Flag Capture is a video game published in 1978 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982). It is based on the traditional game Capture the flag.[1] The game was designed and programmed by Jim Huether.[2] The cover art for the game is by John Enright.[3]

Flag Capture
Developer(s)Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari, Inc.
Designer(s)Jim Huether
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game was later included with the Atari Flashback 3 console.[4]

Gameplay

edit
 
Gameplay screenshot

The player is shown a grid with white squares in it and must guess which square the flag is behind. To aid the locating of the flag the player may be shown a flag or a number to indicate where the flag may be.[5]

The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where the players play together.[1]

Reception

edit

In a retrospective review, videogamecritic.com criticised the controls, the gameplay, the sound, and the graphics.[5] In Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide, Brett Weiss described it as "one of the most primitive looking (and sounding) games ever".[1]

Capture the Flag was among a number of Atari games recommended[by whom?] for use in cognitive rehabilitation as it trained coordination of visual input with motor output.[6] It was also used in a psychological test carried out on subjects from the US Navy related to skill-retention.[7]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Weiss, Brett (2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. p. 45. ISBN 978-0786487554. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Flag Capture". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. ^ Lapetino, Tim (2016). Art Of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 80. ISBN 978-1524101060. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. ^ Purchese, Robert (7 September 2011). "Atari Flashback 3 console: 60 games, £50". Eurogamer. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Atari 2600 Reviews 2600 - F". Videogamecritic.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  6. ^ Trexler, Lance E. (2012). Cognitive Rehabilitation: Conceptualization and Intervention. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 267. ISBN 978-1468442502. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  7. ^ Jones, Marshall B. (1 June 1984). "Videogames as psychological tests". Simulation & Games. 15 (2): 131–157. doi:10.1177/0037550084152001. S2CID 144310140.