Dollar Sausages: Videogame Review, Desert Falcon for the Atari 2600

Friday, March 23, 2018

Videogame Review, Desert Falcon for the Atari 2600

Videogame Review, Desert Falcon for the Atari 2600

“Just in case you don’t understand, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

There must be some luck here, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

I got long will boat ripplin’ tide, it’s a no man’s land you see.

Deep in the seams of pride by dreams how they beat us within you and me.

Heaven-bound should stand and glare, put the blinders to your face.

There must be some luck here, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

I’m lost in the wild of roundabout schemes, it’s a no man’s land you see.

To be in the waves and sound the alarm and return to the arms of the sea.

Just in case you don’t understand, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

There must be some luck here, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

A bon vivant, how it is to be free, like a bird with a shored-up reach.

And the Earth gives all the treasures it holds and the oil spills over the beach.

Just in case you don’t understand, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

There must be some luck here, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.

Every night you stay to play with the bandits to your east.

There must be some luck here, it ain’t easy being heaven-bound.”

-Gordon Lightfoot, “Heaven-bound” (1979)

When you consider Lightfoot’s poem within its secondary notions, Desert Falcon for the Atari 2600 most certainly seems to fit along with those poetic lines because of the game’s box’s image presenting us with part of the mystery-holding cartridge. Desert Falcon like so many old games represents the chaos against possible discord as irritations within the program meld well with the crazy nature of Ancient hieros upon the pyramid shores where your flippant, kingly bird of the sky reigns to the vague spirits of enemy rows. At times it seems you shoot darts toward the watchtowers only to receive hurried response by enemies of their square-like ammunition; otherwise, it’s death from the shadows lurking into nooks and crannies around the scrolling bend on your TV screen. Everything in the shooting game is a surprise, another miracle as spread out despite the consequences overqualifying the “beach” (or desert) against exact numerations printed onto the TV screen with vivid, sharp points of input and output for your royal, green bird. My Atari 2600 Jr.’s booted up among my program cartridges where flashes reflect between TV screen and dark, brown, wooden table. Green is sending itself forth however you put the red firing button to use unless you warp by some mysterious incident where your ancient hieroglyphics spell out the unknown language of transcendence just to rest near a yawning kitty cat with a decorated turban, to shoot imaginary pellets unto the magical, mythical beast who despises your strange bird to the point of its exhaustion of tongue and terrible breath against animal reconstruction. Being too early is the same as being too late, the objects don’t seem to really be there; it’s eternal, it’s transcendence, even after sands disappear in your imagination until rocking points become clear and almost impossible. Controls are rather fantastic and I find myself acting on the shifting shadows wherever my giant bird of royalty hits the deserted pavements of time and space along Egypt’s regressing pass towards destruction. Sense is hardly fixed for this game. Disappearances only add to Atari’s tribute for old times within prosperity in the sense of onslaught against returning peace in a bonus round, pink amulets gathered since the harvest upon us may reek of secretive progress among enemies in forlorn of exaggeration. Often we’re heading into chaos, often hints provide us with tokens for appreciation when simple measures of control play through those consequences between the varied wings, tremendous creatures on grounds so beat and rhythm combine almost to the point of malfunction, yet it’s arcade-like. Desert Falcon comes close to failing. It succeeds. My screen blips with hiccups of single-line static from time to time when courses are transgressing on my privilege. We have to love Desert Falcon for how it saves the opportunity in the hope gamers should cherish along defeated rows on TV, graphics as high as the desert breeze really showing what ought to in return of happiness, video form over ancient changes upon the stretching heavens of time. This Atari 2600 game gives us what’s as close to eternal life on the TV screen as there ever can be unless I’m misspoken on important matters for modern gaming. Maybe I’ll try more shooting games that have been made in recent years; it’s just I’m tired of waiting forever on any effect, there has to be hints out of time along the actual eternity before us. A good cartridge like Desert Falcon deserves recognition for its storytelling, managed exhibit of refined visuals towards Egypt’s long-forgotten past. Mystery? Duh, that’s the point!

https://youtu.be/CPlZr3vKCL8