Missile Control

Missile Control is an Atari 2600 game released by Video Gems in 1983. The game plays similarly to Missile Command, but has multiple other elements from other games of its time.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Great visuals that have more detail than its predecessor's Atari 2600 port: The orange buildings have holes in them detailing windows unlike the original inspiration where they were just blue blobs.
 * 2) * There are also cyan rocket ships launching from both sides of the field, & while not that detailed, they have 3 separate parts showcasing the 3 parts of a real rocket ship.
 * 3) * Instead of fighting off simple lines, you fight off different kinds of flying enemies such as a UFO shaped like a trapezoid with 3 scrolling holes indicating different windows as well as them rotating in 360 degree motion.
 * 4) * The blocks that go below the enemies have animation in which they form a river of colors beneath them.
 * 5) Great gameplay that is a combination between the original inspiration, Space Invaders, Breakout, & even has a bit of a strategy element later on where you'll have to shoot towards the rockets that'll then reflect your shot towards the left, or right depending on the rocket you shot at.
 * 6) Nice sound effects, such as an "OOYYAATTT" for when you shoot, a firstly quiet, then suddenly really loud explosion for either when an enemy gets killed, or one of your cities gets destroyed.
 * 7) Great step in difficulty, with the first 4 levels of the game introducing the mechanics of the gameplay before setting you up for the real deal.
 * 8) The TV Type switch is used to pause the game, which was before Atari themselves started doing that around the late 1980s.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Thanks to it being a Europe exclusive, the colors are lacking a bit.
 * 2) Some people might find it too hard to play thanks to the later levels having enemies' projectiles move really fast, as well as you having to get your shots reflected onto those rockets.