Game Review
Rationale.
Centipede
- Date: 1981
- Intended ages: 10+
- Created/Sold by Atari, Inc./ Atari, Inc., Atari soft, Superior Software (BBC), Namco (Japan), and Tiger (Game.com)
Centipede began as an arcade game for Game Rooms. It is the first Game Room released to function for mobile phones. It is also playable through play station, Xbox 360, personal computers. In a Game Room, individual players can purchase virtual arcade machines for playing. Most people cannot remember it as they do with contemporary arcade games such as Pac-man or Space-Invaders. However, when it was introduced in 1980, no game was comparable to Centipede. The creators introduced a Trackball instead of a joystick. The hero of the game was a small tiny garden gnome. The gnome’s movements were not restricted, and he could move in any direction and at any speed using the analog control input.
Summary of significance.
In 1983 in a survey conducted by Softline, the readers and general populous named Centipede in the top ten of Atari 8-bit programs based on the game’s popularity. During the Annual Arkie Awards, the game was voted the best computer action game. The Centipede Home Edition was voted the best home arcade game. In the 1996 “Top 100 Games of All Time”, Centipede Arcade edition was listed in position 84. Its nomination was sponsored by Next Generation, a company that had fielded a game in the same category. By 1996, the game was available in seventy percent of all arcades in the US. Approximately four million people bought the Home Edition. Currently, its apple and Microsoft versions have been downloaded more than one million times.
Frogger
- Date: 2001
- Intended ages: 10+
- Created/Sold by Konami / Sega and Gremlin
Frogger was introduced in April 1981 as an Arcade game. The game is a classical, following the novel gameplay with a clear theme. The objective of the game is to provide directions to a group of frogs on their way home. The player must ensure that the frogs reach their destinations without crashed by the moving cars and other hazards. The game offers a bonus after every successful completion. The game uses a joystick for thus limiting the directions the frog can turn to avoid confusion. The original game is a two-player, though single plays are also allowed. A variety of Magazines have celebrated its immense success, and the vigor of the game WSJ named it one of the most addictive games of the century.
Summary of significance.
Reviewers have attached no age or gender to the game. Therefore, making it appealing to all people. During the Game Revie Classic Awards, Frogger was voted the 34th best game of all times, beating sixteen other games. It ranked number 34 in the Atari VCS classics Game Competition. The producers of the home version got a standing ovation during the Classical Game Award Of 2006. Danny Goodman, CEO and founder of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games, stated that the game is an eye-catcher that will be remembered for generations. In 2013, the Entertainment Weekly christened Frogger, the third most successful game produced for the Atari 2600. The game made over six million sales between 1984 and 1996, becoming the third most purchased arcade game. There are several sequels and spinoff resulting from the original Frogger.