Millipede

Name: Millipede
Year: 1988
Publisher: HAL Laboratory
Developer: Atari
Genre: Arcade
Hours Played: 2
Beaten: N/A

Centipede was a wildly successful arcade game released in 1980.  A single-screen shooter in the vain of Space Invaders or Galaga, Centipede broke new ground (no pun intended) by having the game take place in a garden instead of space, and filling the screen with harmless, stationary objects (mushrooms) that obstruct your shots at the enemy (spiders, fleas, and the titular centipede).  The object is to destroy the centipede as he travels down the screen, and shooting him causes him to split into smaller centipedes.

The game was successful enough to see a sequel, Millipede, in 1982.  Besides introducing a couple new elements (DDT bombs, new enemy behaviors), the game was mostly the same, and never enjoyed the popularity of it's predecessor.  While Centipede was ported to all the consoles and computer systems of it's day, Millipede only managed a handful of ports.

And yet, it was Millipede and not Centipede that Atari chose to port to the NES in 1988.  Prehaps they figured that sinse their wasn't that much difference between the games, it only made since to pick the "superior" version.  Whatever the reason, the NES port of Milipede is a little... lacking.

The biggest problem here is the playing field.  Millipede for NES only uses about two thirds of the screen, leaving the rest as a green border.  It's truly baffling; the NES is capable of fairly accurate graphics for Pac-Man, Galaga, and Joust, but apparently the bugs and mushrooms of Millipede were just too much for it?  The game feels like a port of a computer version, rather then a direct arcade port.

And... that's it.  Honestly, I've run out of things to say about this game.  It's an awful-looking port of a moderately playable arcade game, and I can think of literally hundreds of NES games I would buy over this one.

Graphics & Animation: 0 (Awful)
Millipede was never exactly the most graphically impressive game, but it was at least colorful and appealing; this is just abysmal.  I usually try not to compare NES game to games for other systems. but com'on - Centipede for the Atari 7800 looked better then this, and this is a sequel game on a more powerful console!

Music & Sounds: 1 (Bad)
The arcade sound effects are pretty accurately recreated here.  Unfortunately, the game has no music, not even when you start or end a level.

Controls & Level Design: 3 (Average)
The controls are a little slippery, and the levels just repeat endlessly, but that's all in keeping with it's arcade heritage, so I can't fault it too much there.  Unlike the original Centipede, Millipede adds a grayed out effect to the bottom of the screen to make it clearer where your ship's boundaries are - a useful (if not as visually appealing) touch.

Story & Presentation: 0 (Awful)
HAL game this game a scaled down presentation, similar to the title screens of Donkey Kong and Balloon Fight on the NES - and this was three years later. I hate to keep repeating this, but... Centipede on the Atari 7800 looked better then this!!

Length & Replayabilitiy: 0 (Awful)
I complain about arcade games like Joust and Pac-Man for being just one level that repeats over and over and over, but at least those were good quality ports.  This is abysmal.

Total: 4 (Bad)