Jawbreaker (video game)
Jawbreaker | |
---|---|
Release | 1981: Atari 8-bit, Apple 1982: 2600 1983: C64 |
Genre(s) | Maze |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Jawbreaker is a
Jawbreaker was ported to the Apple II in 1981 and Harris's different take on the game for the Atari 2600 was released the following year. Legal issues resulted in the 2600 port being the template for subsequent versions—for the Commodore 64 and TI-99/4A—and sold confusingly as both Jawbreaker and Jawbreaker II.
Failed licensing and litigation
In 1982, the initial Atari 800 version of Jawbreaker was so faithful to Pac-Man that the game (carelessly leaked by Harris himself) was assumed to be from Atari, Inc. (licensee for Pac-Man's home rights) itself. When one of these early copies found its way to Atari, they reached out to On-Line's Ken Williams. Attempts at a deal fell apart due to culture clashes between Atari and On-Line, particularly Williams and Harris. Williams instructed Harris to alter the artwork for the game to have a dental theme.[4]
Atari unsuccessfully sought an injunction against the sale of Jawbreaker and Gobbler, another On-Line computer game, which Atari claimed unduly resembled Pac-Man, and cited early leaked copies.[4] Williams denied Atari's claim but was uncertain of the outcome, stating "If this opens the door to other programmers ripping off my software, what happened here was a bad thing".[5]
Ports
Because of technical limitations, Atari 2600 Jawbreaker is not a Pac-Man clone and is different than the Atari 8-bit game.[3][6] A rough sketch of the 2600 game was used as the basis for new computer versions from programmers other than Harris.[3] The new game was, confusingly, sold as both Jawbreaker and Jawbreaker II and was not as successful as the original.
Reception
John Anderson reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "As for the graphics and sound, when I first saw the program, I could not bring myself to believe the game was not written by Atari. It is not only truly addictive, but also "paced"—that is, you get tougher, the enemy gets tougher, Four stars to this one."[7]
Jawbreaker was well received by critics and it was given the award for "Best Computer Action Game" in 1982 at the 3rd annual
In 1983,
References
- ^ Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
- ^ "Jawbreaker". Atari Mania.
- ^ a b c "Halcyon Days, Interviews with classic computer and video game programmers: John Harris". Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ a b Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Steven Levy
- ^ Tommervik, Allan (January 1982). "The Great Arcade/Computer Controversy / Part 1: The Publishers and the Pirates". Softline. p. 18. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Goodman, Danny (Spring 1983). "Home Video Games: Video Games Update". Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games. p. 32.
- ^ Anderson, John (January–February 1982). "Atari Arcade". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 2. p. 22.
- ISSN 0147-8907.
- ^ "The Most Popular Atari Program Ever". Softline. March 1983. p. 44. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ Autry, Greg W. (Jul–Aug 1983). "Jawbreaker". Softline. p. 26. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ Ahl, David H.; Brill, Andrew; Lubar, David; Coffey, Michael; Archibald, Dale (Spring 1983). "Apple Computer Games". Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games. Vol. 1, no. 1. p. 86.
External links
- Jawbreaker for the Atari 8-bit family at Atari Mania
- Jawbreaker Archived 2007-03-05 at the Wayback Machine for the Atari 2600 at AtariAge
- Jawbreaker for the Commodore 64 at Lemon 64