Overview:
I played this game many, many times at friends houses when I was a kid. We did not have an Atari 2600 but a lot of my friends did and they all had Combat. I got mine at the City Mission thanks to my friend Nessa Golub who worked there and always gave me a heads up when cool games came in. This one is complete in the box and in very good shape and I got it super cheap! There are so many different variations of the box and cart that I’m not sure if this is a rare one or not, but it does say Printed in USA on the back of the box and Litho in USA on the manual. AND it came with a pristine Atari Catalog too! Great find! For those who are interested, here’s a site with some information on some of the many variants of this game.
From the back of the box:
This game has literally zero story elements to it. I did give it a 5 under the story category in my rating because it has a cool manual with lots of info about the controls and variety of games including a cool chart that for some reason was color coded even though the colors have no real purpose that I can tell.
Review:
The graphics on this game are nothing special, the sound is ok but also nothing special and there is zero story. Knowing those things might lead you to believe this is a horrible game, but it’s strength is in the game play. Controls change a bit depending on which vehicle you are playing. There are tanks, bi-planes and jet planes depending on the level you choose to play. If you have someone to play against, this game can be outstanding fun! It’s not super fast so there can be some really tense moments as you try to maneuver your vehicle into position to blast your opponent. There are tons of options in gameplay too such as bullet steering and invisible vehicles and more. Combat is one of the first great couch co-op games that you could play at home. The overall rating is low for me, but the replay value is high because of the co-op fun, so missing out on this game because it’s not pretty or doesn’t have a story would be a tragedy in my opinion.
My Rating:
Play Control: 7.0
Graphics: 5.0
Sound/Music: 5.0
Story: 1.0
Level Design: 5.0
Replay Value: 9.0
Overall: 5.0 (Overall ratings are rounded to the nearest half point.)
Cosmetic Condition of my copy of this game:
Overall, I rate my copy: 7.0 – The box is in sturdy shape, but you can see in the photo a white splotchy section on the front and back of the box, I’m not sure if that is just glare because you can’t see it in person, but the box is definitely pristine though it is structurally sound. The cart is a 9.0 for condition. And the manual is an 8.0 for condition. The Atari catalog is a 10.0. It’s pristine!
Details:
System: Atari 2600
Year: 1977
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Price I paid: $3.20
Retail Price: $18.95 – This was a pack-in game, but original retail price (in 1977) was around $18.95 for games.
Purchased from: The City Mission, Glenville, New York
Date Purchased: 3/17/2006
Game is complete?: YES, including receipt and Atari Catalog.
Screenshots:
