Revision as of 21:45, 16 October 2024 editDavemck (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users120,469 editsm Clean up duplicate template arguments using findargdups← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:13, 17 October 2024 edit undoAndrzejbanas (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers123,591 edits →Release: information on re-release for the game.Tags: harv-error 2017 wikitext editorNext edit → | ||
Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
]. (pictured)]] | ]. (pictured)]] | ||
''Atari Video Cube'' was initially released in 1983 and was only available through mail to Atari Club members.{{sfn|Weiss|2011|p=33}}{{sfn|Electronic Fun with Computers and Games|1983|p=96|ref=ts}} The game was later re-released as ''Rubik's Cube'', a licensed title based on ], a popular toy in the 1980s.{{sfn|Weiss|2011|p=33}}{{sfn|Lapetino|2016|p=254}} in a form Tim Lapetino in ''Art of Atari'' described as a "marginally different" form than ''Atari Video Cube''. Both releases features the same artwork on the packaging.{{sfn|Lapetino|2016|p=254}} | ''Atari Video Cube'' was initially released in 1983 and was only available through mail to Atari Club members.{{sfn|Weiss|2011|p=33}}{{sfn|Electronic Fun with Computers and Games|1983|p=96|ref=ts}} The game was later re-released as ''Rubik's Cube'', a licensed title based on ], a popular toy in the 1980s.{{sfn|Weiss|2011|p=33}}{{sfn|Lapetino|2016|p=254}} in a form Tim Lapetino in ''Art of Atari'' described as a "marginally different" form than ''Atari Video Cube''. Both releases features the same artwork on the packaging.{{sfn|Lapetino|2016|p=254}} | ||
''Atari Video Cube'' has been re-released in ]s, such as the '']'' (2004) for ] and ], and as ] in 2024 for '']'' (2022) for ], ], ], and ].{{sfn|Harris|2004}}{{sfn|Machkovech|2022}}{{sfn|Reynolds|2024}} | |||
==Reception== | ==Reception== |
Revision as of 21:13, 17 October 2024
1983 video game 1983 video gameAtari Video Cube | |
---|---|
Publisher(s) | Atari |
Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
Release | 1983 |
Genre(s) | Puzzle |
Atari Video Cube is a puzzle video game developed by for the Atari 2600 and published by Atari in 1983. Atari Video Cube was sold exclusively through the Atari Club, run by Atari itself. It was later re-relased as Rubik's Cube.
Gameplay
The game implements a Pocket Cube, Rubik's Cube and Rubik's Revenge. The player takes control of "Hubie the Cube Master" as he tries to solve a scrambled "Video Cube". Hubie's method for solving the cube is to pick up the colored segments one-by-one and place them in their correct spaces. Picking up a square, however, limits Hubie's movements; he cannot move onto a square that matches the color of the one he is carrying.
The game manual encourages players to try and solve the cube in as few moves as possible, with their total number of moves being counted at the bottom of the screen. Atari Video Cube has several game modes that alter the difficulty of the game, such as square count and color range.
Development
This section needs additional citations for verification. (talk) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Atari Video Cube was developed by Doug Macrae. Macrae was one of the founders of General Computer Corporation (GCC). Following legal disputes with Atari, Inc. the company hired him to create games. He was told Atari would pay them $50,000 a month for two years to develop games, with no stipulation of how many games were to be developed. This led to GCC making arcade games Food Fight (1982) and Quantum (1982) for Atari.
Macrae said that as a lot of Atari programmers left to work at Activision and Imagic, this lead to Atari asking GCC to develop games for Atari's home consoles. Macrae reflected on this in an interview published in 2024 sating "being the young, arrogant engineers out of MIT and Harvard that we were, we said, "Of course, absolutely.""
Release
Atari Video Cube was initially released in 1983 and was only available through mail to Atari Club members. The game was later re-released as Rubik's Cube, a licensed title based on Rubik's Cube, a popular toy in the 1980s. in a form Tim Lapetino in Art of Atari described as a "marginally different" form than Atari Video Cube. Both releases features the same artwork on the packaging.
Atari Video Cube has been re-released in video game compilations, such as the Atari Anthology (2004) for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and as downloadable content in 2024 for Atari 50 (2022) for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One.
Reception
From retrospective reviews, Brett Weiss in his book Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984 (2011) found the game had crude sound that grew annoying, while complimenting the 3D-like effect of the cube turning as impressive.
References
- ^ Weiss 2011, p. 33.
- "AtariAge - Atari 2600 Manuals (HTML) - Atari Video Cube (Atari)".
- Drury 2024, p. 88.
- Drury 2024, p. 86.
- Drury 2024, p. 89.
- ^ Drury 2024, p. 90.
- Electronic Fun with Computers and Games 1983, p. 96.
- ^ Lapetino 2016, p. 254.
- Harris 2004. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarris2004 (help)
- Machkovech 2022. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMachkovech2022 (help)
- Reynolds 2024. sfn error: no target: CITEREFReynolds2024 (help)
Sources
- "Top Secret". Electronic Fun with Computers and Games. Vol. 1, no. 9. Fun & Games Publishing, Inc. July 1983.
- Drury, Paul (2024). "In the Chair with... Doug Macrae". Retro Gamer. No. 263. Future Publishing. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Lapetino, Tim (2016). Art of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-5241-0103-9.
- Morgenstern, Steve, ed. (May–June 1983). "It's a Whole New Cube!". Atari Age. Vol. 2, no. 1. Atari Club. ISSN 0731-5686.
- Weiss, Brett (2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984 A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786487554. Retrieved 27 February 2021 – via Google Books.
External links
This puzzle video game-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |