Blue Max 2001

Blue Max 2001 is a diagonally-scrolling shooter written by Bob Polin (also credited as Rob Polin) for the Atari 8-bit family and published by Synapse Software in 1984. A Commodore 64 version was released the same year. Blue Max 2001 is the sequel to 1983's Blue Max, also by Polin, with the player piloting a futuristic hovercraft instead of a World War I biplane.[4] Critics found the game disappointing compared with the original, citing the indistinct graphics and confusing documentation.

For other uses, see Blue Max (disambiguation).
Blue Max 2001
The Atari 8-bit and C64 share a flippy disk.
Developer(s)Synapse Software
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Bob Polin[1]
Programmer(s)Atari 8-bit
Bob Polin[2]
Composer(s)Ihor Wolosenko[2]
Platform(s)Atari 8-bit,[2] Commodore 64[3]
Release1984
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Reception

In contrast to the positive reception given to Blue Max, reviews of Blue Max 2001 on both Atari and Commodore systems were mixed.

Ahoy! called the Commodore 64 release an "exciting sequel" which "extends and refines the elements which made the original game popular, while it introduces enough new challenges to generate fresh excitement."[5] Zzap!64 labeled it "one of the most disappointing sequels of all time". Reviewer Julian Rignall wrote, "The graphics are very poor", citing the "jelly mould" ship and "wonky" perspective. He mentioned the difficulty caused by use of the joystick diagonals.[6]

Atari magazine Page 6 also considered it a "disappointment" compared to its predecessor, remarking that the Polo mint ship is "a nightmare to fly, far less operate the bombs and lasers, with any degree of accuracy."[7] Bill Kunkel wrote in an Atari Explorer review, "this game is plagued with ridiculous terminology and some of the shoddiest documentation since the days when computer software was sold in baggies."[8] Antic found the Atari version had "fairly good graphics with some interesting touches, but the manual is a poor introduction to the game:

The documentation, unfortunately, appears to have been written in some other language and translated three or four times by volunteers. This means that the first half hour of play can be quite frustrating as you try to figure out exactly what is going on. In the end, though, it is well worth the effort.[9]

References
  1. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. "Blue Max 2001". Atari Mania.
  3. Blue Max at Lemon 64
  4. Blue Max 2001 Atari Manual. Richmond, CA: Synapse Software. 1984.
  5. Katz, Arnie (June 1985). "Blue Max 2001". Ahoy!. pp. 63, 66. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  6. Julian Rignall (August 1985). "The Better Letter from America (Section: "Blue Max 2001")". Zzap!64. Newsfield Publications (4). Retrieved 2015-01-18. [Blue Max 2001] must be one of the most disappointing sequels of all time [..] you have a flying saucer (that resembles a jelly mould) [..] the [landscape] now scrolls from the left making it quite difficult to play. [..] Control is very fiddly indeed [..] joystick diagonals play an important part in the control, and this always makes precision extremely difficult. The graphics are very poor [..] with the perspective all wonky. The sound is bad too..
  7. Jim Short (May 1987). "Shoot 'Em Ups (review)". Page 6 Atari Users Magazine. Page 6 Publishing (27). Perhaps too much was expected of [Blue Max]'s successor? Anyway, it turned out a disappointment. [..] piloting an octagonal polo-mint [..] against the evil Furxx empire. [..Control..] is via the diagonals, making it a nightmare to fly, far less operate the bombs and lasers, with any degree of accuracy."
  8. Kunkel, Bill (June 1985). "Reviews: Blue Max 2001". Atari Explorer: 44.
  9. Scott Lewis (March 1986). "Product Reviews - Blue Max 2001". Antic. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
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