This is where the UCHG takes on the heroic challenge to play every title in the book ‘1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die’. — 1001 No.25: ‘Combat’ (1977, Atari 2600)
Combat… I wonder what that’s about then…
I would love to have been in the meeting that decided the name of this game. Imagine what it could have been called had they used a thesaurus: “The Forcible Violent Engagement Struggle Fighting Dual Game”. But no, Combat it is.
Combat is one of those typical ATARI 2600 games that proudly boasts a massive 27 games on a single cartridge but actually delivers 5 games on 22 different backgrounds. In fact, if we’re being honest, it’s actually only one game format featuring a mix of different sprites and backgrounds — and the principle of the game never changes. With so many broken promises straight out of the box, this game should run for Prime Minister.
Looking past the lies this game is actually great fun. The principle is as simple as the title (and the programmer who made it): shoot your opponent in the face until they die from it; reset, and do it again.
It is a two–player only game that brings out the competitive beast in everyone. The game play is so accessible that anyone can pick up and play. It is this simplicity that turns a quite gathering of friends into an all out war.
The best mode on the cart is actually the first. A straight up tank battle. The tanks move painfully slowly which makes for an intense battle as it is almost impossible to dodge the incoming fire. A nice feature, or probably rather a poor bit of programming, allows you to change the direction of your shots once they are in the air — this will drive your opponent into a controller throwing rant, possibly ending your friendship forever, or at least until they work out how to do it as well.
If tanks aren’t for you (why are you still reading this?) there are planes too. The Biplane and Jet-fighter modes are almost exactly the same as the Tank modes. The main and only difference being that the planes automatically move forward. This leaves the player to simply move left or right and shoot. As a result you often find your self stuck with a bogie on your tail and no breaks to step on for him to fly on by.
The bottom line is this: although it is simple in both concept and graphics , it is all about challenging a mate to a dual to the death. It is nothing more than a forcible encounter between men, a contest of violence — or simply put COMBAT.
