10 /10 1 Votes
Genre(s) Fixed Shooter Developer Activision Publisher Activision | 5/5 eBay Initial release date September 1982 Designer Steve Cartwright | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Platforms Atari 2600, Xbox 360, Atari 5200, Microsoft Windows, Atari 8-bit family Modes Single-player video game, Multiplayer video game Similar Steve Cartwright games, Shoot 'em up games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classic game room hd megamania for atari 2600 review
Megamania is an Atari 2600 game designed by Steve Cartwright and published by Activision in 1982. It took six months to develop the concept and another three months to fine-tune the game. It was released for the Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit family in 1983, ported by Glyn Anderson.
Contents
- Classic game room hd megamania for atari 2600 review
- Atari 2600 games megamania 1982
- Gameplay
- Activision patch
- Advertising
- Ports and re releases
- 2600 vs 5200
- Reception
- References
Megamania is similar to Sega's 1981 arcade title Astro Blaster. Both games have nearly identical patterns of approaching enemies with the player relying on an "energy" meter. Also, the player's ships are remarkably similar in both games.
Atari 2600 games megamania 1982
Gameplay
Megamania gameplay resembles that of Astro Blaster, but rather than being aliens or spaceships the enemies in are various objects such as hamburgers, bow ties, and steam irons. The object is to shoot them down before the energy bar at the bottom of screen is depleted, all while avoiding the oncoming enemies and their own projectile attacks. Each of the enemies fly in select patterns and as soon as they hit the bottom of the screen, they re-appear at the top until shot by the player. The player's spacecraft depicted in the game is a cross between the U.S.S. Enterprise and Klingon battlecruiser from the Star Trek universe.
If a player exceeds a score of 999,999 the game ends.
Activision patch
Anyone who scored above 45,000 points could send Activision a picture of their screen and become an official Megamaniac. They also would receive an Official Megamaniac emblem.
Advertising
The band The Tubes performed a Megamania theme song in a 1982 television commercial advertising the Atari 2600 version of the game.
Ports and re-releases
The Atari 2600 version was included in with the Activision Anthology release in 2002.
2600 vs. 5200
Megamania was released for both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. They both included the same general gameplay, but the 5200 boasted some differences as listed.
The Atari 8-bit family version is the same as the Atari 5200 version.
Reception
The original Atari 2600 version of Megamania received an award for "Most Humorous Home Arcade Game" at the 4th annual Arkie Awards. Video magazine reviewed the Atari 8-bit version in 1984, describing it "hardly different" in terms of gameplay from the original Atari 2600 version, but emphasizing its "visually enhanced" graphics that allow players "to clearly distinguish what each wave of attacking objects is supposed to represent".