Robot City for the Atari 2600 by Thomas Jentzsch has delivered an exciting gameplay where you pilot the hypercopter and roam around the map that is randomized every time you clear the wave of tanks named iBots. For a simple 4k cartridge it plays really well.
History behind Robot City is interesting as well as it was a prototype for the Magnavox Odyssey 2. The random maps does require you to plan carefully on how you attack the iBots due to the impenetrable shield surrounding them leaving only the back side open to attack with your hypercopter.
You can let the enemy shoot one another when they detect your in range of fire that your on the other side of the wall of the stage as long as the path doesn't block your way that you need to go around for the rest of the iBots before the energy runs out. The sounds are simple and effective as the Hypercopter and iBots move around the map hunting each other down to the wire.
It is AtariVox and Savekey Compatible so you can save the High score on each difficulty you select. There is one time where I experience the glitch where two iBots are stationary and the other two behave normally which is rare to see. If your using the Atari 7800 for this game make sure the left Difficulty is on position B and Right Difficulty on Position A so you won't feel the game is not playable on the 7800.
The game provides great replay value especially on Hard and Expert where enemy iBots can revive it's allies, the A.I. plays smart and game speed for fast paced action.
Invasion!
The year is 2601. An unknown mechanical life form has touched down on the dark side of the moon!
Mining, building and replicating; it has begun to cover the surface with astonishing speed, appropriating our outposts and communication towers. Any attempt to halt the progress of this ‘Robot City’ is met with resistance from the hundreds of intelligent robot tanks (iBots) that swarm all over it.
Equipped with an indestructible protective shield and massive firepower, they have wiped out almost all of our forces. You and your hypercopter are the only hope left!
Fortunately, the iBots have a weakness - their shields only protect the front and sides of the craft. Also, by using the walls of the city to protect yourself, it is even possible to trick their A.I. to make them shoot one another.
But beware! Destroy one group and, in the next area, a more aggressive pack will be waiting to hunt you down!
How to Play
Move your joystick to set the flight direction. The fire button fires your cannon. A second joystick can be used to override the iBots' A.I.
The maze of each city is randomly generated. So when you enter a city, plan your strategy wisely! As soon as you move, the iBots will immediately start hunting you. Their shots are deadly and touching them is deadly too, even after they have been destroyed. iBot wreckage forms an impenetrable barrier which alters the city layout and may force you to alter your strategy.
If you can’t attack them from behind, try to lure them into shooting each other.
Each hypercopter has a limited amount of energy per city. An alert will warn you when it is low. If the energy runs out, you lose that hypercopter.
Gameplay Video
Screenshots
Game Options
- Five difficulty levels that affect the number of enemy iBots, how many hypercopters you begin with, game speed, iBot A.I., maze variety, and if enemy tanks revive other tanks.
- The right difficulty switch can be used to pause and resume the game.
- Second joystick can be used to override the iBots' A.I.
- Use a SaveKey or AtariVox to save high score data.
Get a Robot City Box!
If you'd like a boxed copy of Robot City, please select "Box Upgrade: Yes" at the top of the page before adding Robot City to your cart. Our boxes are professionally printed and include a box insert to hold your Robot City cartridge in place. We want you to play our games, so we have not sealed or shrinkwrapped the boxes in any way, allowing you easy access to the game cartridge and manual.
These boxes are the same size as boxes Atari produced for their games "back in the day". They look great sitting on a shelf with your other boxed homebrew games, or alongside games from the classic Atari 2600 library. We only have a limited number of boxes for each game, and there is no guarantee they will become available again once our supplies are exhausted.
AtariVox Support
If you have an AtariVox or SaveKey plugged into joystick port 2, Robot City will record high scores for all game variations. The current skill level and last initials are also saved. Note: High scores will not be recorded for games where the enemy A.I. has been influenced with a second joystick.
Additional Information
Robot City includes game cartridge and full-color 8-page manual. You can optionally purchase a professionally printed box (see above). Robot City is available in NTSC and PAL60 television formats. Please specify above when ordering or you will receive an NTSC cartridge by default.
| Number of Players | 1 - 2 |
| Controller | Joystick Controllers |
| Cartridge Size | 4K |
| Game Design and Programming | Thomas Jentzsch |
| Illustration and manual design | David Exton |
The year is 2601 and it's become our duty to Jump into the hypercopter and take out as many iBots as possible, in defense of our moon. With Robot City, Thomas Jentzsch has once again delivered highly engaging gameplay. Once you start playing Robot City, you won't want to stop and for me, that's the simple definition of a great game. The enemy AI is aggressive but fear not as this game provides five difficulty levels, more than enough to get you on your way to strategizing how best to defeat those terrible iBots. This game plays, looks and sounds terrific. It's hard to believe that this is a 4k game. The enemy AI combined with the randomly generated mazes create a new experience with each game, leading to IMO, endless hours of replayability. Oh, and if you have a SaveKey or AtariVox, you can save your high scores for each of the five skill levels. -Game on!
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