirteen months. Afterwards, when the New York Times purchased Wordle from its creator for seven figures, I felt sick to my stomach.
I loved the game as a kid. Showed the game to my 12 year old nephew and he laughed in my face
Hahaha! Your nephew needs a game education! There's more to a title than what it looks like at first glance!
Played hours and hours on this. Like you said, there are strategies for this.
Never got to play this one. But, it looks cool. Seems to be in the same vein as Defender or Chopper Command.
Hey Jon wondering if you ever gonna cover later systems and games. Like the Super Nintendo era and Neo Geo era. Dont get me wrong I love Atari and all but would love to see you're thoughts on the games and systems from that generation. Keep up all the great work. Love the channel.
Thank you! I may one day. Being an old guy, I don't know nearly as much about more modern systems as I do the games of the late '70s & early '80s, so I tend to cover that with which I have the most familiarity & personal experience.
@@GenXGrownUp it's all good. I was born in 78 so I was kind of a little too young to really be excited by the Atari and that generation. I did have one but by the time I got one I also had the Nintendo so I was into both but really playing Nintendo more. I loved the Neo Geo even though I never got one as I was not a millionaire. But I loved playing those games and always seeing how finally we can get the arcade at home with that system. I think though my favorite system of all time is always gonna be the Sega Dreamcast. Anyway just was wondering and maybe you can just do an overview of that generation. Maybe do a history of your early life going though the game generations. Would be an interesting video I would love to see. Take care man.
Best 2600 Star Wars game! ❤
This game is without any doubt a top 5 on the VCS!!!!!