Videogame Review, Astroblast for the Atari 2600 (w/ Atari 5200 Console, VCS Cartridge Adapter, and Brand New Atari 2600 Paddles)

Videogame Review, Astroblast for the Atari 2600 (w/ Atari 5200 Console, VCS Cartridge Adapter, and Brand New Atari 2600 Paddles)

It’s possible for a young gamer to do better in an old game than an old gamer does in it.  Consider my family situation.  Dad is older, but he does worse in these old games than I do.  My score has been over 16,000, enough to put some of the original gamers for this 2600 game to shame.  Keep in mind I’m in my early-30’s.  Astroblast is definitely one of the greatest paddle games you’ll find for the Atari 2600.  My Atari 5200 (double 2600) has the ability to play Atari 2600 games without me having to push and eject the Atari 5200 controller over and over again.  You can also use a 2600 joystick; however, the grace and integrity of Astroblast is best observed and experienced from use of the new 2600 paddle controller by Best Electronics.  We most certainly can say the paddles are more ergonomic than the joysticks.  Of course, at times I’ll see strange programs for the Atari 2600 console that don’t keep mechanics in line with the controller input, and, it’s not really unusual to play a paddle game that’s “iffy”.  My VCS Cartridge Adapter is barely still new; in fact, I’ve concluded that it’s possible for a new console to stop being new (and start being used) once enough time has passed for games.  It’s not a coincidence that major Atari experts know more about the Atari 5200 console than they do about the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Why?  Just look at the NES games!  Hundreds and hundreds of them!  There’s actually more Atari 2600 games than Atari 5200 games.  So, from that last fact mentioned, the Atari 5200 console is mostly Atari 2600 in terms of programming, gameplay, and overall design.  But Astroblast is a remarkable feat.  It’s a very graceful program that has slightly hard difficulty with Atari 2600 joysticks and rather moderate difficulty with the Atari 2600 paddles.  Dodging huge, giant rocks from outerspace is a lot easier with paddles due to the general construction- the paddle is like a small wheel: it turns quickly, it turns somewhat smoothly, and, so many programs are perfect for the erratic nature of its analog movements.  Also, the fire button is comfy.  That’s not so much the case for the Atari 2600 joystick.  My thumbs and hands actually hurt when I’m using the 2600 joystick for Astroblast.  Paddle controller?  Piece of cake!  I think the paddles are more sweet and lovely for use while the joysticks are extended in movement for manipulation and tired gameplay.  We also have to consider (if I may tell you a secret) that I grew up with the Gameboy, the Virtual Boy, and the Nintendo 64.  It’s likely that my hands “bred” into the earliest controllers of my childhood and that my hands have become really “fixed” in terms of ligaments, veins, and bone structure during my growth into adulthood.  Both joystick and paddle work great for the Astroblast program.  My estimation must include these afterthoughts and previous notions so I can understand, from refinement, what has passed in my Atari gameplay so far.