PrinceWatercress plays Fall Down

This game is fun as hell. Definitely play this one if you can!

Longplay

Fall Down is a homebrew game for the Atari 2600 programmed by Aaron Curtis and self-published in 2005. In this game, two players - one red and one blue (blue-green in the PAL version) - fight to stay on the screen and score points by capturing platforms as they scroll upwards. To capture a platform, one must fall through a gap in the platform before the other person does. The first person to fall through the gap gets the point. Of course, there's always the danger of being scrolled past the top of the screen, which will take a player out of action temporarily and give the other player a bit of an advantage in the form of being able to score a lot of points uninterrupted. The game ends when both players are scrolled past the top before either person can be re-spawned.

Controls are easy. You just move left and right with the joystick, and you can use the fire button to use the power-ups that you collect during the game. Players can bump into each other, but there are "pass-by" modes that allow players to walk through each other. Sometimes, you'll find dots on the platforms, and if you can pick them up, you can do all sorts of things with the fire button, such as turn the other person invisible, switch places with the other person, create a gap where you are standing so you can get an easy point, and much more.

The game is one of the first homebrew games to use Richard Hutchinson's AtariVox to save high scores as well as provide in-game speech when someone wins or achieves a new high score.

There are eight different game modes:

• Human vs. AI (red human and a blue computer chip): a simple game against the computer. See if you can get more points that the computer-controlled opponent!
• Human vs. AI, easy mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with "EZ" in white at the bottom): Same as above, but the computer isn't as smart. Use this mode to get used to how the game works.
• Human vs. AI, pass-by mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): Same as the first one, but both players will pass through each other if they come into contact instead of bumping off each other.
• Human vs. AI, invisibility mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white eye at the bottom): This mode is pretty cool. This is the same as Human vs. AI, but the background changes from red to blue and back again at regular intervals, causing one player and then the other to be unable to be seen, making things a lot more difficult. Hope you can keep track of a player that you can't see!
• Single player (just a red human): See how well you can keep up with the eternally scrolling screen and see how high you can score as you drop from platform to platform without having a second player in the picture.
• Human vs. Human (a red human and a blue human): Your standard two player mode. See who can score the most points!
• Human vs. Human, pass-by mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): same as Human vs. Human, but both players pass through each other on contact instead of bumping into each other.
• Human vs. Human, invisibility mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white eye at the bottom): The invisibility mode, now with two players! Compared to the human vs. computer version, this one can be really fun at parties.

To switch between, hit the Game Select switch on the title menu.

This is a really fun game. The premise is simple and the game controls pretty well, but this is one of those games where anything can happen. While the game is fun enough on its own with the single player modes, the two-player mode is where this game gets a lot more exciting, especially if you have a few friends over. When it comes to homebrew games, this one is loads of fun.

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge - The Longplay

...and now, the game minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Pressure Gauge is a game written back in 2000 as a college exercise by John K. Harvey, and was inspired by the Steamwood sections in Brave Fencer Musashi.

If you flip the Game Select switch, you'll get a small text crawl in the center of the screen as well as some rainbow colored bars. 

The only button you need to play the game is the fire button. When you start the game, you'll notice a small bar on the left followed by a gauge to the right that slowly fills up. When that gauge is anywhere near the range where the small bar on the left is, press the fire button. This will fill up a second gauge to the right. If you do this right, you'll fill the gauge to the right up; if you get it wrong, the gauge will go down. There is also a gauge in the center telling you how much time you have left. If that gauge goes all the way down, the game is over. To fill it up, you'll need to clear the current level and head on to the next, and you can see which level you're on by looking at the bottom of the screen.

As you go through the game, the game gets faster. From Levels 6-10, you'll go back to the beginning speed and work your way up again, but the lights will flicker, causing you to be unable to see your line and gauges for a short time at regular intervals. From Level 11 onwards, everything will be random, and the small line on the left may be in a different range on the gauge entirely.

Everything about this game may simple, and there may not be much to the graphics, but the gameplay is easy to figure out, and once you do, it definitely has an addicting nature to it. This one is all about the gameplay, and this game definitely keeps you on your toes while taking a small idea from a then-somewhat recent video game and running with it. This is definitely one game to try if you come across it, and don't be surprised if you find yourself spending plenty of time with it.

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge

After seeing this one in action, I just had to try it out for myself.

Longplay

Pressure Gauge is a game written back in 2000 as a college exercise by John K. Harvey, and was inspired by the Steamwood sections in Brave Fencer Musashi.

If you flip the Game Select switch, you'll get a small text crawl in the center of the screen as well as some rainbow colored bars. 

The only button you need to play the game is the fire button. When you start the game, you'll notice a small bar on the left followed by a gauge to the right that slowly fills up. When that gauge is anywhere near the range where the small bar on the left is, press the fire button. This will fill up a second gauge to the right. If you do this right, you'll fill the gauge to the right up; if you get it wrong, the gauge will go down. There is also a gauge in the center telling you how much time you have left. If that gauge goes all the way down, the game is over. To fill it up, you'll need to clear the current level and head on to the next, and you can see which level you're on by looking at the bottom of the screen.

As you go through the game, the game gets faster. From Levels 6-10, you'll go back to the beginning speed and work your way up again, but the lights will flicker, causing you to be unable to see your line and gauges for a short time at regular intervals. From Level 11 onwards, everything will be random, and the small line on the left may be in a different range on the gauge entirely.

Everything about this game may simple, and there may not be much to the graphics, but the gameplay is easy to figure out, and once you do, it definitely has an addicting nature to it. This one is all about the gameplay, and this game definitely keeps you on your toes while taking a small idea from a then-somewhat recent video game and running with it. This is definitely one game to try if you come across it, and don't be surprised if you find yourself spending plenty of time with it.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 10 of 10

It's time to take down the bad guys once and for all!

First | Previous

Stage 10: RF

There's only one direction to go: north. Keep going in that direction, and be ready to shoot down enemies. If any enemies are standing still, you'll need to jump up to shoot them, as they will be on balconies and you will not be able to shoot them from ground level. Despite the fact that the area is dark and you won't be able to see a lot, this area isn't difficult to get through as long as you keep an eye on the enemy health gauge; if you can do that, you'll be ready to shoot down any enemies that are in the way.

Near the end of the first section is a guy with a first aid kit. Shoot him down to get it, then go right from where you got the first aid kit to fight the final boss: an attack helicopter.

You'll want to shoot at the helicopter while avoiding the bullets, which is easier to do if you stick to the ground. When the homing missiles start firing out of the helicopter, you'll want to keep on jumping in order to minimize the amount of damage you take. As you shoot at the helicopter, you'll keep getting guns and health, and unlike all the other pick-ups that you've received from enemies throughout the game, they stay on the screen until you need them instead of blinking and disappearing after a few seconds. When the helicopter is nearly dead, you'll get a first aid kit. Grab it as soon as possible to ensure victory, because you're gonna need it! You'll also get a flamethrower so you can destroy the final boss in style!

After the final boss, you'll see footage of John McClane leaping off the roof before sharing a romantic kiss with his estranged wife Holly. You just beat Die Hard for PC Engine!

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 9 of 10

The game messes with you again, but at least this stage is easier.

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Stage 9: 36F

You have another maze, and if you can't figure out where to go, you're not meeting the final boss.

You want to go as low as you can whenever possible and stay low. You'll only want to go north whenever the level forces you to. With that in mind, you'll want to keep a look for enemies, as it is easy to get swarmed. The exit will be blocked two security guards who are dressed in all red standing next to each other. Take them out and go north to beat the stage.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 8 of 10

This is where the game really messes with you.

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Stage 8: 34F

This one is straightforward - you just keep moving north, shooting down all the bad guys in your way, and jumping over all the gaps so you don't fall into the water - but it's not easy. You only have two minutes to get through this level, and if you don't get to the goal in time, it's game over.

Watch the enemy health gauge closely, try not to take a lot of damage, and run away from any enemies that end up behind you. There is a flamethrower that you can get, but you're better off sticking to the machine gun, as you'll need to be able to move around quickly as you're jumping. Also, keep your health high. This is tough, but it's not impossible.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 7 of 10

This is where the game starts to get difficult. There's a trick to beating the boss here...if you can figure it out.

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Stage 7: 35F

This time, you're in the air ducts. Keep a look out for enemies and be ready to shoot them down when you see them, but watch your surroundings too, as pieces of the ducts will fall down as you move. If the floor changes as you move, jump forward.

If enemies fire at you when you approach them, they are about to come down from the top of the screen. Let them come down before firing.

There are some machine guns and a first-aid kit near the end of the level; be sure to get them.

You'll then face your second boss. Avoid his projectiles as the boss moves up and down, and when the boss moves back to fire a rocket, be ready to move to the bottom and jump away when the rocket comes down. As this battle rages on, you'll have less and less floor to work with, which can be rather nasty. The boss will alternate between a three-way shot and homing rockets, and while the former will be able to avoid at first, it will get hectic when you have less space to move around in. As for the homing rockets, you can always shoot those down.

If you and the boss die at the same time, you win. Thankfully, your health will be refilled on the next stage.

Interestingly, if you jump straight up at the very top, you can grab one of two machine guns in case you're low on ammo.

After beating this boss, you'll see a cutscene of John McClane going down an elevator shaft with a rope and a lighter.