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The 32x failed partly
because it didn't have enough of its own exclusive games. Pitfall:
The Mayan Adventure, like many other 32x ports, is a mildly
upgraded version of an older Genesis title. This isn't necessarily a bad
thing, since Pitfall is a fun, pretty, and polished platform
game with a lot of variety. Packed inside this cart you'll find everything
we've come to expect from a good platform game, and then some: A large
variety of enemies ranging in size from tiny to gigantic, perilous and
often difficult-to-execute jumps, swinging vines, mild puzzle elements,
and even the seemingly obligatory mine cart level. This “upgrade” features
deeper, richer colors, as well as three new 32x-exclusive levels. Everything
else from the Genesis version is here: the tight control, the beautiful
graphics, the wonderfully smooth character animation, the frustrating difficulty
level. You'll even find the original Atari 2600 Pitfall hidden
inside the game, in all its 8-bit, time-limited glory. It's very primitive
by today's standards, but it's great to see how far games have progressed.
Activision knows how to craft a fine video game, but they really didn't
do much to improve this particular game or take advantage of the more powerful
hardware. Regardless, Pitfall is recommended if you don't
have any of the other versions.
Atari 2600 Pitfall
Hidden Inside
Pitfall first
appeared in way back in 1982 on the Atari 2600 and was one of the first
third-party megahits for that console (Pitfall was produced
and distributed by Activision, a company founded by ex-Atari programmers
who were tired of never getting any of the credit for their efforts.) Gameplay
is quite a bit different from what we expect today... there is no real
goal, other than to collect as much treasure as possible within the allotted
time. Pitfall and its heavily overhauled sequel also appeared
on such "classic" consoles as the Intellivision, Colecovision, and the
Atari 5200. A wildly inferior version appeared on the original Nintendo
Entertainment System, nearly derailing the series for good. Activision
brought back their classic platformer years later for the Genesis, SNES,
Jaguar, Game Boy Advance, and 32x. Pitfall also made an appearance
on the Playstation in polygonal form, but the "essence" of the game was
lost in the transition to 3-D and the game was poorly received.