Hallo's Atari 2600 Review #2: Berzerk

Luckily, the robots had yet to master the skill of shooting diagonally.

Berzerk

Publisher:  Atari, 1982

 The year was 1981 and the Atari 2600 was about to release the most important video game port in home video gaming history:  Pac-Man.  The beloved arcade classic remains to this day one of the most popular video games of all time and it was a no-brainer that the 2600 was going to port the game for their console so that millions of boy and girls around the world could enjoy the simple thrills of eating pellets and running from ghosts.  Boy, was it a disaster.  Pac-Man is the worst adaptation of a classic arcade game I have ever seen and although Atari sold them by the truckloads because of the name alone, it remains a pitiful entry into the 2600 game library.  But hey, this isn’t a Pac-Man review, so why start a review on Berzerk in this way?

 Because the very next year in 1982, Atari showed they were more than capable of porting a game in a more-than-worthy manner.  Berzerk is a masterpiece.

 The game is all about a “humanoid” fugitive who is inside a robot compound and is shooting his way from maze to maze.  His enemies are armed, one-eyed robots who range from incredibly stupid to super fast and lethal.  The single eye rotates back and forth on the head of the robot and for whatever reason, the sound of the laser gun being fired is downright creepy.  Add to the mix a bouncing smiley face guy named “Evil Otto” who makes his way onto the screen if the humanoid takes too long disposing of the robots, and you actually have a video game that will make your heart start racing very quickly.  I find Berzerk to be a nerve-wracking game. 

 Comparing the 2600 version to the arcade classic yields very positive results.  Since the original was not known for its groundbreaking graphics, the 2600 was able to capture the essence of the game with little difficulty; the only difference being simpler mazes.  The robots in the 2600 game are not able to fire diagonally, giving you a huge advantage in combat.  I found this out the hard way when I was playing the original arcade version for comparative purposes.  I got lit up by a diagonal robot shot because I wasn’t expecting that capability.  Unfortunately, the completely freaked out robotic  voice warning “intruder alert” is not present on the 2600 version (although in 2002, a voice enhanced version was released that is apparently awesome).   Also, Evil Otto is able to be temporarily killed in the 2600 game, something that is impossible with the original. Other than that, the playability, skill in timing, controls, and overall fun remain intact.

 One of the crucial aspects of Berzerk is the use of the walls.  Not only can you make robots walk into the walls, killing them, but they also provide the essential strategic element of knowing when to hide, pop out and shoot, and how to move around the maze.  I totally love how the hero dies in this game – your butt gets fried to a crisp, complete with electrocution sound effects.  Berzerk is really a must have if you are a shooter fan at all.  It paved the way for the shooter craze and remains just as fun to play today as it was in 1982.         

 Hallo's Rating: A