Welcome to Old Games That Don’t Suck Thursday. Each week I’ll write about a game that somehow influenced by life as a game developer and which I can totally recommend to you because the game is flippin’ sweet. It also has to be old or at least forgotten about until recently.
Barnstorming came into my possession last year, when Carlie bought me an Atari 2600 for Valentines Day. This game was made back in the early 80′s by Atari, during what many consider the first commercial generation of gaming (arguably, even though it was truly the second generation of gaming).
This game is all about running through the barns with your biplane as fast as possible. Based on the mode you select on the console (yes, physically on the console), the game changes between different amounts of barns.
That’s about it. You avoid the geese, windmills, and other obstacles and just try to get through the barns.
So why is this game so awesome? It’s because it’s truly one of those games that really has a basis in “can you beat my high score?” While this phenomenon is nothing new, this game capitalizes on it unlike many of the other Atari games that seem to be built around “what level did you get to?” moreso than “what was your high score?” The game’s primary objective is speed-run, not progression through levels.
Plus the commercial was just awesome.
I love this game because it’s truly pertinent to what’s going on in my life right now. I’m playing Geometry Wars 2 versus many of my coworkers for the high scores. We’re not really worried about making a certain level or beating a final boss; we’re more worried about beating each other. This game certainly captures that essence of gameplay.
If you find your Atari in the attic see if you have Barnstorming. You’ll beat it in a couple minutes, but you’ll play it several times to be the winner…. of your own pride.
