Pong
by Atari Interactive

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Pong.

The video game that really started at all.  It was the first commercially successful coin-op video game.  It gave birth to Atari, which went on to create so many great games over the years.   If you are a regular listener to the Back In Time radio webcast, you know that Hasbro Interactive announced on my show some time ago that a new version of Pong was in development.

Pong.

Keep in mind how simple this game is.  It didn't even have any ROM code.  The game was nothing more than a mass of circuits, a black & white TV, and a couple paddle controllers.  Go back to that episode of Back In Time and listen to my utter suprise when I was informed that Pong would be getting a facelift.

Pong. Can it survive as a modern game?

Pong was released to the masses on 10/19/1999.  There have been some significant changes from the version that I previewed on this web site in September.  Pong is developed by Supersonic Software Ltd., and will be published by Hasbro Interactive under their Atari Interactive brand. 

The installation routine is pretty standard fare.  The system will check for disk space, your version of DirectX, etc.  Once you start the game for the first time, you will be prompted to set your 3D options.  If you have a 3D card, select it from the list of installed video devices.   If you do not have a video card, you will need to enable software rendering.   Note that this will dramatically affect your performance. 

  
Left -- Zone selection screen
Right -- Zone 1 game selection screen
(Click on images to enlarge)

Upon launching the program, you will be prompted to enter your name.  This is for "save game" purposes.   Then, you will be taken to a screen where you select a "zone" to play in.  There are seven different "zones" in all.   Once you select a "zone", you will have several different types of Pong to select from.  You need to play all of the games of Pong in a certain order, so when you launch the game for the first time, you will only be able to select Game #1, which is Penguin Pong.   (Penguin Pong is described below.)  Once you have beaten Penguin Pong, the next game, Soccer Pong, becomes available.  This process continues until all of the games on Zone 1 have been completed.  Then, you can move on to the games in Zone 2, and start all over again.

Once you have selected the particular game of Pong that you wish to play, the screen will shift to a beautiful animation of a spinning Atari Fuji logo with a reflective background.  Anyone who remembers the old "Fuji-swan" demo on the Atari 8-bit computers, or the "Bouncing Fuji" demo on the ST computers should feel right at home watching this animation.  The spinning Fuji is actually a "bar graph" of sorts, as the colors represent how many games of Pong you have completed. 

Multiplayer options are supported in this game.  You can run Pong in "Network" mode via an IPX network, TCP/IP, Serial or Modem.  Pong supports Network play between 2 players over a sub-set of the main games courses.  Hasbro Interactive does intend to further support Network play in the future.  They suggest that you check their web site (link below) from time to time to see if updates are available.

There are entirely too many variants of Pong in this collection to cover them all.  So, I will just cover a few of them in depth:

     
Left -- Rock 'n Roll Pong
Center -- Balloon Circus Pong
Right -- Pongball Wizard
(Click on images to enlarge)

Rock 'n Roll Pong -- This is essentially the modern adaptation of Nolan Bushnell's classic.  It plays just the same as the original game, but with modern graphics, sounds, and music.  Remember the original instructions:   "Avoid missing ball for high score."

Balloon Circus Pong -- This is a single player variant on the Pong theme.  The playfield is round.  Your bat spins around the outside of the playfield.  The object is to pop all of the balloons with the ball.  This game can get pretty fast and intense as you spin your bat around as fast as possible to keep the ball from falling off the edge.

Pongball Wizard -- This is probably my favorite variant of Pong in the entire collection.  It plays just like a pinball machine.  However, instead of flippers at the bottom, you have a bat.  Each time you hit a bumper with the ball, the bumper gets smaller.  When all of the bumpers have been eliminated, you win the game.   This is much harder than it sounds.

     
Left -- Fishing Derby
Center -- Seal Juggle
Right -- Puck Pong
(Click on images to enlarge)

Fishing Derby -- This really isn't Pong at all, but I'm sure that kids will enjoy it.   The idea is to shoot the ball into the water with your bat.  The ball is the "bait" and you have to reel in the fish once one of them "bites."   Interesting concept.  

Seal Juggle -- I don't have the slightest idea what this is.   Looks like another single player variant, and I'm sure it will appeal to the kids.   It is certainly colorful, and interesting to watch, but I haven't figured out what to do. 

Puck Pong -- This is another one of my favorites.  The playfield looks just like a hockey rink.  In the center is a giant hockey puck.  There will be multiple balls floating around the rink.  The idea is to bounce the Pong balls off of the hockey puck.  When the puck is hit, it moves a bit.  Once you push the puck across the opponents goal line (red and blue lines in the screen capture) the game is over.  Again, another fast paced & intense game that is a lot of fun.

    
Left -- Penguin Pong
Center -- Soccer Stars
Right -- Beach Party Pong
(Click on images to enlarge)

Penguin Pong -- Another one of my favorites.  In this single or multi-player variant, there are two penguins skating around the playfield.  Your Pong ball is actually a big snowball.  Each time your snowball hits a penguin, another snowball appears on the playfield.  I had 5 snowballs going at once, and it was incredibly intense.  Of course, the longer each snowball is on the playfield, the faster it gets.  So, not only do you have multiple snowballs to deal with, each one will probably be moving at a different speed.

Soccer Stars -- I believe that this was called "hockey" on the old home Pong consoles.  In this variant, you control two bats at once instead of one. 

Beach Party Pong -- This is yet another twist on the Pong formula.   Each of your bats can actually "catch" a Pong ball, and send it off in another direction.  It is very tricky.

OK, so what did I think?    I think that Supersonic Software Ltd., and Hasbro Interactive went in the right direction with this game.  They seem to be targeting Pong to two types of gamers:  the hardcore classic gamers, and kids.  Your hardcore classic gamer will appreciate the modern facelift that the game has received, while not altering the basic premise of the game.  Kids will probably enjoy it too.  The colors are absolutely stunning, and they will certainly grab the attention of children.  Plus, the basic concept of Pong is simple enough for most young children to grasp.

The music is outstanding.   Each variant of Pong has theme music that seems to fit the mood of the game.   The in-game sounds seem very whimsical, yet appropriate.  During Soccer Pong, for example, you hear the roar of the crowd during the game.  Again, I think that the sounds have a "cuteness" factor that may be aimed more for children. 

The controls take some getting used to.  You can use the keyboard, a mouse/trackball, or a joystick/joypad.  I found that a mouse works fine for the Pong variants with a square playfield, and the keyboard works best for games with a round playfield.  I sure miss the traditional Pong paddle controller.  Since the game does support the mouse as a controller option, it is possible to hack an old mouse into a spinner.  I'm already looking into it, as a true paddle/spinner controller would be the "icing on the cake" so to speak.

As for bugs, I didn't really notice any.  The game plays very smoothly on my system & Canopus 3D card.   However, Hasbro Interactive has noted some potential issues with computers using 3D cards such as the 3DFX Voodoo Rush, S3 Virge GX2, STB Nitro 3D, Adrenaline Rush 3D, and the Diamond Stealth 3D 3000.  Any video problems with these cards can be corrected by setting the 3D rendering to software mode.

This is certainly not going to be the type of game that will hold your attention for hours at a time.  However, Pong was never meant to do that.  If you love classic video games, and you want something to play for 10 to 15 minutes here & there, this game should fit the bill.  I certainly had fun playing this game.  I'll be curious to see what Nolan Bushnell thinks of how they have handled his creation.

Hardware Requirements:

Modem:
28,800 baud for modem play

For more information, visit the Atari Interactive
homepage at Hasbro Interactive