Androman On The Moon - Atari 2600| Game Manual: | N/A | | Game Music: | N/A |
Androman on the Moon was one of several planned games for the unreleased Androman robot. Although a few of the games were rumored to have been programmed, Androman on the Moon is the first one to actually surface. Although the game itself may not look like much, one has to remember that it was only part of the package. The real magic was with Androman himself.
So what exactly was Androman? Androman was a small white robot that would scurry about on a floor mat while the player controlled him using the Atari 2600. Androman also had a barcode scanner in his bottom that would read barcodes placed on the map so the 2600 (and the robot) knew where he was. Using a combination of the joystick and barcodes, the player could guide Androman around the floor mat and play various games. One of those games being Androman on the Moon.
So exactly what is Androman doing on the moon? According to programmer Michael Case, Androman is mining minerals on the moon when he is attacked by aliens (don't you hate it when that happens?). The giant floor mat would have the locations of the mines, and the player would have to guide Androman to them. Once Androman was over a mine, the 2600 would show the mine maze portion of the game. In the mine maze the player has to guide Androman (shown as an X) through the maze while avoiding the alien (shown as a green face).
Androman on the Moon is an interesting game that shows how the 2600 could be expanded and enhanced through the use of sophisticated controllers (such as robots). Unfortunately the game market was rapidly deteriorating, and the public wasn't very receptive to new ideas, especially anything that cost extra money. The Androman idea wouldn't be seen again until Nintendo decided to try something similar with R.O.B. Unfortunately R.O.B. met a similar fate after only two games. |
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