Super Cobra Arcade Review | Atari 2600
Background:
Paraphrasing Wikipedia:
Arcade Super Cobra, the sequel to the hugely popular side scroller Scramble was developed by Konami and distributed by Stern. It was originally released in 1981, becoming Stern’s third best selling game after Berzerk and Scramble. It was also widely ported and made it’s way to the Atari 2600, 5200, Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Atari 8 Bit computers, Xbox 360, PlayStation, and Windows PCs. There were also a couple of miniature tabletop versions created based on this game.
Super Cobra was well-received upon release. In 1983 it was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the category of “Best Action Videogame” at the 5th annual Arkie Awards,[6]:42 In which they compared it to Vanguard and said it “provides the same brand of relentless, multi-scenario action.”[7]
Super Cobra Arcade is a single-player side-scrolling shooter in which you control an Omni-directional moving Helicopter/Chopper that can fire both weapons and bombs. On the Atari 2600 pressing the button on the CX40 joystick will fire your weapons and bombs simultaneously, although there is still the option of plugging in a Sega Genesis gamepad in order to experience two-button gameplay just like in the arcade version. With the gamepad, button B fires missiles and button C files bombs. Having the bombs drop automatically does take away part of the challenge. So I would encourage you to try playing with the two-button gamepad controller.
This game was mostly developed in secret, intended to be a surprise release at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in 2017. Developed by Champ Games original founder and president John W. Champeau. It really makes good sense having just released the popular homebrew Scramble for the Atari 2600 earlier in the same calendar year. I mean the source code for Scramble would make the perfect starting point for Super Cobra Arcade. Now, thanks to my limited interactions with John Champeau he let me pre-beta test this game. Let me tell you from what I saw, it already looked cartridge ready, day one. Due to this interaction, I do have a few insights which I will be sharing in this review.
GAME DESCRIPTION:
When you first power on Super Cobra the title screen starts, we are presented with the game’s mission, “Invade the base and carry away the booty”. Waiting a few seconds you will see all of the point values for your targets, followed by the high score tables being displayed. An attract screen will then start up with the word “demo” flashing at the top of the screen, showing sample gameplay from a random stage for a few seconds before repeating back to the title screen.
In Super Cobra Arcade the environment scrolls from right to left. In addition to strategically placed enemy rockets, there are many new obstacles thrown at you that were not present in Scramble. There are five additional stages to complete all with their own unique challenges. As in Scramble, your chopper has a fuel supply that must be replenished as you play. The manual puts it this way, “the enemy has left fuel depots scattered everywhere – and vaporizing them lets you steal their fuel”.
Your mission is to delve deep into enemy territory, entering the enemy base to capture and escape with the booty, which as the manual states, will allow us to “replenish our depleted forces”, and in fact, you are rewarded with a bonus chopper upon successful capture.
STAGES:
In keeping with the arcade version, the enemy landscape changes up every 1,000 miles revealing new exciting challenges or “stages”. A total of ten stages plus the base are in Super Cobra Arcade.
In the first introductory stage, you deal with fuel, tanks, and fast rockets. The landscape you’re flying over can be imagined as mountainous.
In the second stage, you are introduced to guided missiles that can wrap around the screen.
The third and fourth stages introduce the red spinning glaive drones. These menacing machines move in unpredictable patterns but can mostly be avoided by flying the chopper low to the surface. In stage three they fly in an attack pattern and in stage four more of a fixed pattern.
The fifth stage introduces falling mines. If you’re paying attention you will notice the mines change colors, turning a brighter shade of red just before attacking!
The sixth stage introduces roaming tanks. These sly devils will even climb over the mountains in pursuit of you.
The seventh stage re-introduces the fiery meteors, similar to the meteor stage in Scramble, only this time there is a homing meteor, which will seek you out. It burns so hot, it actually glows blue instead of red. It can be destroyed or avoided if flown low enough.
The eighth stage involves battling hovering UFOs within caverns.
The ninth stage as with the arcade version is sort of a short one with a few guided missiles, tanks, and fuel. I believe this may have originally been done to give the player a sort of rest as a reward for making it this far.
In the tenth stage, you enter the enemy caverns, which are maze-like and are challenged by rockets and tanks. This stage requires a high degree of accuracy in maneuvering the chopper through safely.
In the eleventh and final stage, you are taken deep within the enemy fortress where you can complete your mission by carrying away the booty. This treasure is heavily guarded and tucked away deep between structures. Upon successful capture, the congratulatory music will play and you will be rewarded a spare chopper. As alluded to, in this game as opposed to Scramble, you do not destroy the enemy base, instead, all you have to do is touch the booty which resembles a red box with a dollar sign. It then attaches to the bottom of your chopper with which you have to escape without having destroyed it. If the booty is destroyed and you make it out, you will be given an opportunity to re-play the stage.
After completing a stage you will be awarded fuel in the amount equivalent to having destroyed one fuel depot. Having captured the booty you will be awarded full fuel and a bonus chopper.
Scoring:
You earn 10 points each “parsec” you travel, which correlates to about every couple of seconds. There are essentially four types of rockets. “Normal speed” rockets on the ground and “launched” are worth 30 points. “Fast rockets” will get you 50 points. “Homing rockets” or “guided missiles” are also worth 50 points.
Destroy a homing fiery meteor for 150 points. The falling mines are worth 50 points each. The red circular things I thought looked like cheese puffs are called drones and are worth 100 points. Fuel Depots, 50 points, and there are two types of tanks, stationary and roving. The roving tanks are worth 100 points while the stationary tanks are listed as a mystery. I have been told the formula for the mystery values is as follows:
The roving tanks are always 100 points. The actual point value for stationary tanks, even tanks that were once moving but are now stopped is 100, 200, or 300. The value is random, 25% of the time you’re awarded 100 points, 25% of the time 300 points, and 50% of the time you’re awarded 200 points.
You are granted a spare chopper at 10,000 points and every 50,000 points scored, and for the successful capture of the booty.
Difficulty Settings:
The left difficulty switch control what the manual calls “burst mode”. In position “B” each squeeze of the button will fire 5 shots (3 missiles and two bombs). Position “A” is a single-shot mode and is the mode I recommend using.
Having the right difficulty switch on the Atari console in position “A” will turn off the starfield simulation. This will reduce sprite flickering. Position “B” turns it back on. This can be done during gameplay. Turning off the starfield may help you see a little more clearly as tank projectiles can blend into the background stars making them hard to dodge.
There are a total of four difficulty settings in Super Cobra Arcade; Novice, Standard, Advanced, and Expert. According to the games manual, in “Novice” mode you start out with 5 choppers, wider tunnels, have fewer enemies and the speed is slightly slower. I would say this mode is for younger gamers. In “Standard” mode you start out with four choppers, standard tunnels, have a few more enemies, and faster speed. This is the default setting, but it may be difficult for some. In “Advanced” mode you start out with three choppers, narrow tunnels, have even more enemies, UFOs fire back at you, and there is an even faster pace than closely mirrors the arcade version.
“Expert” mode has the following challenges added. Rockets launch toward you on all stages, including heat-seeking rockets. Tanks fire on all levels. The tanks have rotating turrets and are more accurate. I enjoy playing in “Expert” mode but I find that it can be punishing. Keep in mind your fuel also depletes faster on the higher difficulty settings and a little quicker the more levels you complete. In this review, a “level” is defined as a complete round including all 11 stages.
Let me expand a little upon when the UFOs will fire back at you.
In Novice difficulty, levels 5 and greater, the UFOs on Stage 8, will fire upon you. For Standard difficulty levels 3 and greater, and for Advanced and Expert, on ALL levels, the UFOs will fire back at you.
Gameplay screen elements:
As you play Super Cobra Arcade, you’ll notice on the top of the screen there is a stage indicator, 1-10 & BASE, which fills in with the color red as you progress to new stages through the game. On the bottom right portion of the screen is a level indicator depicted by red square box and a number which increments by one each time you have made it through the entire game and captured the booty. The color of that level indicator also represents the current difficulty you are playing.
Green is Novice
Yellow, Standard
Orange, Advanced and
Red , Expert
Game Options:
The game can be paused at any time by toggling the Color/BW switch on the console. I love when homebrew games include this option because some games, especially on the easier modes can run a long time and you never know when you might need to take a break. Toggling the switch again or pressing the button will exit pause mode. From the title screen pressing the joystick UP or Down cycles through the Title Page and high score rankings. Left and right will cycle through the various skill levels on the score ranking screen. “Select” returns to the title page and cycles through the difficulty settings. “Reset” or pressing the button on your joystick will start the game.
Hidden Feature/Easter Egg (Not in Manual), “Stage Select Mode”:
When you are on the title screen, hold the “reset” key then hit “select”, then release both. You will then be brought to a separate screen where you can use the joystick left or right to select your starting stage. Up or Down will select the level to start on. “Game select” toggles the difficulty. There will be no game continues when using this mode and the opening music will not play.
Hidden Feature/Easter Egg (Not in Manual), “Play with Scramble ship”:
From the splash screen with the Atariage image displayed and tune playing, press and hold “RESET” and then press “SELECT”. You will hear the bonus ship sound and the title screen will appear. In this mode, press “SELECT” to toggle the Super Cobra helicopter or Scramble ship. Use the joystick left/right to select the skill level (since the SELECT button now selects the ship).
Hidden Feature (Not in Manual), “Extra Levels”:
John Champeau took the creative liberty to build a special feature into this version of the game in an attempt to mix things up and keep it challenging. Here’s what happens.
There is an extra level which will appear on every odd level. Remember a level is defined as having completed all stages and collected the booty.
The extra level, with new stage configurations, will now appear on every odd level *after* you have completed at least 2 levels on any difficulty. In other words after you have captured the booty two times on any difficulty setting, this NEW level will be activated. It is most obvious once you hit stage nine on the third level. This makes it is much more challenging. If you play like me, it might take quite a while to see this hidden feature.
Game Continue Feature:
After losing all Choppers, you are presented with the option of continuing from where you left off. You are awarded a total of five such continues and have 10 seconds to continue after each game.
Graphics:
The side-scrolling in this port of Super Cobra Arcade is herky-jerky compared to the arcade. However, for me, this does detract too much from the experience. You have to remember this is a game that was created and released in 2017 for the Atari 2600/VCS, a system that was never intended to have perfectly smooth scrolling graphics.
The graphics emulate the Arcade version closely. There are nice animations for your chopper. There are spinning drones and animated fiery meteors. The starfield is present in the background and disappears on the maps with cover. As you progress through a particular stage, the environments background color changes. This lets you know you how deep within a stage you are, evoking a sense of progress. When you lose your chopper there is a nice explosion animation. The colors accurately correspond to the arcade version.
Sound:
The music and sound effects were done by Make Haas with additional sound effects credited to Bob Decrescenzo. When you first power on the console you are presented with a quick “have you played Atari today” song. When you start the game, the expected Super Cobra intro music plays. However, you may notice that the Scramble intro tune also plays when you first start the game. This was done for arcade accuracy, mimicking the music played in the early original classic Stern Arcade game.
You have the constant chopper motor sound always humming in the background and when you fire your weapons there is a missile sound. If you don’t hit an enemy right away you will hear the sounds of the bomb dropping. This bomb sound will be interrupted once explosions occur. You have a separate sound for when your bomb explodes into the ground versus hitting a target.
When a checkpoint is reached there is a faint beep on the first two levels of the Novice difficulty setting and on the first level of the Standard difficulty setting.
You have a great set of sound effects for when you lose your chopper, like a BAM, BAM, BAM. There is a fuel replenishing sound upon stage completion. There is a bonus chopper sound, which is exactly eight quick beeps, arcade accurate. On the third and forth stage there is a drone background sound, and a separate drone attack sound. On the eighth stage, there is a different background sound for the UFOs. There is a stage completion tune as well as a level completion tune.
Save Key support:
I love the fact that Super Cobra Arcade supports a save key and Atari Vox devices. These devices allow 10 of your high scores to be saved PER skill level. You have the ability to reset the high score tables for any current skill level by holding “reset” and then pressing “select” to reset the scores all back to 10,000 points for any given skill level.
The current skill level you are playing on will also be saved. In other words, if you were playing on expert, the save key will remember this the next time powered on, setting your default skill level back to expert.
Game Ending:
Upon capturing the booty on level 99, the booty will flash when it’s captured to signify it is the last one, the game ends after level 99
Packaging:
I’d like to take a minute to speak to the quality of the packaging of the box, label, and manual which were designed by Nathan Strum. The box has really nice colorful cartoon-style graphics, all in the Super Cobra theme. On the front side of the box, there’s an illustration of a helicopter with UFOs, Tanks, and heat-seeking missiles coming after it. The backside has a few in-game screenshots and describes the mission of the game. The cartridge image label matches the box front image. The neat thing about the manual as was the case with Scramble is that it was done in a comic book style and it tells the back story while explaining how to play the game. It also includes an 11 x 14 poster, a really nice touch.
As this is a fairly new release, I was unable to locate any official World Record or even high score posting on the Highscore.com website.
Issues Reported to John Champeau:
All of the issues I reported to the game’s developer were taken seriously and most were quickly smashed. Not all of the issues I reported directly affected gameplay. One of these weird quirky things that did not get corrected was something I reported close to the last minute. I noticed on real hardware, some of the stars in the starfield simulation would flatten out into short wafers. I was able to duplicate the problem on multiple Atari 2600s, and on two different TVs. This issue does not appear on my Atari 7800 or in emulation. I was able to confirm it also happens with the recent release of Scramble for the Atari 2600. When I spoke to John Champeau, he said no one else was able to duplicate the problem. So I am curious if anyone else out has experienced this weird anomaly.
Conclusion:
This is an amazing game that expands and improves on Scramble in every way, with tons of great options, difficulty settings, and high score save options. The attention to detail, the yearning to keep this game arcade accurate has all paid off with a terrific port. It plays and feels like you are playing the arcade version. I had the pleasure of playtesting this game, assigned the difficult task to locate any bugs that I could find. I playtested about 10 builds each one tweaked slightly better than the last. It feels great to be able to help out the team, even with this small contribution. I was able to meet John Champeau and his brother over at the 2017 Portland Retro Gaming Expo and he revealed the game name of his next project. Top secret for now. Tease. Tease.
I love all the attention to detail that was placed into Super Cobra Arcade. A few such examples are the starfield simulation, animated explosions, animated score table, great sound effects, Easter eggs, colors mirroring the arcade, rockets change colors after launching, and difficulty ramp-ups. The word “Atariage” displays on the base stage rather than “Konami” and John Champeau even threw In the word “Champ” in reference to his company.
Atariage will soon be selling the complete in box version of Super Cobra Arcade for about $50 on their website. John Champeau has said he will make the ROM available near the end of November 2017. So keep your eyes peeled for that.
Highly recommended.
Youtube Description:
This is my review of the recently released Atari 2600 homebrew Super Cobra Arcade!
My visit to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo:
https://youtu.be/brTpIU21iwA
Don’t miss my first Interview:
https://youtu.be/hl64R1qyllk
Youtube Original Post Date: 11/04/2017
