Atari 2600
From DoomWiki.org
Doom for the Atari 2600, also referred to as Doom 2600 or 2600 Doom, was a hoax that circulated the internet around 1997 in the form of an advertisement.
History[edit]
Although not widely remembered, the 2600 had featured a few primitive first-person maze titles, such as Tunnel Runner, Survival Run, Crypts of Chaos, and Escape from the Mindmaster.[1][2] Mindmaster was prototyped as well for the ColecoVision, with the rival Intellivision receiving the first-person role-playing game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin, which in turn almost launched for the 2600.
The hoax began as a college project in computer imaging. James Catalano was assigned to create three various advertisements for a product of his choice, real or imaginary. He chose to combine the Atari 2600, being a fan of Atari and retrogaming, with Doom, having been playing the Sega 32X version of the game.
The images created featured two fake screenshots, a game cartridge and box, and a full-page magazine ad which included a fake logo for a company called "Retroware Games" and mentioned support for other Atari systems, as well as Intellivision and ColecoVision.
Inspired by the realism of the fake advertisements and with the help of Bill Haslacher, Catalano spread the false images onto forums and newsgroups.
In October 2009 the website of the hoax went down when its host, GeoCities, shut down.
Reaction[edit]
The hoax gathered the attention of many forums and web sites and was ultimately featured in the 102nd issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Barret Alexander, Director of Business Development at id Software at the time, was asked how the company was reacting to the hoax, responding:
- "I definitely find that amusing. We're always flattered when people are having fun, as long as they don't step over the boundaries."
Actual attempt[edit]
An actual attempted demake of the game to the 2600 was shown in 2021.[3][4][5] Similar has been released[?] for the later Atari 8-bit computers.[6] A more interpretative attempt for the 2600 was released in 2015 as Planet Doom.[7][8]
See also[edit]
- Genesis Doom Project hoax
External links[edit]
- The Official 2600 Doom Page (mirror) (archived 🏛)
- April Doomsday? - Gamespot.com article
- Hoax thread - AtariAge Forums
- Speculation thread - AtariAge Forums
- Planet Doom thread - AtariAge Forums
- Demake thread - AtariAge Forums
- Intellivision Doom - Doomworld forums
References[edit]
- ↑ Orgamesmic (17 September 2022). "Three Amazing First-Person Atari 2600 Games Compared From 1983." YouTube. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ↑ BassGuitari (11 December 2004). "First Person Shooters." AtariAge Forums. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ↑ Heaton, Andrew (26 July 2021). "Doom Demake Brings the FPS to Atari 2600." GameRant. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ↑ Williams, Carl (24 July 2021). "Doom 2600 Brings Classic First Person Shooter to Atari 2600 Console." Retro Gaming Magazine (archived 🏛). Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ↑ Johnson, Caitlin (7 January 2022). "10 Best Demakes Of Modern Games." WatchMojo. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ↑ Yarwood, Jack (10 July 2023). "Fancy Playing Doom On Your Atari XL/XE? Well, Now You Can!" Time Extension. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ↑ RetroGaming (7 September 2015). "Planet Doom Atari 2600." YouTube. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ↑ FRGCB Dude (5 August 2017). "SPECIAL: Modern Game Ports And Demakes!" FRGCB - Finnish Retro Game Comparison Blog. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
