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10/30/2004: “Halloween,” for the Atari 2600!

Dunno how many of you are around this weekend, but for the few who remain, let’s do some Halloween shit.  The (late) entry for Friday on the Countdown takes a gander at the infamous “Halloween” Atari game, where Michael Myers chops off babysitters’ heads and runs around rooms painted in really putrid colors.  I’ve quarantined myself this weekend against all better judgment, so if you’re not out partying in a Dracula costume, stick around for the final days of X-E’s 2004 Halloween season.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!


Discussion Thread: 31 comments

Ohemgee, first comment, let’s freak out.

Jesus, you just had to review this game…now I have to find my copy to go play on my 2600, seeing as a ROM just won’t cut it.

Ghosted by Dr. Plusbee @ 10/30/2004 11:14 AM EDT

Lol… What About Friday The 13th? that game was just as bad!!! hahaha…. oh wait… was it already reviewed here…? ugh… i cant even remember anymore :(

Ghosted by PapaPope @ 10/30/2004 11:17 AM EDT

I felt bad that there were only two comments.  So I made it say "3 comments"

I am a saint.

Ghosted by Nate @ 10/30/2004 11:27 AM EDT

Wow, been a long time since I’ve seen this one.  My favorite part was luring idiot Myers to walk directly between me and one of the kids.

Ghosted by Jake @ 10/30/2004 11:37 AM EDT

I’m going to put an Atari in a vacuum-sealed fireproof safe.  Then, whenever I have bratty kids and they start whining that they’re the last kids on their block to get the newest virtual reality kill-fest, I can just say, "Do you want me to bring out the Atari?  You want to see what Daddy had to put up with when he was your age, you ingrateful punks?"  Plus, when they’re grounded, I can force them to play E.T. unti they’re sorry.  Just as long as no social workers catch me.  E.T. probably constitutes mental torture.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 10/30/2004 11:42 AM EDT

Wow my internet at school got shot down for awhile, I come back and I get to read lots of new articles, including one on Jason who in my humble opinion doesn’t get nearly the clout that Freddy gets on this website.  I have this game for Atari, and yes, its fun.  Not fun like some of the other ones, but if you’re wondering how to waste like 10 minutes, then it fits the bill.

Ghosted by ANdrew @ 10/30/2004 11:48 AM EDT

Geeze, I’ll be on the lookout for this one for my Atari system. Until then, I’ll check out the Rom for my emulator.
Matt, thanks for yet another idea to waste my Saturday afternoon!

Ghosted by Croww @ 10/30/2004 11:51 AM EDT

I’m here!  I’m here!  Gimme all the ‘ween articles you gots, yo. 

I shall miss the Countdown when it’s gone.

Hey, if anybody else is as homebodyish as me, Bravo is running a kinda-fun countdown of the "100 scariest movie moments"  tonight.  Something to do, anyway.

Ghosted by rachi99 @ 10/30/2004 11:51 AM EDT

I think Laurie should fight Michael with a coathanger rather than a knife. The coathanger stab is the best part of the movie, IMHO.

I’m bummed by the lack of scary movies on thie Halloween. Even the pay channels didn’t have much this month.

Ghosted by trajeal @ 10/30/2004 12:55 PM EDT

Matt, get out and have fun. its halloween FFS!

me and my friend are dressing up like robert goulet! gonna be hilarious

Ghosted by rich @ 10/30/2004 1:19 PM EDT

Trajeal I like a point that you brough to my mind, intentional or unintentional, there’s some kind of satisfaction you get when you watch a scary movie on tv that you don’t get from a DVD.  Maybe it’s the hidden hope that some innocent little kid will tune in just in time to watch the Evil Dead tree rape scene, I dunno.

Ghosted by ANdrew @ 10/30/2004 1:46 PM EDT

I think it’s odd that, what with the whole "survival-horror" thing in video games, no one has bothered to try and get Halloween or F13 licensed for a new game.  Combining Michael Myers with a well-defined, Resident Evil-style house where you can set traps and hide and stuff…sounds pretty cool to me.  Okay, I’ve done my part, now someone go make it!

Ghosted by Big Livin' Shane Ubermensch @ 10/30/2004 2:06 PM EDT

God damnit, review a Myers movie!

And the game is decent, in my opinion…

Ghosted by Bob @ 10/30/2004 2:18 PM EDT

At least it’s better than Custer’s Revenge.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 10/30/2004 2:45 PM EDT

15th comment! Its graphics are the best atari graphics I’ve seen.

Ghosted by Bah @ 10/30/2004 3:11 PM EDT

Awww, I remember our old Atari 2600- it was a Christmas present in ‘81 or ‘82, I think. My favorite games were Pitfall and Q-Bert. Anyway, my brother and I used to play "Halloween" at my cousin Mark’s house. We had to sneak ’cause my mom definitely didn’t dig it. Good times… :)

Ghosted by Jillybeann @ 10/30/2004 3:12 PM EDT

Wishing everyone an early Happy Halloween! I’m going to a HUGE party tonight. Gotta put on my garrot-wire and fake blood (I’m a Victorian chambermaid strangled by Jack the Ripper) Have fun everyone! :)

Ghosted by Jillybeann @ 10/30/2004 3:14 PM EDT

Oy Matt, you glad it’s over?  Then, when you’re off hiatus, I want to see more of the pet shop with the quailfeeder.  For crap’s sake, more livestock-involving articles.  I want some contacts. /random

Ghosted by Bah @ 10/30/2004 4:06 PM EDT

Nate-Are you impersonating me!?!?! Stop it at once!

Matt-Remove his comment at once!

People, I tell you, this is not me!  How dare he post under my name!  Only I may post under that name, for I am the orignal Nate of this website!

Ghosted by Nate @ 10/30/2004 8:13 PM EDT

Oh, and on the game:  Damn, Michael Myers on Atari looks less like he does in the films than the Atari version of Leatherface does like his movie counterpart!

Ghosted by Nate @ 10/30/2004 8:16 PM EDT

By the way, the name under which I now post myself truly expresses my anger.

Ghosted by The REAL Nate @ 10/30/2004 8:17 PM EDT

Oh, and in saying that I am the original Nate of this site, I don’t mean to say that I am Nathan Bitner.  It would be blaspemous of me to make such a claim.

Ghosted by The REAL Nate @ 10/30/2004 8:19 PM EDT

I remember this game.  I think the website ClassicGaming.com reviewed it years ago. 

Of course that babysitter has a fat ass.  And why is your weapon a knife?  Why couldn’t the programmers have put in something stronger like a shotgun, AK-47, or flamethrower?  That would have taken Michael Myers apart.

BTW, did you know that his mask is actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white?

Ghosted by Bert Raccoon @ 10/30/2004 8:54 PM EDT

OMFG, bert racoon, i can’t believe you are the first person to post that about the kirk mask, that is classic horror movie trivia right there, on thre flipside, i was an atari junkie back in the day, and i can’t believe that i never actually played this game when it first came out, maybe i’d moved on to my vectrex by then. c’est la vie on that, …..word

Ghosted by tampioca @ 10/31/2004 3:55 AM EST

I cannot wait for the um…. picture contest that was supposed to be up tonight

Ghosted by The REAL Nate @ 10/31/2004 5:33 AM EST

My brother and I were Atari fanatics, and he somehow managed to find, buy, or borrow all the games at one some point.  I remember him playing this game.  Funny thing, we used to feel all naughty playing something like this.  Whereas by modern eyes it looks lame, in the days of yore, it was coooool. err, ahem, I mean it was Rad!, since we are referencing the early 80’s.  Speaking of RAD, Matt this is the perfect 80’s movie for a review.  Seriously horrible yet seriously watchable movie about the cut-throat competition of BMX bicycle racing and the boy who has a dream of winning the Big Race.  My brother had an unhealthy fixation with this film, I’m sure he’s seen it dozens of times.

Ghosted by Mister Cthulhu @ 10/31/2004 7:02 AM EST

It’s October 31st!..
Unfortunatly it’s also 7:30 in the morning so Im not sure it actually counts as Halloween yet…

Damn, now I have to come back later!

BTW, do ya think living in a nudist colony would take all of the fun out of Halloween? One would imagine they’d be right into make-up at least. :P

Ghosted by Cyanyde @ 10/31/2004 7:10 AM EST

This article made me laugh a bunches!!!

Today is the 31st!!

Ghosted by dfdfgd @ 10/31/2004 9:12 AM EST

Genius!!!  Can we call that "blood" spurting out of Laurie’s neck?  What’s up with the well endowed children??  Yikes.  Meyers looks like there is something growing out of his face–forget the belief that its a knife!!!!!!!!!!

Ghosted by Allison @ 11/05/2004 9:42 AM EST

Is that really a knife Meyers is running around with? Looks kinda like a big dildo. Hey if the kids can be well endowed Mike can have a toy. Why’s Laurie running? Guess she doesn’t want to have a psycho brother play with her with his arm sized dildo.

Ghosted by OSCAR MAYER @ 11/09/2004 9:29 PM EST

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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 30th, 2004 at 11:01 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.