Tag Archives: bat and ball

Psikyo Shooting Stars, Puzzlers, Switch

Gunbarich: It’s Flippin’ Psikyonoid

2 Comments

2001’s Gunbarich was one of Psikyo’s last games before they merged with X-Nauts in 2002 — and the last title in the Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo collection for Nintendo Switch.

It wasn’t one of their lastΒ shoot ’em ups, however, because despite technically being part of theΒ GunbirdΒ series in the loosest possible sense (it has the word “Gun” in the title and also features a cutesified version of recurring GunbirdΒ mascot character Marion the witch) it’s not actually a shoot ’em up at all.

Nope;Β GunbarichΒ represents Psikyo turning its hand to that most venerable of genres: the ol’ bat and ball. Let’s take a closer look!

Continue reading Gunbarich: It’s Flippin’ Psikyonoid →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Breakout

1 Comment

Bip! Boop! Bip! Boop! It’s an iconic sound of the late ’70s: a computerised simulation of some sort of bat-and-ball game. And few games of this type are more classic or influential than Breakout.

The Atari 2600 version ofΒ BreakoutΒ offers a variety of ways to play, including several multiplayer modes. This technically made the home console version a superior experience to the arcade machine… which is a phenomenon we wouldn’t really encounter again until roughly the Dreamcast era.

Anyway,Β BreakoutΒ for 2600 is a good time, particularly if you’ve got some friends to play with. If you’re flying solo,Β Super BreakoutΒ may be a better choice… but that’s a story for another day!

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: The Light Corridor

1 Comment

At any point in gaming history, it seems that there’s always one particular territory doomed to be singled out for making “weird” games.

What “weird” actually translates to in most circumstances is “interesting, unconventional, subversive and highly creative”; regrettably, while “weird” is undoubtedly a more concise description, it also carries with it somewhat pejorative connotations.

While today Japan tends to be singled out as the “weird” locale of choice, back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, it was France putting out the most creative, unusual and fascinating games on the market, and Infogrames was a leading developer and publisher during this period.

Here’sΒ The Light Corridor,Β Infogrames’ delightfully abstract 3D take on the traditional “bat and ball” game — an oddly hypnotic experience that, while simple to play, isΒ extremelyΒ addictive…

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!