Matt Chat 13: Adventure

Do you remember Adventure for the Atari 2600? This venerable classic is noted for its famous easter egg, but there's a lot more to celebrate in Warren Robinette's pioneering action adventure game. This week, I delve into the history of this game and walk you through some of the best gameplay available on the platform.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• adventure
• atari 2600
• atari
• matt chat
• games
• retrogames
• history
• colossal cave

[Ocea8i53]

Matt, thanks for the cheat. Would you happen to know when using a older tv set to plug a atari 7800 into, what those lines are during game play when recording the game with a video camera? I get wried lines and colors when recording that aren't seen when viewing with just eyes.

[blacklily8]

Yes, that's a problem with recording the screen of an old TV. You're seeing the scan lines that way. If you want to capture stuff like that, you need to buy a capture card and record it with your PC rather than just recording the screen of the TV.

[vintagevideogamegeek]

I have this game but didn't know about the Easter Egg. How did you make it appear?

[blacklily8]

Just google Adventure easter egg to find the solution (it's common knowledge now). Must have been fantastic to stumble upon it for the first time, though.

[Konuvis]

Great review again and I loved the history at the beginning.

but I too found the music a bit distracting, can't really point out why. maybe it was a bit too loud, maybe the genre didn't really match the fantasy theme of the game but in any case I think your voice with the game sounds would have been fine.

oh and BTW I met Ray Kassar once and he was really nice, I didn't know about what you just talked about.

[blacklily8]

Hehe; yeah, that's why I decided to cut it or minimize it in later episodes. It's fun to play with, but I guess there's an art to timing and adjusting it just right.

I'm sure Ray Kassar is a nice guy; folks don't get to be in the positions he enjoyed by pissing everybody off. He had a vision for the company which he strove for mightily, but I just don't think it was the right vision. A more Google or Apple-esque attitude would have done them much better.

[Hamdar7]

Some of the most entertaining vidja' history ever. Keep it up Matt.

[JohnnysCoolStuff]

As one of the D & D generation, Adventure was far and away my and my friends' favorite Atari 2600 game.

[TinyTank2]

Those dragons sure look goofy! A classic game nonetheless, but it makes you appreciate the many advancements in digital dragon depictions.

[1300l]

That guy is a genios, to pick the atari, make a game like this not just with the limitation of the hardware, but also in a age where games (specialy for console games) was simple and more "arcade like". Adventures with puzzle was a more "mature" type of game where computers had it, not consoles untill the mid 90's (if im right with that statement, based in sonic, mario from consoles vs beneath a steal sky and even doom from the pc).

[IdaGno]

Stellar Track remains the most fun I've had playing video games.

[OBSysteme]

@elfmann243 don't forget that its not too late to play the game of the golden era. they are all there on the net, just a matter of finding the ones you want to try out.

there is a legion of emulators for all sorts of environment if you don'T have the chance to play on retro-hardware as well.

[elfmann243]

Dammit, I'm running out of your videos to watch lol, Not only is it interesting for someone like me who missed out on this generation of games; being too young :S but i learn a lot from these videos like how certain games have evolved and what other games drew inspiration from. Often from other games. Awesome video as always, its great listening to you.

[LordDreagon]

The bat reminds me of the little guy in Dungeon Master that steals your stuff. Great video and great fun!

[Diamondfist1]

Adventure is on the Atari 80 Games in One compilation for PC, and the console version Atari Anthology for Xbox and PS2. I originally played this on the Coleco Expansion Module #1, and still own it. This is still a favorite of mine. Thanks for the review.

[Ocea8i53]

Thanks for the info