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by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2012, 10:47am PDT |
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LODE RUNNER
Lode Runner is pretty much the definition of a game still "having it" after 25 or 30 years. This game is essentially why I dug my Atari, SIO2PC cable and Flashcart out again. I wanted instant access to Lode Runner on a TV. I wanted something to do when the scrub NFL officials call their 12th hold penality of a drive this year and decide to instant replay challenge their own calls on their own. I also wanted to explore what some of the sequels to Lode Runner did.
To me, what makes Lode Runner so special has always been the perfect speed of the player and the enemies. The player is juuuust a bit faster than the dumbfuck assholes from the Bungeling Empire that he's going against. It reminds me of how balanced the speed of the PC in Doom is, and how Choplifter is set up to give you the perfect amount of tension, when you land your chopper, in the speed of the hostages.
(A nice counterpoint would be the speed of any Madden football game, where the action slows to a crawl when the ball is snapped, due to the overwhelming incompetence of everyone ever involved with those games.)
The worst part of Lode Runner, at least when I played it on the PC, has always been the fact that you can get yourself into a no-win, no-progress situation. I know that it was a side effect of putting a level editor in the game, but anything would have been preferable to forcing the player to hit the suicide button. The Atari version introduced another disappointment: the presentation of screens.
When you start a new level on the 8-bit version of Lode Runner, you see a small circle that gets wider, until the entire screen is displayed. For a game that is all about the right balance of speed, the time it takes to display the screen is intolerable. I guess it provides punishment for dying, but God, what a terrible non-feature to dump into the game. I don't know if the PC version came after the C64 and Atari versions (I assume so) but it's great that they realized it didn't work and got rid of it.
The circle presentation thing isn't enough to stop Lode Runner for the Atari 800 from being enjoyable. Level warp is Cntl-Shift-U. (Not a spoiler -- people have known that for years. Brian Moriarty being involved with Jonathan Blow's upcoming game The Witness, now that is a spoiler.) I find myself being able to pick up where I left off with Lode Runner with relative ease. It's just relaxing enough where, if I play a few levels before going to bed, I fall asleep a little faster than I otherwise would.
So, yes. Lode Runner HOLDS UP NICELY!
the dark and gritty...Ice Cream Jonsey |
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I bought a Flashcart for Atari 800. Here are the games. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2007, 10:27pm PDT 
DONKEY KONG by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2007, 10:34pm PDT
Re: DONKEY KONG by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/13/2017, 7:02am PDT
SHAMUS by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2007, 10:56pm PDT
SHAMUS on the c64: Awesome, Impossible. NT by mark 08/30/2007, 11:15pm PDT
Got Shamus going again on my Atari 800. by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/13/2017, 6:59am PDT
POGO JOE by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2007, 11:12pm PDT
To clarify by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2007, 11:21pm PDT
I actually played MULE on C64 with OTHER KIDS as recently as 1996. NT by Jerry Whorebach 08/27/2007, 11:48pm PDT
Re: I actually played MULE on C64 with OTHER KIDS as recently as 1996. by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 12:08am PDT
Family friends and I play the NES version each Christmas break. NT by mark 08/30/2007, 11:16pm PDT
WIZARD OF WOR by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 2:45am PDT
JUNO FIRST by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 2:51am PDT
CENTIPEDE by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 3:01am PDT
KITTY! by Zseni 08/28/2007, 10:51am PDT
Re: KITTY! by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 2:05pm PDT
Caltrops is my Tetris now. by Zseni 08/29/2007, 12:26am PDT
play Tetris Attack by Bananadine 08/30/2007, 4:02pm PDT
Kirby's Avalanche. NT by Jhoh Clbbl O_____O 08/30/2007, 8:40pm PDT
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine by any other name is still just Puyo Puyo :( NT by Jerry Whorebach 08/30/2007, 9:45pm PDT
agreed by Bananadine 08/31/2007, 4:25am PDT
What are your thoughts on Pokemon Puzzle League? by Jerry Whorebach 08/31/2007, 5:01am PDT
Re: What are your thoughts on Pokemon Puzzle League? by Bananadine 08/31/2007, 6:35pm PDT
Tetris Attack is indeed the king of Tetris Clones by FABIO 08/31/2007, 5:01am PDT
What are your views on Modern Tetris? by Worm 08/30/2007, 10:22pm PDT
Tetris is the sort of game you really want to run off a hard disk, not a DVD. by Jerry Whorebach 08/31/2007, 12:12am PDT
Well that didn't take long. Buyer beware: I don't think it's very good. NT by Jerry Whorebach 10/03/2007, 10:15am PDT
Re: KITTY! by Jhoh Clbbl O_____O 08/28/2007, 2:14pm PDT
Re: KITTY! by Zseni 08/29/2007, 12:31am PDT
Actually I did not almost get fired. But it's definitely good to BE working. NT by Jhoh Clbbl O_____O 08/29/2007, 12:37am PDT
Kill your booss. NT by Zseni 08/29/2007, 2:36am PDT
No. ^_^ NT by Jhoh Clbbl O_____O 08/29/2007, 3:15am PDT
Re: KITTY! by Mischief Maker 08/29/2007, 7:44am PDT
This was a funny Jhoh Cable post. 2007. NT by Souffle of Pain 06/30/2011, 9:54pm PDT
So no, he hasn't posted anything funny in more than three years. NT by Fortinbras 06/30/2011, 10:39pm PDT
What about Josh? Has he EVER done anything funny? by caltrops blank 06/30/2011, 11:33pm PDT
This explains why you can never leave a thread without having the last word NT by Mischief Maker 08/30/2007, 11:16pm PDT
I was thinking of downloading an atari emulator to find some old games I played by Grumah 08/28/2007, 6:46am PDT
Give Star Raiders a try by Mischief Maker 08/28/2007, 12:47pm PDT
Oh, it's in the queue, boyo by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/28/2007, 1:45pm PDT
Would you kindly. NT by Atlas 08/28/2007, 1:52pm PDT
Moira is a pain in the neck alright NT by Grumah 08/28/2007, 2:15pm PDT
Are ye tellin' me, mui wife an' chile NT by Atlas 08/28/2007, 2:38pm PDT
I'm not so sure about that by Mischief Maker 08/28/2007, 2:48pm PDT
Re: I'm not so sure about that by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/03/2007, 11:28am PDT
LODE RUNNER by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/27/2012, 10:47am PDT
This is one of those games that holds a certain mystique over me by Arbit 08/27/2012, 2:19pm PDT
Fact: my dad spent dozens of hours on Lode Runner when he was older than us NT by Fullofkittens 08/27/2012, 5:16pm PDT
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