• Tag Archives Dodge ‘Em
  • Dodge ‘Em (Atari 2600)

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/655992759154573312/chaptertwo-thepacnw-dodge-em-1980


    Dodge ‘Em is a rather unique game for the Atari 2600. It is sort of a cross between a racing game and Pac-Man. The playfield consists of several concentric rings with gaps in between so that you can steer your car into other rings. The goal is to collect all of the dots in each ring to move on to the next level. However, there is another car going around in circles in the opposite direction. He seems rather suicidal as his whole goal is to crash into you head on. Too many crashes and the game ends. At higher levels there are two opposing cars. There is also a two player mode. You can either alternate or play at the same time with the second player acting as the opponent.

    At the time this game was released by Atari in 1980, it got fairly good reviews. Like most games of the era, it can get pretty repetitive and if getting the next high score isn’t your thing then it will get boring pretty quickly. Due to a bug, there is a kill screen and you can’t get more than 1080 points in any case. However, it was pretty unique and fun to play for the time, either with a friend or by yourself.

    If you do want to give this one a try, you don’t necessarily need to track down an original cartridge. Dodge ’em has been on every Atari Flashback iteration except the very first one. I’m not sure if it is available via the new Atari VCS yet or not but I think it has found its way into other Atari compilations for various systems. If you do want an original cartridge, they are pretty cheap and easy to find. At any rate, if you enjoy games from this era, Dodge ‘Em is one you should try in one form or another.


  • The premiere issue of Video & Arcade Games from Creative Computing (Spring 1983)

    via pinterest.com

    The Spring 1983 issue of Video & Arcade Games